Challenger Research Journal

      This paper explores how allusions to mythology in “Anansi Meets Peter Parker at the Taco Bell on Lexington” by Douglas Kearney, “The Magical Negro” by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu, and “Aftermoon” by Tananarive Due from Dark Matter by Sheree R. Thomas exemplifies an Afrosurrealist literary aesthetic. Using James Scott theory of public and hidden transcript, Nelson Maldonado-Torres theory of the coloniality of being, and Isidore Okpewho's definiton of myth, mythology signifies aesthetics of mysticism and grotesque and a rejection of linear time to demonstrate patterns of oppression and how colonialism affects present reality to create a surreal experience. In “Anansi Meets Peter Parker at the Taco Bell on Lexington,” the parallels of Anasai to Spiderman and B’rer Rabbit to Bugs Bunny demonstrate the absurdity of racial economic inequality from cultural production. In “The Magical Negro,” references to Thor the Brave from Norse mythology critique the trope of a “magical negro” by disrupting the narrative and directly addressing the reader's participation.  In “Aftermoon” the protagonist, Kenya tries to hide that she is a werewolf to be desirable to romantic partners, critiquing the absurdity of Modern, Eurocentric beauty standards having high social power. Understanding how allusions to mythology work as an Afrosurreal literary aesthetic can illustrate how surrealism can be approached in different cultural contexts.