A clash of new and ancient gods : religion and allegory in central African postcolonial literature
(Book - Regular Print)

ProQuest Number: 10279168.

Advisor: Suzanne Waldenberger.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Humanities from Prescott College.

M.A.,Prescott College,2017.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-96).

"Religious conflict, missionary versus indigenous priest for the soul of society, occurs repeatedly in the postcolonial fiction of central Africa, as the chosen means to illustrate the colonial and postcolonial environment. Given the omnipresence of religion in the postcolonial fiction of central Africa, there is little analysis that comprehensively explores its function from the broad scope of multiple novels and perspectives in comparison with postcolonial fiction from regions outside Africa. In this inquiry, I have chosen to analyze three exemplary pieces of religion-infused postcolonial fiction; The river between by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o (1965), Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe (1964), and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1998). These novels represent three ways to engage in the colonial discourse of these regions: The African to the African, the African to the Westerner, and the Westerner to the Westerner about Africa. Religion is shown to be the primary authorial mechanism to illustrate the cultural misunderstandings that arise between the colonial forces and the indigenous inhabitants. The various crises of faith within the novels are revealed to be the subtle means that the authors use to suggest possible courses of action to defeat imperialism within the framework of a postcolonial narrative. A decolonizing discourse emerges from the resolutions to the crises of faith that each character undergoes. The model missionary is examined, an archetypcal character within each novel whose role is to guide the other characters to an author-condoned spiritual resolution while pointing towards the author's chosen stance against imperialism. The conclusion ultimately considers why the construct of religion is such a suitable vehicle for accomplishing these aims in the context of these regions, alighting upon the ability of religion to address both the communal and individual approaches to dealing with profound loss."--leaf 5.