Heroism and the Supernatural in the African Epic
Toward a Critical Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18967802 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mariam Konate Deme (Western Michigan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 402-419 |
| Publication date | 2009-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Black Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9347 • E-ISSN: 1552-4566 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0021934706297819 |
| OpenAlex | W2042441482 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
This article is a critical analysis of the role and function of the supernatural in African epics. It is necessitated by the persistent misconception and misrepresentation of the African epic that argue that in the African epic, too much emphasis is put on the hero's recourse to nonhuman means rather than on his natural force, which, in a Western conceptualization, typifies heroism. Therefore, the author's main contention in this article is that the significance of the fantastic and its use as an essential element in the dramatic structure of African epics can be fully appreciated only against the cosmological background of the societies that produce those heroic tales
Aesthetics · Art · Conceptualization · Element (criminal law) · EPIC · Epistemology · Function (biology) · HERO · Linguistics · Literature · Misrepresentation · Natural (archaeology) · Political science · Sociology · African studies and sociopolitical issues · History · Law · Philosophy · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,06 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2010 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |