Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Alcoholism In Third-World Literature: Buchi Emecheta, Athol Fugard, And Anita Desai, Nancy Topping Bazin

English Faculty Publications

ALCOHOLISM IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN MOST COUNTRIES; yet in only a few countries has it become a social issue and a topic to be discussed seriously and openly. Within universities, substantive knowledge about alcoholism appears co be confined mainly to medical and sociology departments. Certainly, alcoholism is a neglected topic in literary studies. Almost all critics and teachers of literature are blind to its impact on a surprising number of characters and their relationships- even when alcoholism is the primary cause of suffering. Unless a teacher is a recovering alcoholic or knows well someone who is, ignorance or self-censorship …