Interpretation Of Magic Realism Of Ben Okri's Novel The Famished Road

Ben Okri(1959-)is a Nigerian writer,who is one of the most remarkable African post-colonial writers in the new era.In 1991,his novel The Famished Road won the Booker Prize.The novel The Famished Road is set background in a fictional modertn African city,and narrated in the first person tone(the protagonist named Azaro).It closely connects personal life experience with historical civilization of nation and fate of country,which is a milestone in the African literature history.In this paper,the author mainly analyzes "the magic narrative of the text" and "the transformation of Magic Realism in Africa" on the basis of combing previous research productions,trying to comprehensively summarize the integrated Magic Realism characteristics of the text and profoundly hold Okri's creative ideas and techniques.Therein,the author focuses on the critical research on the specific paragraphs,adheres to text analysis and specific manifestation of magic realism in the African context,striving for the unity of microscopic analyze and macroscopic view.This paper could divide into five parts.In the introduction part,it puts forward the formation of Ben Okri's viewpoint on literary creation through the brief introduction of author and his works.Then it summarizes research results of The Famished Road domestically and abroad,on the basis of affirming the previous studies,puts forward the existing problems and shortcomings.At last,it introduces the research methods used in this paper and points out its innovation.In the first chapter,it plays the magic atmosphere in The Famished Road up by illuminating magic images of the novel.Then selects specific images in the novel for analysis,including the core magic image "Abiku",auxiliary magic images like "road"and "juju",additive magic images like "smug" "moon" and "animals".Through the analysis of magic images,it discusses the use of those symbols in inheriting Magic Realism characteristics and highlighting African local characteristics.In the second chapter,it combs the novel's magic narrative strategies,deeply excavates the magic characteristics of the novel in narrative time,narrative space and narrative methods.The author notes that Okri retains three features in narration.Firstly,he focuses on the characteristics of "non-linear narrative" and "time cycle" in narrative time.Secondly,he puts his subjective will into the narrative space,such as the typical cultural space "ghost world",social space "bar" and natural space "forest".Thirdly,his narrative methods present like "myth narrative" and "mirror narration".Based on these characteristics,this paper makes a horizontal analysis of text's narrative strategies,trying to find its vertical logic that Okri remains with.In the third chapter,it puts forward the real core of the novel The Famished Road under its magic husk.The magic characteristics in images interpretation and narrative strategies are actually serves for its realism themes,including "politics","self exploration" "death and suffering".In one way,Okri was deeply influenced by Western civilization and modern literature,which let him shows profound characteristics of post-colonial literature in his works.In another,Okri also influenced by his national civilization tradition and concerned about African social reality,which results in his Magic Realism creations were deeply rooted in African civilization.In the conclusion part,it points out that Ben Okri's reveals his Magical Realism creating viewpoints in the novel The Famished Road.His viewpoints are inheriting traditional literary concepts while subverting them,which profoundly changes writers'views on Magical Realism creation in the whole world,especially in Africa.His creations widen the vision of modern African literature creation.At last,the author of the paper emphasizes that putting further research on The Famished Road and Magic Realism works still has significance and value of research in Chinese literature researches.