Dance of Attrition and Resistance: Semiotics of Gender Stratification in Three Suitors, One Husband, and Until Further Notice
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This study is an assessment of African social structures through the
lens of structuralist ideology by examining the opposing binaries of
gender conflict which are eyjdcnt in the literature of colonised societies
because the intersection of gender and power structm·e in societies is
· often reflected in fictional literature of the region. The mythic
establishment of patriarchal systems dominated the writings that
predated the evolution of feminism and portrayed female subjugation
as the status quo; a position wruch in retrospect reveals the rift
underlying the conb:oversy of gender relations in contemporary African
societies; especially in trado-western marriage systems. This article
draws attention to the iilltializmg symbols of dominance which are
celebrated during marriage c~remonics and how these act as
endorsement for the gender subjugation of the woman wjthin the
marriage itself. The tripartite semiotic system of the sign; the index;
and the symbol of Peircian philosophy are employed for the purpose of
analysis in this regard. The work focuses on the importance of gestural
signifiers of inequality and reveals the potential danger of female
attrition that lies in downplaying the unspoken and intrinsic power
which subjugation practices in marriage ceremonies symbolize. The
choice of the play is informed by the playwright's unique fusion of
satiric irony and gestural d)rnmnics to portray gender stratification The work should bridge the gap in the
dearth of literature that aims to
deconstruct gender characterization m
African dramaturgy.
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PE English