Rhizoma and intertextuality in Chigozie Obioma's the Fishermen (in English)

this article provides an in-depth analysis of the structural features of Chigozie Obioma's novel The Fishermen, focusing on the postmodern narrative architecture through the concepts of rhizome and intertextuality. The study aims to identify how the author utilizes the principles of multiplicity, nonlinearity, and acentricity to construct a Nigerian postcolonial narrative. The objectives include: 1) analyzing the novel's intertextual connections with African mythology, biblical motifs, and classical antiquity; 2) exploring the rhizomatic organization of the text – how narrative points develop and interact; 3) determining how the novel's structural elements reflect the socio-historical and cultural context of post-independence Nigeria, particularly the 1990s. The practical application of the research findings is possible in the teaching of world literature and comparative literature: understanding the mechanisms of rhizome and intertext can enrich literary analysis methods in university courses, help translators and literary critics more accurately interpret culturally complex texts, and contribute to African studies and postcolonial studies by expanding the understanding of how local stories become universal.

rhizome, intertextuality, postcolonialism, multiplicity, Nigerian narrative, cultural identity, myth and folklore, universal metaphor, multilayered narrative