SOCIETAL EXIGENCIES AND LITERARY TECHNIQUE (DRAMATIC TECHNIQUE)

Like clay in the hands of highly experienced porters, the authors have laid bare the age-long relationship that has been in existence between arts and the society. The effect that societal norms exert on the structure, form and even style of a work of.art is elucidated. Drawing backups from Fugard's Sizwe Bansi is Dead and Thiongo's Tlte Trial of Dedan Kimathi, the authors have convinced us that the exigencies of the times in which their plays were written adversely affected the playwrights style. Not haying any camps in which they could pitch their tents, they had no option but to spend currency that was coined right out of their own mint by evolving styles that were non-existent in those days. Fugard for instance, resorted to the use of paucity of characters as a technique while Thiongo ......deployed the use of types as can be seen in the array of raggedly clad country side peasants that abound in the play, all these were meant to keep everything on the down low.