32 pages • 1 hour read
Wole SoyinkaA Dance of the Forests
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1963A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka centers on characters summoned by the deity Aroni, who confront their past actions and the recurring political issues in postcolonial Africa through interactions with both the living and the dead. The play combines traditional Yoruba elements with European drama and challenges political corruption and historical romanticism. Themes of violence and loss are present.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Wole Soyinka's A Dance of the Forests is praised for its complex weaving of Yoruba mythology and Nigerian history, offering a rich, symbolic narrative. Critics appreciate Soyinka's inventive language and deep themes, though some find the play’s density and abstract structure challenging. Overall, it is acknowledged as a significant, though demanding, literary work.
Who Should Read A Dance of the Forests?
Readers who enjoy intricate, symbolic narratives and themes of cultural identity and history would appreciate A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka. Fans of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart or Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's The River Between would find similar engagement through Soyinka's exploration of post-colonial and traditional African dynamics.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsBook Details
Play: Postcolonial
Allegory / Fable / Parable
African Literature
History: African
Politics / Government
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Society: Colonialism