Gothic Topoi and the Postmodern Imagination in Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch

This paper explores Okorafor’s Akata Witch as an exemplification of Gothic nuances inhabiting the postmodernist world. Okorafor’s dexterous deployment of Gothicism as topoi that uncovers salient postmodern issues contemporaneous with society. The study is anchored on the emerging theory propagated by Maria Beville, Gothic-postmodernist theory. Through a close reading of selected text, this study analyses Gothic topoi that serve to elucidate sublime terrors in the form of fear of self, immortality and transcendence to the ethereal realm. Okorafor’s Akata Witch was sampled out purposely because it is flavored with Gothic topoi that amplify postmodern concerns. The paper argues that Gothic topoi deployed by the writer evince society’s sensibilities and contradictions in the twenty first century. It established that the Gothic topoi of placeness and Gothic characters revitalize restoration of Gothic as a distinct genre. A conclusion is made that Gothic topoi buttress postmodern notions of hegemonic commodification. The study adds to the polemics surrounding the continuous evolvement and centrality of Gothicism in literature. The study also contributes to the field of Gothic-postmodernism as ever-changing and evolving genre. It entrenches it as a distinct genre that requires more academic attention and recognition.