Introduction
In this unit, you will know more about fiction and the relationship between literature and fiction. We will also try to differentiate between fiction and falsehood. Finally will find out the correlation between history and literature, and how literary artists make use of history in their works.
Fiction, Falsehood and History
The three concepts of fiction, falsehood and history are inter-related as long as they all tell stories. The distinguishing factors is how the stories are told. The important factor is
the intent or motivation. What differentiates one from the other is the intention of the story teller in each category as well as the level of distancing from actuality.
3.1 Fiction
Fiction is an imaginary work. It means that the stories you read in the novels and plays are products of the writer’s imagination. Fiction writers try to craft stories that are as close to reality as possible though they are not real-life experience. A good novelist observes his society, incidents, and situations around him very closely and based on his observation, he creates his own story. Creative writing is a form of self-expression. The writer can get his germinal idea from an incident and develops it into a story. He could create a story based on a real life experience but the story is not factual because he does not report the incidents accurately. That is why Plato threatened to ban them from his republic. He insisted that the artists deceive people with their stories which look like real- life accounts yet they are products of the artist’s imagination.
The writer’s story may be close to an original incident but is not exactly the same. The names of characters and sometimes, the setting, are fictitious. This is what makes it a fiction. Let us take Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart for instance, it is possible that a man like Unoka existed in a certain village. He may have had a son who rejected his father’s way of life, aspired for greatness, worked for greatness, achieved greatness and perhaps eventually falls. But, this man’s story can never be the same with Okonkwo’s story. Some fictions are so true to life that some people feel that their own stories are being told. This explains why in some novels, the publisher warns that all the events and characters presented are fictitious and that any semblance to any living person is regretted.
The fiction writer’s motivation is to share an experience. S/he wants to express himself, to let others into what is in his mind. He wants to communicate his personal feelings or opinion on certain issues in his society to make his society a better place. As Chinua Achebe puts its:
The important thing is that you have something inside you, something burning, something that wants to come out something that you want to communicate to other people, to fellow human beings so it may be a story, it may be whatever. And if you don’t have a chance communicating, you are unhappy (83).
3.2 Falsehood
Sometimes, people interchange fiction with falsehood. You all know that the opposite of truth is falsehood (a lie). We talk of falsehood in real life experiences when someone tells a lie orally or in a publication. We find falsehood mainly in journalism where facts are distorted or outright lies are told to make sensational headlines and stories that would boost the marketing of their papers. Falsehood in writing is when you present a false story and want people to believe that it is true. If for instance, an undergraduate who is not intelligent approaches a lecturer to solicit for marks and the lecturer refuses, the student gets his friends in the media to frame the lecturer and publish a story that claims that he has been sleeps with female students in his office. In this story, the lecturer’s real name and university are mentioned. The intent is to disgrace the lecturer or even get him sacked. But in fiction, even if the lecturer sleeps with his female students, the writer will just pick the theme of sexual harassment in universities and depending on the intention, crafts a story on that. In the second story, the lecturer may be caught pants down and sacked to serve as a deterrent to others. Those of you who watch “super story” may recall the episode on Mr. Lecturer. This is fiction and not falsehood.
3.3. History
History is a factual documentation of events in the society. In history it is expected that there should be no distortion of any type. Accurate names dates, places and incidents are documented in history. It is unfortunate that history as a subject has been neglected in the secondary schools in Nigeria. This is a national tragedy because it is through history that citizens learn more about their leaders past events, and other important incidents in their country. It is through history that we learn about the great Oyo Empire, Kanem Bornu Empire, the exploits of Queen Amina of Zaria, the Alaafin of Oyo, Kan-Kan Musa and many other great leaders and empires. If not for history we will not have known of the
Aba women’s riots of 1929 and many others. Though history, also, we learn what happened in other countries in the past for instance, the origin of slave trade and the final abolition of slave trade, are good examples of historical events.
History as stated earlier dwells on accuracy. The motive is simple and straight forward. It is to record important events, major achievements and notable land marks in the society. So historians must make sure of the facts of the story before documentation.
Through oral literature, historical accounts are passed from one generation to the other. Some of such accounts in many towns include how the inter-tribal wars in pre-colonial Nigeria were fought. Some of them are still being recalled. The effect of the war, especially as it affects the relocation of some towns, are also recounted. However, with the advent of western education, printing and publishing, the history of many towns are being documented in print for posterity. So history is not close to reality but is reality itself.
The creative writer writes from the innermost part of his/her being. William Wordsworth calls it “an overflow of powerful emotions” . The motive of the creative artist therefore is to release that emotion that is “boiling inside you and it wants to come out” (Achebe 83), for the edification of the society. The intention of the creative artist is to instruct, to inform and to entertain.
3.5 Literary Artist Vs History
Creative artists write from their imagination but sometimes they draw their materials from history. A civil war was fought in Nigeria from 1967 to 1970. Ideally, there should be only one authentic (historical) account of that civil war from Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu’s coup in January, 1966 to the Biafrian surrender in January 1970 presented by Major General Effiong. All the major participants, on the both sides should be mentioned for instance he narrated how Col Ifeajuna and others were executed in Biafra as saboteurs, the Aburi conference, the killings of Major General Aguiyi Ironsi, Colonel Samuel Ladoke Akintola and others must be documented in details with specific mention of real names, specific time, year, or dates authentic towns or locations. The major battlefields, like the Nsukka sector, Abagana sector and the blowing up of the River Niger Bridge at Onitsha most not be left out. This is history and there is only one such history.
On the other hand, in fiction, there have been so many novels, and poems on the civil war it is difficult to mention all of them. Each writer imaginatively, creates a story from his or her perspective depending on what is “boiling inside” of him/her that he or she wants to share with the society. Festus Iyayi’s The Heroes for instance focuses on the wanton destruction of human and material resources; the effect of the war on innocent civilians; destroyed relationships; and the fact that the officers sit back to enjoy while other ranks fight and die in the war front. The names are fictitious though there are some allusions to real life events like General Gowon’s wedding.
Lord Lugard, the colonial Governor-General of Nigeria wanted a unification of northern and southern Nigeria later known as amalgamation. He approached Attahiru for friendship but was rejected. Attahiru was not just interested in the protection of his territorial integrity but also the Islamic religion. He had seen how the British subdued or defeated the neighbouring towns so declared that “The only relationship that can exist between a believer and an infidelis…war (27 ).
On their own part, the colonial masters were eager to conquer and annexe Sokoto as fast as possible before the French that had made an inroad into the northern Nigeria and was “moving close to Sokoto through the north of Katsina” (Ajayi 65) war became inevitable. In a fierce battle, Attahiru bravely tried to defend his kingdom but because the colonial masters had more sophisticated weapons, he was defeated and he died gallantly in the battle.
The Civil war in Nigeria became a major concern to the Nigerian writers in the sixties and seventies. The Nigerian Civil War took place between 1967 and 1970 and was said to have claimed the lives of over 100,000 soldiers and numberless civilians affected the
Nigerian literary scene in many ways. It claimed the life of one of the country’s most celebrated poets, Christopher Okigbo, and caused untold hardship to other writers like Wole Soyinka, who were detained for crying out against the atrocities perpetrated in the war.
However, the war provided inspiration for many writers particularly those directly involved. These writers poured out their frustration, anger and memories in considerable quantities and qualities. For instance, Elechi Amadi wrote a powerful novel, Sunset in Biafra (1973), depicting his war-rime experience. Other testimonies to the madness of the era were Soyinka’s The Man Died (1972), Chukwuemeka Ike’s Sunset at Dawn (1976), Ken Sarowiwa’s Sozaboy (1985), Flora Nwapa’s Never Again (1976) and Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun (2007).
Another historical event that has provided material for fiction in Nigeria is colonialism. During the colonial period the deposition of kings who resisted the colonial incursions into their territories was rampant. Two of such kings are Attahiru and Oba Ovwenrem Nogbaisi. Two plays have been written based on the latter one by Ola Rotimi and the second by Ahmed Yerima. Also Ahmed Yerima has written a play on the deposition of Attahiru. The play,Attahiru is about Sultan Muhammadu. Attahiru 1 of Sokoto. The play, set in Sokoto between 1907 and 1903 the colonial period from the ascension of Attahiru as the 12th Caliph of Sokoto and the Sarkin Musulmi to his death in the battle of Burmi. The playwrights pick the main historical incidents of what happened to the kings and based on their perspectives produced beautiful plays that remind the audience of the historical events while entertaining them. Other historical plays include Femi Morountodun ( 1982 ) and Ola Rotimi’s Hopes of the Living Dead ( 1988 ).
Both the historian and the artist need to carry out a research to authenticate their documentation. The historian needs a more thorough and exhaustive research to ensure accuracy. The creative artists needs a research to ensure that he gets the correct account of the particular incident/event s/he wants to depict in his/her work. Here the research is not usually comprehensive. In most cases, he gets his material from the historians document, and presents it with additional information from his imagination to make his work interesting and class.
4.0 Conclusion
Sometimes fiction and falsehood are used interchangeable. This explains why Plato proposed to banish artists from his Republic. According to him they tell lies and deceive people. He insists that they can only fight and win wars in their works but cannot do the same in real life. Although some falsehoods are imaginary tales, they are told for selfish reasons. Generally fiction which is an imaginary art is produced for the benefit of the audience, the society. The fiction writer’s motive is to inform, to educate and to entertain. Fiction differs from history because history has nothing to do with imagination. The historian is a documentarian for s/he records facts the way they are and not the way they appear to him, the way he wants them to be or the way he imagines them. So, he deals with raw facts, undistilled, undiluted. Creative writers present these facts from their perspectives, distilled, filled with ingredients added to make a pleasurable reading.
5.0 Summary
You have learnt the similarities and differences between fiction, falsehood and history. You have also learnt the fiction is a product of the writer’s imagination and that the writer writes through his or her experience. He can base his story on the society, on people, incidents, myth, legend and history. The important point here is that he or she does not reproduce the material the way it is, but he embellishes it to create a unique entertaining story from which the reader or audience can learn some lessons.
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
Differentiate between fiction and falsehood.
8.0 References/Further Reading
Achebe, Chinua (1958). Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann
Ajayi, A J. (1970). A Textbook of West African History. Lagos:Longman.
Achebe, Chinnua in Ezenwa-Ohaeto (ed) (2003). Chinua – Achebe: Straight from the
Heart. Lagos: Stone Press.
Iyayi Festus ( 1986 ). The Heroes. Harlow, Essex: Longman
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