Reading Comprehension

PT127 · S4 · P1 · Q6 Amos Tutuola

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With his first published works in the 1950s, Amos Tutuola became the first Nigerian writer to receive wide international recognition.

Central Topic / Purpose

Nigerian writer Amos Tutuola / Clarify a Misconception (Challenge Position)

Main Point

Some of Tutuola's critics think he was a novelist who was ripping off and retelling local tales, but in reality Tutuola was more of a teller of folktales than a novelist.

Passage Map

P1: Intro to Tutuola / Misconception -- He was the first famous Nigerian writer. Lots of critics praised him, but other critics thought he wrote very derivative, unoriginal novels. P2: Author's Clarification -- He's not writing novels. We should approach him as a folktalist in the African oral tradition. P3: Background on African oral folktale tradition -- you tell familiar stories with a personal twist. P4: Relating Tutuola back to African oral folktale -- examples of Tutuola doin' folktale stuff.

Other Commentary

Most Humanities passages will either defend an artist against criticism (often with a "these critics just don't get it" feel, like Clarify Misconception) or they will simply present an informative summary of that artist / art movement (in which case the Purpose is just to Highlight Something Noteworthy) .

The main point/purpose of this passage is foreshadowed in the most common spot: right after a "but/yet/however/recently" pivot, at the end of the first paragraph.

The author refers to the "corpus of traditional lore" (second-to-last sentence of the second paragraph) as part of an attempt to

Correct
distinguish expectations that apply to
Why this is right
The author is saying, "Critics, stop looking for original storylines, as you would from a novelist. My boy Tutuola is a teller of folktales, and in that genre you're not supposed to be original. You're supposed to draw from the corpus of lore."
Skill tested: Local Purpose · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
88% picked this
argue that two sharply differing
Too Strong: "equally valuable"
The author is never assessing the value of novels vs. folktales. He's just clarifying that Tutuola is creating the latter.
1% picked this
challenge critics who ascribe little
Out of Scope "blending literary genres"
There has not been in the passage a critic that says, "I actually don't think there's much good in trying to blend together two genres". Also, the author is not arguing that Tutuola is creating an innovative blend of novel and folktale writing. He's saying "view Tutuola within the African oral tradition".
6% picked this
elucidate those characteristics of one
Out of Scope "direct counterparts"
The author is never trying to identify which features novel writing and folktale telling have in common. She is acknowledging an important different between the two genres here (with novels, we want original subjects ... with folktales, we want familiar subjects)
4% picked this
argue for a new, more
Trap
Out of Scope "new analysis of two genres" The author is never calling for a new analysis of novel writing and folktale telling, just showing critics that Tutuola is not writing novels and that analyzing his work from that perspective is faulty.
2% picked this

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