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allmimsyburogrove t1_iyu2mci wrote

FYI, Things Fall Apart is a direct reaction to Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Achebe called out Conrad as a racist because of his 2-dimensional depictions of the natives of the Congo and felt compelled to tell a story from the perspective of the colonized.

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SublimeLime1 OP t1_iyuqlr6 wrote

What Achebe managed to do for me, is not simply present the Igbo people as simple innocents living in a happy utopia before the colonialism.

But he presents a complex set of traditions, a culture which is not always right, and sometimes does awful things; much like the British.

His way to see the good and bad in both British and Igbo rulership I think is what made it so fascinating for me.

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Most_Triumphant t1_iyvl5zj wrote

Read them both back in High School. They are a fantastic pairing.

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