Literature As A Reflection Of Society And Culture

Literature as a reflection of society and culture with respect to Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People

Plato defined all art as mimetic by nature. According to him, art is an imitation of life. There have been various attempts to define literature and the definitions have varied over time. A general observation presents the view that these definitions have been culturally relative. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, “The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution.” Literature may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language, national origin, historical period, genre, and subject matter. Under these diverse headings, one aspect that can be witnessed in common is the light that a specific work throws on the culture of the time. Literature caters to providing both the appreciation and criticism of culture by painting a realistic picture of the time woven around its characters and subject matter. The idea that literature reflects society is at least as old as Plato's

His novel A Man of the People describes Nigeria in its post-independence phase, during which time the country became a ‘cesspool of corruption and misrule’ in the context of colonial-style social and economic development, a situation that resulted in conflict between the emergent, elitist middle class and the general population. Achebe’s reputation as a novelist rests on his impartial understanding of, and ability to represent, the Nigerian environment. His realistic characterization, and diagnosis, of his country’s malaise has the power to inspire a revolution informed by African