Suffering and Global Recognition in African Literature: A Text Mining Analysis of Genre, Subject, and Synopsis Themes

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between thematic focus and critical recognition in African literature, with specific emphasis on suffering narratives. By analyzing the 336 highest-ranked African novels (aggregated from 665 critical lists), it applies text mining to synopses, genre categories, and subject tags to identify dominant thematic patterns. The analysis tests whether suffering is disproportionately represented in highly acclaimed works and whether alternative themes (joy, love, futurism) achieve comparable critical recognition. Findings will contribute to understanding how global literary markets privilege certain narratives over others.