Suchergebnisse

This study is based on the premise that a literary writer has a wide range of narrative agents to choose from. Literary artists discriminate in the choice of both subject–matter and technique. When a writer thus makes a selection, it is assumed that he opts for what is best suited to articulate his vision or ideological perspectives on a multiplicity of concerns. A writer's preference in terms of character-types should therefore never be taken for granted but rather should be perceived as a vehicle through which the writer lays bare his/her message. Boulton (1954) asserts: "a story or essay will achieve an effect on the reader by selection of some aspects of the subject" (p.109). Characterization in Literature is therefore a deliberate enterprise aimed at achieving certain goals. Characterization has all along been an important part in literary history. During the classical period, only characters of the highest social standing were treated as subjects of truly serious attention in literary art. Ordinary human existence could only be treated in a flippant, comic or satiric manner. A writer would thus employ a child character in literature intended for mature persons because he/she is convinced that the age factor will express his message more forcefully than if he/she employed an adult character. Wilson-Tagoe and Dabydeen (1987, p.38) assert that in novels about childhood, "the child's experiences become part of the novel's social and political vision, and are often controlled and shaped by the overall point of view of the writer". This study thus seeks to investigate the function of the child in the West - Indian adult novel.

This paper takes a critical look at the influences of Bertolt Brecht's dramaturgy on the works of African playwrights. It is evident that the theoretical approach and style of Bertolt Brecht has shaped the new narratives that has been unleashed on the modern stage. His devoted treatise on social theatre theory and the creation of storylines that are centred on around the emancipation of the people has served as a template for most playwrights in developing countries. This article looks at the deployment of the Brechtian Theatre model by two prolific African playwrights. Francis Imbuga's Successor and Ola Rotimi's If… from the popular nature of the storylines that captures the historicity that shapes the African political landscape, to the everyman characterization that the playwrights deploy; this nature of characterization easily speaks to the African because it propagates its historical and immediate challenges. All these attributes are firmly entrenched in Bertolt Brecht's Theatre. The article looks at the historical nature of the plays and their social relevance to the development of man in the modern society.

The papers contained in the presented volume, which is a continuation of the publication Education, Culture, and Technologies. Vol. 1, presents views of young researchers, humanists, and artists on education and culture in the context of the digital world and media, that is, from the perspective of cyberculture. In such a perspective, the role of art, both the traditionally considered high art and popular art, influencing people outside the rational argumentation, directly stimulating their emotions and co-construing their worldviews, cannot be overestimated and is reflected further in social approaches towards important social and political problems. However, the pandemic has challenged the traditional forms of functioning of some kinds of art, especially live performances in need of an audience, as in the case of theatre, which was forced to search for new ways of reaching the public and maintaining its function. Art also has an indirect educative role, which should be further explored in more institutionalized contexts because the digital technological change in education provided not only tools for self-learning, distant learning, and so on but also brought about various challenges in terms of teacher authority and the reliability of the information found online. This information might be very convincing and highly popular but being persuasive and widespread does not equal being true or right. Therefore, analytical and critical skills are needed to maneuver the turbulent waters of digital world.