The Role of the female character in the Cameroonian novel

Abstract

This study provides first of all, a smattering view of the 20 th Century novel and goes on to examine the various ways in which the concept of the female character is handled in the black African novel in general and in the Cameroonian novel in particular. The study further discusses the role and place of the woman, her perception and her importance in the black African novel. It also looks at the hypothesis that, in the black African novel, the female character sometimes initiates and aids action in the novel, by symbolizing various facets of the African society or personality. These emphases should not however be interpreted to mean that our choice of topic is dictated by the common place ‘feminism’ nor the choice of writers manipulated to suit the topic. The novelists use the female character not only as part of their narrative techniques but also as a door to various issues concerning and in understanding the sociological role of the woman in the real society. We decide to focus on five Contemporary Cameroonian writers: Mongo Beti, Francis Bebey, Honoré Godefroy Essomba- Ahanda, Sonne Dipoko and a female writer, Lydie Dooh as our scope of study. This will enable us spell out how their characterization of the female character adds to new knowledge and concept of the African woman in our modern African society.