Social Media As a Literary Technique in Igoni Barret's Blackass And
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SOCIAL MEDIA AS A LITERARY TECHNIQUE IN IGONI BARRET’S BLACKASS AND CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE’S AMERICANAH DIANAROSS CHERONO RONO A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN LITERATURE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI 2017 DECLARATION This project is my original work and has not been presented for examination or the award of a degree in any other university. Signature……………………………… Date……………………………… Dianaross Cherono Rono C50/82306/2015 This project has been submitted for examination with our approval as university supervisors: Signature……………………………… Date……………………………… Prof. Monica Mweseli Department of Literature University of Nairobi Signature……………………………… Date……………………………… Dr. Tom Odhiambo Department of Literature University of Nairobi i DEDICATION To the memory of my late father, Philip Rono for your love for education To my mother Lydia Rono a strong tower of love and strength For Lennon my inspiration ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my profound gratitude to my supervisors, Prof. Monica Mweseli and Dr. Tom Odhiambo for their scholarly advice and guidance which contributed immensely to the successful completion of this project. Special appreciation to Dr. Odhiambo for his invaluable support during the conceptual stages of this project. His guidance and critical comments provided me with varied possibilities from which to approach my topic of research. I am grateful to all my lecturers in the department of Literature at The University of Nairobi especially Prof. Kiiru, Dr. Muchiri, Dr. Kitata, Prof. Indangasi, Dr. Odari and Dr. Musonye. To my siblings, Patrick, Caro, Beatrice, Renny, Eric, Riziki and Cosmas. Thank you for your support throughout the entire period of my study. Thank you Robert for your unwavering support, understanding and patience during the entire course of my study. To my classmates Jacqueline Kosgei, Ann Kamangah, Toshiki Sugano, and Joseph Kwanya. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I have benefitted immensely from the constructive discussions held with you. Thank you Sam Dennis for introducing me to the works of Igoni Barret. iii CONTENTS DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................................... i DEDICATION .............................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Definition of terms .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Statement of the problem .................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Hypotheses .......................................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Justification ......................................................................................................................................... 5 1.7 Scope and limitation ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.8 Literature review ................................................................................................................................. 7 1.9 Theoretical framework ...................................................................................................................... 14 1.10 Research methodology .................................................................................................................... 15 1.11 Chapter outline ................................................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................................... 18 THE SOCIAL MEDIA TECHNIQUE .................................................................................................... 18 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Summary of the novels ..................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Functions of social media as a narrative technique ........................................................................... 21 iv 2.4 Sharpening characterisation .............................................................................................................. 22 2.5 Plot device ......................................................................................................................................... 29 2.6 Structural device ............................................................................................................................... 32 2.7 Narrative perspective ........................................................................................................................ 36 2.8 Aesthetic function ............................................................................................................................. 37 2.9 Thematic function ............................................................................................................................. 40 2.10 The explicative function ................................................................................................................. 40 2.11 Creating multi-vocality ................................................................................................................... 41 2.12 Creating audience ............................................................................................................................ 43 2.13 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................................. 46 THE NARRATIVE POTENTIAL OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEMES ........................................................................................................... 46 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Twitter as a narrative site .................................................................................................................. 46 3.3 Blogosphere as a narrative site .......................................................................................................... 55 3.4 Looping the writer‘s concerns........................................................................................................... 63 3.5 Blogging the writer‘s concerns ......................................................................................................... 67 3.6 Comparison between Barret and Adichie‘s use of social media technique ...................................... 81 3.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 83 CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................................................... 84 4.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 84 WORKS CITED........................................................................................................................................ 88 v ABSTRACT Social media is part of the lifestyle of the twenty first century. Its phenomenal growth owes itself to the ubiquitous presence of the internet and its ability to keep users engaged and entertained for hours on end. Writers are making use of the internet to disseminate their writing as well as experiment with new forms. Barret‘s Blackass and Adichie‘s Americanah deploy social media elements. The choice of social media is in keeping with the narrative turn. This research begins by identifying the specific social media elements deployed. The study looks at the functions of the social media technique and its effectiveness in communicating the writers‘ concerns. The study concludes that Barret and Adichie use the social media technique to foreground themes. A close reading of the two texts reveals the