Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

For this second installment of our philosophy and literature series we will discuss the philosophical issues (including ethical and existential issues) raised by the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Specific issues raised include the struggle between social change and tradition, varying interpretations of masculinity, the legacy of colonialism in Africa, and the difficulties involved in cultural understanding and cultural representation -- though we can discuss whatever members want to discuss (as long as it's grounded in the particulars of the text of course.)

Please read the novel in advance of our discussion.

You can purchase the book HERE (https://www.amazon.ca/Things-Fall-Apart-Chinua-Achebe/dp/0385667833/) or download a copy HERE (https://www.dropbox.com/s/1dvph7uwbecci8a/Things%20Fall%20Apart%20-%20Chinua%20Achebe.pdf?dl=0) (please message me for the password if you're attending).

About the book -- Originally written in English and published in 1958,Things Fall Apart was one of the first novels by an African author to garner worldwide acclaim. Though mostly fictional, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe claims that the book documents Africa’s spiritual history – the civilized and rich life the Igbo lived before the arrival of Europeans and the ruinous social and cultural consequences that the arrival of European missionaries brought. Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart as a sharp criticism of imperialism, or the European colonization of countries outside of the European continent (especially Africa and the Americas). The novel also critiques Joseph Conrad’s famous novel,Heart of Darkness, which documented the African natives from an imperialist’s (or white colonizer’s) point of view. Achebe followed Things Fall Apart with two other novels, No Longer At Ease and Arrow of God, both of which also depict the African experience with Europeans.

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About the philosophy and literature series:

Great literature, as documents of human experience and possibility, is rich in philosophical implications. Through the power of detailed narratives, images, and descriptions, literature can reveal new and richer ways of seeing and thinking about traditional philosophical problems, as well as sensitizing the reader to the meaning and importance of those problems in the lives of human beings.

For this series we will discuss philosophy through literature from different genres and from different parts of the world.