The "Evil Forest" as Threshold: A Computational Eco-Feminist Study of the Forest in Nigerian Fantasy

Authors

• Cynthia O. Mbagwu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Ng’ang’a Wahu-Mũchiri

Committee Members

Stephen Ramsay, Adrian Wisnicki

Date of this Version

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: English

Under the supervision of Professor Ng’ang’a Wahu-Mũchiri

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026.

Comments

Copyright 2026, Cynthia O. Mbagwu.Used by permission

Abstract

This study examines the representation of the “evil forest” in Nnedi Okorafor’s Zahrah the Windseeker and Ukamaka Olisakwe’s Don’t Answer When They Call Your Name, arguing that the forest functions as a liminal threshold that catalyses female transformation. Combining close reading with computational tools like TF-IDF keyword extraction in Ruby and sentiment analysis using VADER, the project investigates how pre-colonial and colonial connotations of the “evil forest” are re-imagined in contemporary Nigerian fantasy fiction. By segmenting each narrative into pre-liminal, liminal, and post-liminal phases, the study tracks shifts in sentiment toward the forest and correlates them with thematic developments across the protagonists’ journeys.

The findings reveal that in the pre-liminal phase, sentiment toward the forest is predominantly negative, paralleling themes of female marginalization, exploitation, limited agency, and identity crisis. The liminal phase which is initiated by entry into the forest and the onset of the quest emerges as affectively ambivalent, hence, reflecting the forest’s pluralistic and threshold nature. Rather than treating this ambivalence as a flaw, the study interprets it as evidence of the forest’s role as a site of emotional and physical confrontation where binaries of good and evil are destabilized and patriarchal structures are challenged. In the post-liminal phase, sentiment shifts significantly positive, corresponding with themes of reconciliation, maturation, agency, and a deconstructed representation of women and nature.

The project contributes to ecofeminist theory by demonstrating how representations of women and nature are intertwined within patriarchal systems, while also advancing a decolonial digital humanities framework. It also emphasizes the necessity of integrating computational methods with critical close reading to contextualize interpretations and control its limitations.

Ultimately, this study redefines the “evil forest” not as an inherently malevolent or extractable space, but as a socially constructed prohibited zone whose meaning parallels patriarchal representations of women. By embracing a pluralistic understanding that acknowledges both danger and transformative potential, the selected texts dismantle pre-colonial and colonial binaries surrounding nature and women and propose a deconstructed perspective.

Advisor: Ng’ang’a Wahu-Mũchiri