In the early 20th century, the progressively mechanized character of European culture was contrasted with the traditional farming, fishing and herding society being newly conquered and colonized by Europe such as America, most of Africa and later the pacific and Australia. Many European writers of this time construed the history of Europe as paradigmatic for the rest of the world. Other cultures were identified as having reached a stage through which Europe itself had already passed-primitive; hunter; gatherers; farming; early civilization; feudalism and modern liberal-capitalism. Only Europe was considered to have achieved the last stage.
The advancement of western education in Africa however ushered Africans into the realization that literature is a tool that builds the ideology, perception and believe system of the world about a people or culture. It therefore became imminent that the few educated Africans, as at that time, take the portrayal of Africa, by non-Africans, serious. This book analyzes two novels about Africa: Joyce Cary's Mister Johnson and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart showing the perception of Nigeria by a European (Joyce Cary) and how Chinua Achebe (a Nigerian) tries to refute these notions.
This book further highlighted how Africans, using literature as an arsenal, have been able to counter, re-write, and refute the Eurocentric view that Africa is culture-less, barbaric, uncivilized and backwards.