Literature and ICT: Implications of the New Normal on 21st century African fiction

Abstract

The sudden spurt of Covid-19 as a pandemic came at a time when a greater proportion of global communities and activities were uneven in their degree of technological awareness and readiness: this includes the21st century literature and literary expression in the genre of African Novel. This paper, therefore, investigates the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 21st-century African literary expression in the novel, as dictated by the new normal: social distancing, lockdown, digitalization, e-fiction, and globalization. The paper deploys E. D. Hirsch’s New Historicism as its theoretical framework and the qualitative text-based method as its tool of analysis. It is discovered that the pandemic forced every human activity to make digitalization and digital transformation a rapid strategic focus in response to social distancing and lockdowns. This has created a new norm in Global contact relations and communication. One of the most important aspects of this transformation has been providing remote infrastructure that can support digital relationships and communication. Besides this urgent need for digital technology, it has also
been discovered that the situation has resulted in the need for new authors with a new mindset who might require more novel competencies and behaviors than were needed a couple of years ago. It is recommended that, as the cumulative impact of the pandemic leads to global digital adjustment of not only economic activities but also cultural studies, there is a need for proactive assistance and cooperation in global relationships.