Beyond the Boundaries: African Literature and Literary Theory

London, England: Allison & Busby/W. H. Allen & Co, 1989. Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7?" - 9?" tall. First Printing, published simultaneously with Hardcover edition. Trade Paperback in Very Good Condition. Just of touch of wear to cover edges, otherwise clean, unmarked, tight and square binding, internals clean and free from any markings, no creases. The author makes a powerful case for African literature, as an object of scholarly research as well as a moral force in contemporary Africa (paraphrase from a statement of Biodun Jeyifo, Professor of English, Cornell University). For centuries it has been taken for granted that Western literature stands at the center of the world's culture.But this Eurocentric tradition, which has relegated the literature of people's beyond the bounds of the West to a lesser status, is increasingly being recognized as a narrow-minded and distorted perspective. Schipper explores beyond cultural boundaries, to help gain insight into the phenomenon of literature and the way it functions cross-culturally. Among the issues he explores are Eurocentrism, Afrocentrism, oral influence on written texts, how to define realism, and the political implications of literary communication. 212, indexed, with Notes and Bibliography. 5 x 7.8. 1989, Allison & Busby/W. H. Allen & Co., London, England