Narrative Techniques in D.O. Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale

D.O. Fagunwa's literary corpus represents a foundational moment in African vernacular literature, with Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale standing as the first major novel written entirely in the Yoruba language. This study analyses the narrative techniques employed in Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale through a close reading grounded in narratological theory and Yoruba oral literary aesthetics. The study draws on a textual analysis methodology, applying Gerard Genette's narrative discourse framework alongside Isidore Okpewho's oral narrative theory to examine point of view, temporal structure, characterisation, and the integration of supernatural narrative elements. Primary data consist of the full text of the novel in Yoruba, supplemented by available critical commentaries and published interviews with Fagunwa scholars. Existing scholarship on Fagunwa has engaged significantly with his work in English translation, with relatively less rigorous analysis conducted on the original Yoruba text. This study prioritises the Yoruba-language narrative tradition by engaging the primary text directly. The research investigates how Fagunwa deploys forest journeys as metaphorical frameworks for moral and existential exploration and how oral storytelling conventions are adapted into a written novel form. Findings are expected to reveal a complex narrative architecture that merges orature conventions with novelistic structures, producing a uniquely Yoruba literary aesthetic. Recommendations will address the inclusion of Yoruba literary analysis in undergraduate curricula and the broader promotion of Yoruba vernacular literary studies. Keywords: D.O. Fagunwa, Ogboju Ode, narrative techniques, Yoruba novel, oral literature.