SOCIOLOGICAL CRITICISM OF CHRIS ANYOKWU’S BLOOD LINES AND EMEKA NWABUEZE’S LACHRYMOSE

ABSTRACT Nigeria has faced persistent challenges such as corruption, inequality, and political instability, which literature often reflects. Previous studies focused on older Nigerian texts, with little attention on contemporary works like Chris Anyokwu’s Blood Lines and Emeka Nwabueze’s Lachrymose. Therefore, this study is designed to conduct a sociological criticism of these texts, to examine how they reflect social realities, critique dominant ideologies, and investigate how Critical Realism deepens the understanding of human conditions in Nigerian society. This study employed Georg Lukács’s Critical Realism as its theoretical framework because it exposes social contradictions and reveals deeper structures of human experience. A qualitative method was adopted, with Blood Lines and Lachrymose as primary sources supported by secondary texts. The analysis focused on thematic, ideological, and character-based interpretations. The findings reveal that corruption, patriarchy, class divisions, moral decay, and the clash between tradition and modernity are dominant in both plays. Blood Lines portrays political ambition, betrayal, and systemic corruption through Chief Ogie’s rise and fall, while Lachrymose mirrors societal decay through Nkechi’s rejection of values and corruption during crisis. Both texts critique dominant ideologies, highlight contradictions in Nigerian society, and expose how power structures perpetuate inequality. Critical Realism is effectively employed to show how individual destinies are shaped by broader social and historical conditions, making both plays powerful mirrors of Nigeria’s realities. This study concludes that Nigerian drama reflects and critiques socio-political realities, positioning literature as a vital tool for exposing systemic corruption and inspiring social change. Keywords: Sociological Criticism, Nigerian Drama, Corruption, Blood Lines, Lachrymose.