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Author(s): Evans Ombeng’i Nyachoi, Nancy Ayodi (Ph.D.), Alexander Meitamei (Ph.D.).

Volume/Issue: Volume 7, Issue 4 (2025)

Page No: 87-103

Journal: International Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics (IJLLL)

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Abstract:

This was a comparative study of the use irony in hero character depictions in the Kiswahili Epics of Mikidadi and Mayasa and Fumo Liyongo. The objective of the research was: - to do a comparative assessment of the use of irony as a stylistic device of depicting heroism in the Kiswahili Epics of Mikidadi and Mayasa and Fumo Liyongo. The choice of the research topic was informed by the existing academic gap. Even though many researches have been done on heroism, the researcher is yet to encounter a work on the comparative analysis the use of irony in depicting heroism in the selected Kiswahili Epics Fumo Liyongo, and Mikidadi and Mayasa. This paper was guided by the theory of Formalism by Victor Shykslovsky (1904) and expounded by vile Bies and Roman Jacobson 1919. This theory points out clearly that, literary works should have distinctive features like form and literary strategies in depictions. This research was library based. Different libraries including e-library were used. The target population was Kiswahili epics, and purposefully two Kiswahili Epics were sampled. The selected epics were; The Epic of Fumo Liyongo, (Kijumwa, 1913) and The Epic of Mikidadi and Mayasa (Bashir, 1972). Data was collected by use of content analysis. The selected Kiswahili epics were read in depth. Specific data connected with the objective was documented as guided by the theory of Formalism and The Readers’- Response Theory then cross checked in a comparative way. Data was then analyzed descriptively, and results presented in a written document. The research assessed comparatively the contexts of irony in various contexts in the selected epics. The research concluded that even though the contexts contradicted the expectations of the readers about a true hero in a community, irony was purposefully used to show heroism. The result in this research paper is expected to be an important source of reference to scholars of this topic of heroism in Kiswahili epics. This research is a bridge to future research and it is an important addition to works already done on heroism in Kiswahili epics.

Keywords:

Foregrounding, Textual Meaning, Context, Iconicity.

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