Blending Genres in the Palm-Wine Drinkard: Myth, Orality, and the Modernist African Novel

This paper examines the dynamic blending of myth, oral tradition, and modernist narrative techniques in The
Palm-Wine Drinkard, positioning the text as a pioneering work in the formation of the African novel. Drawing
on the rich reservoir of Yoruba folklore, the novel reconfigures indigenous storytelling modes within a written,
English-language framework, thereby challenging Western literary conventions. The study explores how myth functions not merely as thematic content but as a structural principle that shapes the episodic, cyclical journey of the protagonist. It also highlights the influence of orality, evident in repetitive patterns, formulaic expressions, and communal modes of narration, which disrupt linear plot development and conventional realism. By situating the text within modernist discourse, the paper argues that Tutuola’s narrative resists rigid genre classifications, instead creating a hybrid literary form that negotiates between tradition and innovation. This fusion ultimately redefines the boundaries of the novel and asserts a distinct African aesthetic that privileges cultural memory, performative storytelling, and imaginative freedom.