English 201 (ENGL201H1)

Romanticism and Its Legacy

An Introduction to Ecocritical Literature and

Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon (2014)
Part 1

She is the largest predator in these waters. Her waters. Even

when she migrates, this particular place remains hers. Everyone
knows it. She was not born here but after all her migrations, she
is happiest here. She suspects that this is the birthplace of one of
those who created her (Okorafor, 2014: 3)
■ These slides will continue this course’s exploration of key ecocritical
themes such as anthropocentricism, our understanding of the
relationship between the human & non-human and how ecocritical
“literature both reflects and helps to shape human responses to the
natural environment” (Hutchings, 2007: 172).
■ We have examined the interconnections/overlaps between the
Romantics’ depiction of nature & the tenets of ecocriticism/eco-poetry
in previous lectures. This section will attempt to highlight
contemporary examples of ecocritical literature & the particular ways
they use literary devices such as characterisation/narrative
perspective/anthropomorphism to highlight environmental themes,
■ These slides also provide a brief introduction to certain genres such as
Science fiction, Afrofuturism & Africanfuturism – which will be critical
to our analysis of Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon (2014).
• Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon (2014) is a remarkable novel that
depicts an alien invasion of the Nigeran capital, Lagos. This
book represents the relationship between humans & non-
human characters (be they animals, aliens or mythical
beings/gods) in a subversive manner that reflects MANY of
the ecological themes & ideas discussed in the previous
sections.

• Poems like Tanya Evanson’s “Re: Move” and Tamamkhulu

Afrika’s “Shaman” present an alternate view of our
relationship to the non-human world – using poetic devices
& unusual imagery to make us question the idea that
human beings have mastery over the natural world,

• The extracts from the text (uploaded on Learn & discussed

in tutorials) have been selected because they show how
Okorafor ‘s fiction destabilises/questions anthropocentric
perspectives of the world. Okorafor’s perspective shifts
fluidly between the perspectives of humans, animals and
gods – suggesting a literature attuned to the fundamental
interconnectedness of life-forms in any ecosystem.

A gorgeous Polish cover of Lagoon
– Note the fact that the swordfish
are placed within the spotlight –
swimming over the city itself.
Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American writer who
has expressed the hope that her readers “will
eventually follow the roots [of the work] that extend
deep and firmly into the rich African soil and learn a
thing or two about this potent part of the earth”
(Okorafor, 2009: 285).
This powerful & instructive metaphor captures
multiple dimensions of Okorafor’s work. It emphasises
the specifically African nature of her fiction (which
will discussed in more detail in a later slide).
Okorafor describes her fiction as a living organism
rooted in the African soil, figuratively linking her
fiction to the organic processes of nature. Does this
metaphor symbolically challenge the binaries of
mind/body, nature/culture enacted by Western
discourse of Cartesian dualism?
• Lagoon’s opening chapter sets the
stage for the novel’s anti-hierarchal
representation of nature. It is told
from the perspective of a powerful,
female swordfish gliding through
the waters of Lagos on a mission to
destroy an oil pipeline. In what
ways does this depiction overlap
with the concerns of ecocriticism
which attempts “to speak […] on
behalf of non-human organisms”
(Hutchings, 2007: 74)?
Before beginning the extract, note the novel’s dedication (def: the
opening statement alongside the publication page showing the author’s
expression of thanks towards another person).
The dedication reads “Dedicated to the diverse and dynamic people
of Lagos, Nigeria – animals, plant and spirit”
What is so fascinating about this dedication? Is this something we are
accustomed to seeing in literature? What does this suggest about
Okorafor’s ecocritical perspective, and how does this foreshadow ( def:
a literary device in which the writer provides an early hint at what will
unfold within the rest of the narrative) the swordfish’s representation
in the prologue?
The novel is primarily written in third person perspective, with the narrative
switching between many different characters’ points of view. The prologue
presents the interior life/inner thoughts of a swordfish. In other sequences,
Okorafor depicts the consciousness of a bat & a spider. Consider how inviting the
reader into the swordfish’s thoughts could “engender in the reader an attitude of
respect for, and ethical care toward, the realm of non-human nature” (Hutchings,
2007: 188).
Remember the Enlightenment thinkers & Rene Descartes’s famed observation
about what it is that makes us human (“I think therefore I am”). Note the
swordfish’s sense of purpose/access to memories/critical attitude towards the
“dry creatures” (3) who are responsible for the oil pipeline. Refer to the audio file
for further discussion.

For further discussion of some ecocritical concepts that Okorafor investigates in

this novel, watch the video (which is also available on Learn) at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gWGP34-4tY.
• The swordfish plunges her spear-tip into the
pipeline in anger – eager to see the end of the
‘dry creatures’ (i.e. humans) who “brought the
stench of dryness, then they brought the noise
and made the world bleed black ooze that left
poison rainbows on the water’s surface”
(Okorafor, 2014: 7).
• Consider the implications of this description of
the bleeding earth & the swordfish’s perspective
of humanity. Consider the ocean itself – it’s
mystery & hidden depths – how much do we
‘know’ about it?
• The swordfish swims away after her mission,
Image of oil pollution in the Niger Delta. Oil is a
but a great noise roars through the ocean.
resource that modern humanity has become dependent
Aliens have arrived in the waters of Lagos, on – yet oil drilling & production has had profoundly
“something from far, far away” (5). Note the negative environmental consequences. Consider the
swordfish’s description of this alien extract’s depiction of the pipeline as a “giant dead
presence - the effect it has upon the ocean. snake” (Okorafor, 2014: 3). In what ways is this prologue
a critique or criticism of humanity’s desire for oil?
Refer to Audio for more discussion.
Quick notes on the first alien encounter in Lagoon: What do you think is significant about the fact that the ‘first
contact’ with aliens in this novel does not involve human beings? Why do you think Okorafor chooses to stage her
alien invasion off the coast of Lagos rather than a Western city like New York or Paris? How are the aliens depicted
in their dialogue/exchange with the swordfish?

Below are images from two very different American Science fiction films - Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra Terrestrial [L] and
Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day [R]. One features a peaceful (& vaguely humanoid) alien - while the other depicts the
spectacular destruction of the White House by aggressive alien invaders. The aliens in Okorafor’s novel are not cuddly creatures
accidentally stranded on Earth like E.T, nor do they want to start a war with humanity like the aliens in Independence Day..
This is the kind of image some students may associate with Science fiction - utopian visions of
future-worlds, spaceships & interplanetary travel. This is certainly one type of Science fiction
(or perhaps Science fantasy, evident in films like Star Wars) but the kind of Science fiction
seen in Okorafor’s Lagoon (2014) is quite different.