Festus Iyayi and Narrative Techniques: A Formalist Reading of Violence

Abstract

It is to be noted that works of art are made up of literary devices which are used to embellish them, hence, the formalistsƒ?? emphasis on ƒ??literarinessƒ?? and not literature. It is so important in formalist criticism to examine the various devices which the author has indeed employed in narrating his story. From history, there has never been a piece of literature so loosely written without a touch of narrative technique. The purpose of this paper then is to explore the various techniques employed by Iyayi in exposing the class conflict between the capitalists and the (proletariat) working class in Nigeria using the formalist literary approach. As a Marxian writer Iyayiƒ??s criticism of the exploitative role of the capitalists and comprador class is very pronounced in Nigeria. This paper concludes that the place of narrative techniques in literary criticism can never be over emphasized.