In his Writing in the Wings, Graham Wolf introduces theatre-fiction as a complex intermedial genre focusing on its agents, and “stages, or other performance spaces for dominant settings” (4). The theatre/novel interaction as the core of this study illustrates how Honoré de Balzac engages with this artistic practice to depict the theatre of his time and dramatises the entangled lives of its creators, performers, and sponsors. Balzac’s Lost Illusions introduces the young, naïve, ignorant Coralie not as the main protagonist, but rather as the paramour who unwittingly arouses Lucien Chardon Rubempré -the writer and socialite- to outbrave in the violent storm of post-Napoleonic Paris. The study scrutinises Coralie as a typical victim to see how Balzac reconciles the two interconnected territories of the novel and theatre to document the hostile historical incidents and social interactions when meritocracy had arrived to prevail.

Marcel Proust, considéré comme l’un des écrivains les plus originaux de tous les temps, était à la fois profondément attaché à la tradition littéraire. Son écriture se caractérise par un haut degré d’intertextualité. La littérature (la lecture) est également un thème important dans le contexte de son monde romanesque. Il n’est donc pas surprenant que Proust ait été particulièrement impliqué dans la critique littéraire au moment où il a commencé à écrire le cycle À la recherche du temps perdu. Les textes critiques rassemblés dans le recueil posthume Contre Sainte-Beuve sont étroitement liés au genre du pastiche, qui est en fait pour Proust une forme de critique littéraire ou du moins une préparation à la réflexion sur la littérature. L’article se concentre sur la relation de Proust à Balzac telle qu’elle se manifeste à travers deux chapitres du recueil Contre Sainte-Beuve (Sainte-Beuve et Balzac ; Le Balzac de Monsieur de Guermantes) et le pastiche intitulé Dans un roman de Balzac. Dans les trois textes, l’apologie de Balzac semble être d’une importance secondaire. Proust s’accorde avec Sainte-Beuve en ce qui concerne la vulgarité de Balzac – tout en précisant que c’est probablement dans cette vulgarité que réside la force de l’auteur de la Comédie humaine. Mais il ressort clairement du pastiche en particulier, dans lequel il imite effectivement le style de Balzac, que Proust s’intéresse surtout à la technique narrative de Balzac, notamment au procédé du retour des personnages qui a permis à Balzac de construire son monde parallèle.

This paper argues that Noam Chomsky’s universal grammar can be re-organized into a new concept for understanding climate change: universal ecology. Taking into account criticisms of Chomsky’s idea, we argue that the universal ecology approach focuses on the grassroot level as key a key factor in mobilizing people from all walks of life to raise awareness, and to start working towards minimizing the effects of global warming. This approach is taken through the concept of subversive universals, as developed by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams. Using this concept, we argue that global problems should be dealt with on the local and individual scales first in order for the solutions to be permanent. The importance of the connection to a grassroots approach is that it ensures a constantly evolving set of needs which should be addressed, rather than a fixed set of prescriptions for change. The paper ends with a note on the connection between the unnamed forces of evil in the work of American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick and the space for change inherent to subversive universals.

This paper critically examines the stylistic and narrative structures of selected novels and stories by UAE authors through the lens of contemporary intertextuality theories to explore the significance of incorporating water motifs in modern Emirati fiction. The paper argues that contemporary Emirati writers have borrowed various patterns of water-related discourses deeply rooted in popular culture and the local history of the Arabian Gulf region, integrating them into their literary works for thematic and aesthetic purposes. The paper analyzes renowned works such as Shahinda by Rashid Abdullah, The Sword and the Flower and The Trilogy of Love, Water, and Dust by Ali Abu Al-Reesh, The Scent of Ginger by Salha Ghabesh, and On the Edge of Day by Abdul Hamid Ahmad to investigate the sophisticated use of intertextuality in the indigenous maritime literature of the UAE. By employing intertextuality as a literary device, notable Emirati authors use water--in its various forms--as a central motif in their fiction to strengthen national identity, uphold domestic traditions, and reconstruct a heritage jeopardized by modernization and globalization.

Jesuit Marcus Antonius Kappus (1657–1717), born in Kamna Gorica (north-western Slovenia), set sail for the New World in 1687. He spent the next thirty years as a missionary among the indigenous Ópata people in the far northwest of Mexico, then part of the Spanish colony of New Spain. In 1708, he wrote a poem entitled Enthuʃiaʃmus ʃive, ʃoLeMnes LVDI PoëtICI MetrIs, pro DVrante anno 1708 ChronographICIs sVb PyroMaChIa DepICtI, which was published in Mexico City. The poem consisting of 276 hexameters in Latin, each printed as a chronogram, was devoted to Louis Philip of Bourbon, the newly-born Prince of Spain (1707–1724). For a long time, only the title of the poem was known, and it was even thought to be lost, as no exemplar could be found in either American or European libraries or archives. Janez Stanonik devoted a special study to the poem, published in Acta Neophilologica in 1995. The author of this article, prompted by Stanonik’s research on Kappus, then came across a copy of the poem in 2021 during an online search in the Biblioteca Foral de Bizkaia in Bilbao. Enthusiasmus is of great significance for understanding Kappus’ missionary and political activities, as well as his literary and artistic capabilities. The article in this issue of the journal discusses the fate of the long-hidden poem, the historical circumstances of its creation, and provides an overview of its content, message and cultural-historical significance within the political and social context of contemporary New Spain and more broadly of the Spanish empire during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). Envisaged for the forthcoming issue is a transcription of the poem together with its English translation accompanied by a linguistic and literary-historical study, as well as a synthesis of the current knowledge on this extraordinary work by Kappus.

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Thomas Klings Rezeption des Werkes H. C. Artmanns. Ausgehend von Klings poetologischen Essays sucht er nach Gründen für Klings Anknüpfung an Artmann, die im Zusammenhang mit Klings Kritik der Lyrik der Neuen Subjektivität, der Konkreten Poesie und des Programms der Gruppe 47 interpretiert wird. Ein Vergleich von Artmanns und Klings Umgang mit dem Dialekt und den literarischen Traditionen, insbesondere mit der Literatur des Barock und den Sammlungen der Volksmärchen, zeigt, auf welche Weise Kling an Artmanns Positionen anknüpfte und sie zugleich erweiterte.

The study explores textual references to Arthurian material in some Slovenian and German language literature to determine the reasons and manner in which they appeared. Even though ethnologists, folklorists and literary historians generally don‘t think about the South Eastern Alps and present-day Slovenia as Arthurian settings, there have been some interesting Slovenian texts concerning the matter that remain rather obscure to the general scientific public due to their unavailability in English. On placing references of Arthurian material into more detailed historic, cultural and political contexts, the picture becomes importantly clearer.

This article addresses the strategies used to translate terms for black people in the novels To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman into Slovenian and German; these literary works were translated into both languages during the same periods. ​The extent to which the connotative meaning of a specific term from the original culture was preserved in a certain target culture is analysed and the potential influence of the translation strategies on the perception of the novels is discussed.

This study explores the transformative capacity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the learning experiences of dyslexic students within English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, with reference to the domain of higher education. Dyslexia constitutes a distinctive obstacle to language acquisition, manifesting in persistent difficulties with reading, comprehension, and written expression; factors that collectively impede the academic progression of affected learners in ESL contexts. The emergence of AI-driven technologies presents innovative avenues for addressing these pedagogical challenges by offering personalized, adaptive, and learner-centered interventions. This study identifies substantive gaps within existing support mechanisms for dyslexic learners. It critically evaluates the pedagogical efficacy of AI applications such as speech recognition systems, natural language processing (NLP), and adaptive learning platforms in fostering language proficiency and academic achievement among dyslexic students. Furthermore, it examines selected case studies that demonstrate the practical integration of AI tools into ESL instruction, thereby providing actionable insights for educators and practitioners. While AI technologies offer significant advantages, including individualized learning trajectories and enhanced engagement, their adoption is accompanied by notable challenges. These encompass ethical considerations pertaining to data security, infrastructural and technological limitations, and the pressing need for sustained professional development of educators. The findings underscore a dual reality: AI has the capacity to substantially improve learning outcomes for dyslexic ESL students, yet it simultaneously raises complex questions regarding equity, privacy, and institutional readiness. Ultimately, this study calls for a collaborative framework uniting educators, policymakers, and technology developers to fully harness the potential of AI in advancing equitable educational opportunities for dyslexic students in ESL contexts.

The story of many first- and second-generation Italian Americans was characterized by profound tensions: on the one hand, they strived to hold on to their cultural roots as a powerful act of resistance to assimilation; on the other hand, they felt compelled to erase difference in order to blend into the very society that often stigmatized them. Writers and artists Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Susan Caperna Lloyd have captured this struggle in their multi-faceted work, forcefully portraying their alienation, the self-erasure that often came with trying to succeed in America, as well as their proud assertion of their ethnic identity. This essay sets out to investigate the ways they both used documentary films—The Baggage (2001) and All That Lies between Us (2007)—as a means to restore visibility, reclaim complexity, and give voice to the Italian American experience.