Close Textual Analysis Research Articles

Beyond political theology: Marx’s materialist theorization of democracy and constituent power

ABSTRACT This article recovers and develops Marx’s highly original materialist theorization of democracy and constituent power in Critique of Hegel’s Doctrine of State. Through close textual analysis and theoretical recontextualization, I reconstruct Marx’s development and deployment of these concepts as a central part of his critique of political theology, that is, the idea of the state as a sovereign subject transcending and exercising absolute power over society. Marx conceptualized democracy as the social basis of all constitutional forms of the state, which simultaneously revealed the inherent possibility of overthrowing it and capitalism in order to institute a continuous and collective non-sovereign form of self-determination described as ‘true democracy.’

Reclaiming Desire and Defying Conventions: An Analysis of Female Sexuality in Mrs Dalloway and the God of Small Things

The paper offers a detailed analysis of the complexities of female sexuality in Mrs Dalloway and The God of Small Things from a feminist perspective. It investigates how female protagonists overcome and defy societal norms and expectations concerning their sexual desires. The obstacles of conventional sexual norms align with the ‘repressive hypothesis’, coined by Michele Foucault in The History of Sexuality which posits that the modern discourse on sexuality is characterized by repression. This theory is used to depict how societal repression shapes and is shaped by the narratives of Clarissa and Ammu. The paper is qualitative and uses close textual analysis as an analytical tool. For the study, primary data were collected from textbooks, and secondary sources including various books, websites, articles, and journals were used to gather secondary data. The clear finding is that Clarissa has a sexual desire for Sally which is not accepted by post world war British society and Ammu, being a divorcee and upper-class woman, reclaims her sexual agency and attempts to fulfill her sexual desire by making a romantic relationship with Velutha which is prohibited in the post-colonial Indian society. Through the blending of sexual desires with more general societal issues like race, class, and cultural identities, both novels deconstructed conventional depictions of female sexuality. Thus, the study contributes to the ongoing conversation on the role of women’s sexual desires and their place in a postmodern world where autonomy, self-expression, and the deconstruction of conventional norms are of paramount importance.

Personal Meaning and Landscape in Mrs. Dalloway: An Ecocritical Study

This research paper applies an ecocritical perspective to Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway and studies how nature has been used to describe personal feelings of the characters, both major and minor in the context of industrialization and post-World War 1 era in London. Through the ecocritical lens, this paper explores how Woolf links natural elements like flowers, trees and sky with her writing techniques of the stream of consciousness and inner monologue to echo the psychological self of different characters. The ideas presented by the theorist Richard Kerridge, that of a possible ‘poetic engagement’ of literature with the natural world in an industrialized era, and Britain’s nature as a common self-referent have been taken as the framework for this research. The major research questions are: How does Woolf use nature to describe the emotional states of different characters? What role does nature play in the process of pain and healing of the characters? Why does Woolf feel the need to incorporate nature imagery while describing her character’s innermost thoughts? The paper carries out a close textual analysis of the novel, focusing on all the statements that link nature with the characters’ emotions, and draws to a conclusion claiming that this recurrence of nature in Mrs. Dalloway is a deliberate act on the author’s part to at least figuratively preserve nature in a time period that has destroyed as well as pushed nature into the background.

Personal Meaning and Landscape in Mrs. Dalloway: An Ecocritical Study

This research paper applies an ecocritical perspective to Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway and studies how nature has been used to describe personal feelings of the characters, both major and minor in the context of industrialization and post-World War 1 era in London. Through the ecocritical lens, this paper explores how Woolf links natural elements like flowers, trees and sky with her writing techniques of the stream of consciousness and inner monologue to echo the psychological self of different characters. The ideas presented by the theorist Richard Kerridge, that of a possible ‘poetic engagement’ of literature with the natural world in an industrialized era, and Britain’s nature as a common self-referent have been taken as the framework for this research. The major research questions are: How does Woolf use nature to describe the emotional states of different characters? What role does nature play in the process of pain and healing of the characters? Why does Woolf feel the need to incorporate nature imagery while describing her character’s innermost thoughts? The paper carries out a close textual analysis of the novel, focusing on all the statements that link nature with the characters’ emotions, and draws to a conclusion claiming that this recurrence of nature in Mrs. Dalloway is a deliberate act on the author’s part to at least figuratively preserve nature in a time period that has destroyed as well as pushed nature into the background.

The poster boys of aspirational labor: parables of success and failure in The Viral Fever’s web shows

Abstract Aspirational labor has been understood by scholars based in the Global North to encapsulate a form of labor undertaken by social media content creators that is mostly uncompensated for, but is, nonetheless, integral to the functioning of its economy. While this dominant theorization of aspirational labor is sometimes helpful for explaining the precarity of digital media labor in countries of the Global South, its uncritical application could also be severely limiting. I undertake a close textual analysis of select web shows created by the entertainment brand and YouTube content creators The Viral Fever (TVF) to demonstrate how it would be imprecise to see them as just victims of an exploitative economy. My article shows how TVF web shows consistently imagine elaborate cinematic narratives that valorize and embody the neoliberal values of aspiration and individual growth that in turn is complicit in the machinations of platform economy’s extractive affordances.

Deconstructing the Downward Spiral: Anthology as Coherence in the Book of Judges

Abstract Many conceive of the shape of the book of Judges as a downward spiral with each leader getting worse, culminating in the horrific events of Judg 19–21. Proponents of this reading suggest that the judges can be evaluated by how closely they imitate their predecessors and the so-called judges cycle in Judg 2:11–19. In this article, I provide a historical survey to show that this interpretation originates during the literary turn in biblical studies and argues for a coherent literary reading in contrast to the source-critical approaches of the twentieth century. Since then, however, the downward spiral has become a cliché. Using eight tests, I argue that this reading is not substantiated through close textual analysis, and therefore Judges is better understood as a creatively curated anthology of stories set in a particular moral-literary world. The book demonstrates an ideological cohesion between the narratives but resists descriptions of linear progression along a particular theme (e.g., moral deterioration). Each of the main narratives (3:7–21:28) can be read on its own terms without the meaning being overdetermined by position or structure. Instead, Judges finds its narrative and ideological coherence through its anthology because each story is set within the same moral universe/narrative world.

Unveiling Violence and Masculinity through a Psychoanalytic Study of Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class (1977), Sarah Kane' Blasted (1995) and The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield in Bosnian War (1996) by Matei Visniec

The examination of violence and its association with masculinity is depicted in three distinct plays: Blasted, written by Sarah Kane in 1995; Curse of the Starving Class, authored by Sam Shepard in 1977 (it was made into a Hollywood film in 1994); and Matei Vişniec’ The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield in the Bosnian War (1996). Utilizing a qualitative approach, this study employs close textual analysis and an extensive review of relevant literature to examine the representation of violence and masculinity in theatrical framework while also exploring the wider societal implications of such portrayals. The chosen plays present a wide range of viewpoints regarding violence, encompassing both highly intense manifestations of violence and the repercussions of warfare on the individuals. This analysis utilizes Judith Butler's theory of gender construction and Antonio Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty in order to examine the ways in which these plays either challenge or uphold conventional gender. Furthermore, it investigates the intricate correlation between trauma and aggressive conduct as depicted in the plays. By going deeply into the text and exploring its underlying concepts, it reveals the crucial function of theater in tackling and evaluating complex social problems. The plays act as a mirror for society viewpoints, forcing readers and the audiences to face uncomfortable truths about aggression, masculinity, and emotional anguish. The impacts of trauma on individuals and communities are brought to light. These plays demonstrate how war trauma can induce rage and promote violent behavior. It also highlights the power of theater to challenge harmful social conventions and catalyze positive social change by challenging traditional gender roles and power dynamics. Improving the audiences understanding of cultural attitudes and potential paths for societal change, this study contributes significantly to the assessment of violence and masculinity as depicted in theatrical performances.

Gender Ideology and Women's Autonomy in Colleen Hoover's Regretting You

This study investigates the issue of women's autonomy through Colleen Hoover's novel Regretting You. With MacKinnon's dominance theory as a tool, this research paper explores the impact of patriarchal societal norms on power dynamics between men and women. The study's objective is to examine how gender ideology shapes women's choices without their awareness. By investigating the consequences of these norms, this study aims to focus on how sexual dominance inhibits female autonomy. The study employs a qualitative research method, specifically close textual analysis with thematic coding, to identify recurring motifs and character archetypes. Through this approach, the study examines how the novel portrays women as oppressed, victimized, and objectified within the dominant cultural discourse. The findings of the study indicate that internalized patriarchal norms have a significant influence on female characters' attitudes towards domestic violence. Ultimately, this study emphasizes how systemic oppression impedes women's ability to make autonomous choices and underscores the importance of addressing issues such as domestic violence and sexual domination through the experiences of female characters.

Activating Translation: Louise Varèse’s Illuminations

ABSTRACT Against historically determined conventions that helped launch her career as a translator of French literature in the mid-twentieth century, this article reconsiders Louise Varèse’s translation of Arthur Rimbaud’s Illuminations, published with New Directions in 1946, as activating a range of cultural, historical, and critical interpretations that are not always anticipated by her source text. I read Varèse’s claims about rendering the “prismatic and protean quality” of Illuminations in her Translator’s Note, alongside Marjorie Perloff’s theory of Rimbaud’s “poetics of indeterminacy,” and translation Studies scholar Matthew Reynolds’s prismatic model of translation, to reframe Varèse’s much-lauded “accuracy” as an approach that instead highlights the interdependent relationship between Rimbaud’s French poetic text and its English translation, while also foregrounding Varèse’s historical and cultural intervention. Through a close textual analysis of “Side-Show,” Varèse’s English translation of Rimbaud’s poem “Parade,” and Varèse’s revision of the poem from 1957, I demonstrate the ways Varèse’s translation “activates” Rimbaud’s language for her English readers while thematizing the secondary nature of her translation.

Voices from Margin: Theoretical Insights into Kaiser Haq's Ode on the Lungi

This article investigates into Kaiser Haq’s poetic masterpiece, “Ode on the Lungi”, exploring its theoretical underpinnings and critical insights. The study employs a multidimensional approach, integrating postcolonial theories, literary analysis, and socio-cultural inquiry to unravel the symbolic significance of the lungi as a representation of subaltern voices. Haq strategically uses the lungi to challenge power imbalances, resist sartorial hegemony, and advocate for sartorial equality in the face of globalization. The research method includes qualitative analysis, theoretical engagement, and empirical evidence, aligning with postcolonial scholars such as Gramsci and Guha. The article underscores the poem’s role in breaking down divisive dichotomies and promoting democratic ideals. Through theoretical insights and close textual analysis, the study explores how the lungi, as a symbol of the underclass, resists aggressive modernism, demanding equal standing in the postcolonial and globalized reality. The poet’s call for “sartorial equality” transcends fashion, becoming a rallying cry for broader societal equality and recognition of marginalized voices. The research concludes by positioning Haq’s “Ode on the Lungi” as a powerful articulation of the subaltern voice within the complexities of postcolonial discourse.

Finding the future in digitally mediated ruin: #nostalgiacores and the algorithmic culture of digital platforms

The #nostalgiacores are a series of interrelated hashtags on Instagram and TikTok where users recirculate content from the digital and consumer cultures of the 1990s and 2000s – childhood play centres, dead malls, long-gone toys, and superseded game consoles and phones. In this article, we explore these digital cultures using a critical platform studies approach that involves a combination of network analysis and close textual analysis augmented with purpose-built machine vision tools. We scrape a collection of 359,150 images from Instagram that used one or more of 30 ‘-cores’ hashtags (such as #y2kcore, #webcore and #childhoodcore) that we chose following a period of immersive qualitative investigation of #nostalgiacore scenes on Instagram during 2021 and 2022. 10,000 Instagram images were then randomly selected and processed using a purpose-built unsupervised machine vision model that clusters images together based on their similarities. This research is part of a multi-year project where we develop hybrid digital methods for critically simulating and exploring the interplay between our image-making practices and the algorithmic systems that cluster and curate them. By combining computational approaches with critical platform and cultural studies approaches we speculatively explore both practices of curation and their interplay with the algorithmic classification and recommendation models of digital platforms. Our platform-oriented mode of textual analysis helps us to explore how our digital cultures are both symbolically and technically nostalgic. Instagram users in the #nostalgiacore scene recirculate images from the past as part of practices of critically reflecting on digital platforms and consumer cultures. At the same time those images are recuperated as archives used to train the algorithmic models that optimise attention on digital media platforms like Instagram.

BIOREGIONAL IDENTITY AND DISPLACEMENT: A STUDY OF HOME, MEMORY AND SPATIAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN 'A HOUSE FOR MR. BISWAS’

This paper examines V.S. Naipaul's 'A House for Mr. Biswas' through the lens of bioregionalism, focusing on the interplay between identity, displacement, and spatial consciousness. By analyzing the protagonist's quest for a home within the context of colonial Trinidad, this study explores how bioregional identity is shaped, challenged, and reimagined in the face of cultural and geographical displacement. The research employs close textual analysis and draws on theoretical frameworks from bioregional studies, postcolonial theory, and spatial theory to investigate the novel's portrayal of home, memory, and place-based identity. Findings suggest that Biswas's struggle for a house represents a broader search for bioregional belonging in a colonized space, highlighting the complex relationship between individual identity and place in postcolonial contexts. This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on bioregional approaches to postcolonial studies and offers new insights into Naipaul's seminal work.

Grace Unveiled: The Charm of חסד in the Book of Ruth and Its Transformative Message for Christian Life

This article delves into the significance of Hesed, or loyal love, in the Book of Ruth, examining its theological implications for both human-divine relationships and interpersonal connections. It investigates how Hesed is depicted in the narrative of Ruth and Boaz, elucidating its role in worship and daily life. Methodologically, the study involves a close textual analysis of the Book of Ruth, employing a theological lens to interpret God's message of steadfast love. The findings reveal a profound understanding of God's inclusive and universal Hesed, with implications extending into the New Testament through the actions of Jesus Christ. This underscores the significance of God's unwavering love as a guiding principle in our relationships with both God and fellow humans, shaping a life reflective of the values encapsulated in Hesed.

Close Textual Analysis and the Design of Learning Spaces

This paper is a close textual analysis of what learning is in the context of learning spaces. The aim is for critical rhetorical discourse to what scholars say or write about a topic and the deeper meaning of their words. The close textual analysis is about the influence of learning spaces to have significant experiences for the network generation born in an era of information technology. The paper is to introduce a reason to pay close attention to the process of textual analysis. The process with its complexity reveals the creative density of rhetoric as well as the reason behind the words. Our compass point toward understanding what learning truly means within the context of learning spaces. But this journey is no mere academic exercise; it is a call to engage in critical rhetorical discourse, where ink meets parchment, and ideas crystalize. This study reveals how symbolic action, form and content, context, and creative concentration function within the artifact. The claim is that proposition for close textual analysis is to prepare the listener to listen and hear the importance of rhetorical discourse is taking place, as well as understanding of words to gain meaning to rhetorical discourse and critical thinking.

Beyond Stereotypes: The Polysemous and Polymorphous Representation of Women in Moroccan Cinema through Adam (2019)

This paper critically examines the portrayal of women in Moroccan cinema, with a specific focus on Meriem Touzani's film Adam (2019). The film is a substantial case study, challenging traditional gender roles, particularly in cinematically representing the two female protagonists' bodies and voices. By critically re-evaluating the poetics and politics of representing women in Moroccan cinema, this paper features the importance of adopting an intersectional perspective and engaging with feminist film theory. The study employs qualitative methods, including close textual and thematic analysis, to investigate how bodily expressions and vocalizations contribute to constructing gender identity. Within the film, the findings are situated in the broader scholarly discourse on gender representation, drawing on theoretical frameworks from scholars such as Laura Mulvey and Kimberlé Crenshaw. This research is interested in tapping into the present debate on transcending hegemonic patriarchal structures in the Moroccan cinematic apparatus, advocating for more unbiased and empowering narratives that reflect the diverse experiences of women. As active media consumers, the audience plays a crucial role in this advocacy. Eventually, this paper contributes to ongoing discussions about gender representation, cultural identity, and social change in Moroccan cinema, offering new insights into the dynamics of advancing a new image of women on screen.

A Critical Race Analysis of Resilience and Resistance in Domingo’s Breaking The Maafa Chain

This study examines the experiences of black African Americans within a white-dominated society while focusing on double consciousness, racial micro-aggressions, the historical implications of the slave trade, and systemic suppression. The primary aim of this study is to highlight the harsh realities of enslavement and the enduring struggle to preserve African heritage. Racism, a socially constructed phenomenon, subjects black individuals to frequent racial discrimination. This research aims to raise awareness and challenge the facade of superiority maintained by the white-dominated society. The selected novel explores the various forms of racial discrimination against African Americans, shedding light on the subtle attacks they face while striving to preserve their identity. Additionally, the study investigates the issues of identity and freedom by analyzing the relationship between the two sisters in the novel under disquisition. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this research analyzes the portrayal of black lives and their resilience against white supremacy through Domingo’s novel Breaking The Maafa Chain, a piercing and sensitive representation of suppressed or marginalized Afro-Americans. Critical Race Theory serves as a framework to address the issues of racial discrimination. The research methodology employed in this study is purely qualitative, analytical, and descriptive, and it involves a close textual analysis of the novel within the domain of critical race theory.

White Fetishism in Meridian: A Lacanian Interpretation

Fetishism, a term long explored within the field of psychoanalysis, has been subject to various theoretical interpretations for over a century. One such perspective is offered by Jacques Lacan, a prominent French psychoanalyst, who explored the connection between desire, lack, the symbolic order, and the fetish object. His main argument is based on the idea that human desire is not rooted in the pursuit of an object but is instead fueled by the inherent lack in the subject. Drawing upon Lacan’s psychoanalytic framework, this article explores Alice Walker’s novel Meridian (1976) in terms of Truman Held’s symbolic desires and the complex relationships that shape his identity. This study applies a qualitative approach, deploying close textual analysis of key passages from the novel to identify instances of fetishism. The fetish, as a symbolic substitute for the unattainable object, emerges as a crucial element in comprehending Truman’s coping mechanisms and attempts to reconcile his fragmented self. Ultimately, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the novel’s psychological dimensions, illuminating the character’s struggles for identity formation, agency, and liberation by uncovering the ways in which desire becomes a driving force within the broader socio-political context.

The Devouring Mother in Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects

While the mother archetype traditionally symbolizes nurturing, care, and unconditional love, its negative aspect, the devouring mother, embodies traits of control, manipulation, and suffocation. Drawing on Jung's theories, and his concept of the collective unconscious and symbolic archetypes, particularly the mother archetype, through close textual analysis and theoretical insights, this paper explores the dual nature of the mother archetype and its psychological implications in Gillian Flynn's novel "Sharp Objects, 2006". The paper analyzes the character of Adora Crellin as an embodiment of the devouring mother archetype. Through Adora's behaviors of possessiveness and emotional abuse towards her daughters, Camille, Marian, and Amma. The paper illustrates the detrimental effects of a suffocating maternal influence on individual autonomy and psychological well-being shedding light on themes of dual maternal influence, traumas, and complex mother-daughter relationship. Through this psychological approach, the paper aims to contribute to the broader discourse on maternal psychology and its impact on human development.

Maize Landscapes in Indigenous Literatures: Toward Alternative Cartographic Imaginaries

Abstract The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have witnessed a literary revival in the Indigenous languages of the region known canonically as “Latin America.” Across this varied corpus, a major theme is the cultural significance of maize. This article compares the depiction of maize in four bilingual poems, each written in a different Indigenous language alongside Spanish: Nahuatl (Ethel Xochitiotzin Pérez), Yucatec Maya (María Dolores Dzul Barboza), Central Quechua (César Vargas Arce), and Southern Quechua (Emilio Corrales). Through close textual analysis and by recourse to theoretical perspectives such as “literary cartography,” the “textual continuum,” “deep mapping,” and “trans-indigeneity,” the article argues that each poem communicates culturally specific ways of understanding geography that, when set in dialogue, challenge hegemonic definitions of the Western Hemisphere such as North, South, or Latin “America.” Rather, the poems in combination weave an interconnected yet multiperspectival cartographic tapestry with maize as the common thread.

Psychoanalytic Exploration of Identity and Loss in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

This psychoanalytic exploration delves into the nuanced dimensions of identity and loss within Kiran Desai’s literary masterpiece, The Inheritance of Loss. By applying critical psychoanalytic concepts, this analysis navigates the novel’s characters’ intricate subconscious motivations and conflicts against cultural shifts and globalization. The study unveils profound psychological landscapes within the narrative by employing a methodology that combines close textual analysis with established psychoanalytic principles. The characters, such as Jemubhai and Biju, serve as focal points for exploring the depths of their internal struggles in response to external forces. Concepts like repression and symbolism become invaluable tools in deciphering layers of meaning embedded in the narrative, enriching our comprehension of their psyches. The Inheritance of Loss is a set of external events and a profound exploration of the human condition. Characters, shaped by their unconscious desires and conflicts, become mirrors reflecting the broader societal implications of cultural upheaval. The narrative becomes a testament to the intricacies of human existence amidst a rapidly changing world. This psychoanalytic analysis provides a key to unlocking the depths of Desai’s narrative, offering a richer interpretation of the novel’s characters and themes. By unraveling the psychological tapestry woven into the story, the study provides insights into the universal struggles of individuals facing the complexities of identity, loss, and cultural transformation. Through this exploration, The Inheritance of Loss transcends its narrative boundaries, inviting readers to contemplate the human psyche’s profound and often hidden dimensions.