Fictional Elements Research Articles

Zwischen Biologie und Bürokratie: Unheimliche Bürolandschaften in Georg Kleins <em>Miakro</em> und Jeff VanderMeers <em>Authority</em>

Following a brief overview of various forms and functions of office settings in fantastic literature, this article will discuss the representation of the supernatural workplace in Georg Klein’s Miakro (2018) and Jeff VanderMeer’s Authority (2014). Both novels bring together seemingly disparate worlds: the natural and the bureaucratic sphere. Klein’s text is about a group of employees who work and live in an animated organic office without a traditional public-private divide, which turns out to be part of a giant mushroom. VanderMeer’s novel concerns itself with the stealthy invasion of a secret government agency by Area X, an ecosystem of extraterrestrial origin that transforms human beings into posthuman creatures. In this this paper, I analyze how Kleins novel deploys its grotesque office setting to reflect dystopian tendencies in contemporary work culture by discussing ramifications of capitalist labor practices such as alienation, worker exploitation, distorted work-life balance and social conformity. Moreover, I will argue that the parasitic office creature can be interpreted as a symbolic manifestation of hyperobject capitalism. VanderMeer, in contrast, uses the haunted house in decline trope as a metaphor for the downfall of human civilization: the bureau. The story of the destruction of the governmental agency by a pristine wilderness therefore questions an anhropocentric worldview by dissolving the dichotomy between the human and the nonhuman. I will demonstrate how the author links the collapse of the bureaucratic rule with the impending end of the human episteme. Paying particular attention to the description of spatial relations, I will furthermore examine how the texts use elements of Gothic and Weird Fiction in order to turn man-made uncanny places into monstrous nonhumanen spaces.

The Importance of the Teachers’ Role in Imaginative Play

This study of Norwegian kindergartens investigates how teachers may support imaginative play, drawing on Vygotsky’s approaches to play and teachers’ positioning in play in terms of different roles. For this study, the empirical investigations were organized as both observations and focus group interviews. The sample was two kindergartens with in total 12 teachers and 44 children aged 3-5 years. The study was conducted in November 2021-April 2022. The analyses point to three main findings; firstly, changes according to daily schedule and content may have effect on play, secondly, the teacher’s role may be an obstacle in play, and thirdly, the teacher’s role may be a driving force in play. In the discussion of these findings, questions are raised about traditions and a lack of competence together can lead to children not receiving sufficient support in imaginative play. However, when the teachers are a play partner who both add new fictional elements and support the fiction by »lending« their experiences, the play’s potential and opportunity space is utilized. The conclusion is that the quality of the teachers’ role and involvement will have an impact on children’s cultural expression in play.

The Negotiation of Truth Claims in Newsgames: The Tension Between “Fact” and “Fiction”

ABSTRACT Newsworkers have utilised the game format to create innovative storytelling through newsgames, a hybrid form of journalism. Newsgames blend journalism's pursuit of truth with the fictional elements of video games, creating a tension between “fact” and “fiction”. Existing literature lacks sufficient exploration of how this tension is managed in the production and consumption of newsgames. This study addresses this gap by examining how newsgame practitioners navigate truth claims and how players engage with these claims. Through semi-structured interviews with practitioners (n = 27) and gaming sessions with players (n = 28), the study reveals that practitioners take deliberate steps to justify newsgames, while players employ various strategies to evaluate their truth claims. These findings underscore the performative dimension of truth negotiation in newsgames, positioning audiences as active participants at the heart of this process.

Science, Fiction, and Contemporary Media: Blurred Borders in Knowledge Dissemination in Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain

This study examines the technical methods used by Michael Crichton to blur the lines between factual information and fictional elements in his novel The Andromeda Strain. The creative use of scientific terminology and artistic documentation that supports a sense of reality plays a role in creating a certain blurring that works to enhance the blurring of the boundaries between reality and imagination. The study aims to explore the novel within the framework of postmodern literary theory, questioning the concept of absolute truth, and emphasizing the role of language and literary discourse in constructing reality. Through a critical analysis of the novel, this study seeks to clarify the methods followed by Crichton to employ language and discourse to create an atmosphere of authenticity that contributes greatly to blurring the line between reality and imagination. In addition, the study comprehensively analyses modern media platform technologies that are used to erode the boundaries between objective reality and fictional narratives, and their consequent effects on the dissemination of information. The study concluded that Crichton's novel The Andromeda Strain embodies the successful integration of scientific concepts with fantasy elements, which resulted in a captivating and intellectually stimulating narrative.

Jane Eyre -A Novel about the Growing up of an Independent Woman

Jane Eyre is a novel with the theme of initiation. It is widely acclaimed by the public since it is published. The impact of temporal and spatial changes on the portrayal of the female protagonist, and the interpretation of the main theme growing up will be analyzed through examples based on the two fiction elements, characters and themes.

Patient recall of intensive care delirium: A qualitative investigation.

Many patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) experience delirium. Understanding the patient perspective of delirium is important to improve care and reduce suffering. The aim of our study was to investigate the subjective patient experience of delirium, delirium-related distress, and delirium management in ICU. Our study had a qualitative multicenter design applying individual interviews and thematic analysis. Participants were critically ill adult patients that were determined delirium positive according to validated delirium screening tools during ICU admission. The interviews were conducted after ICU discharge when patients were delirium-free as assessed by the "Rapid clinical test for delirium" (4AT) and able to participate in an interview. We interviewed 30 patients choosing the main themes deductively: Delirium experience; Delirium related distress; and Delirium management. Despite variations in recollection detail, ICU survivors consistently reported delirium-related distress during and after their ICU stay, manifesting as temporal confusion, misinterpretations, and a sense of distrust towards ICU staff. Delusions were characterized by a blend of factual and fictional elements. Impaired short-term memory hindered communication and intensified feelings of isolation, neglect, and loss of control. The ICU survivors in our study recalled delirium as an unpleasant and frightening experience, often leading to delirium-related distress during and after their ICU stay, indicating the necessity for enhanced assessment and treatment.

The Broken Human–Object Continuum: The Technological Future and Socialist Contradictions in Rhapsody of the Ming Tombs Reservoir (1958)

Abstract The third section of Rhapsody of the Ming Tombs Reservoir (Shisanling shuiku changxiangqu 十三陵水库畅想曲, 1958), the first film in Mao-era China to include elements of science fiction, envisions a technologically advanced future in the year 1978. While seemingly aligned with the rapid industrialization goal of the Great Leap Forward, the film’s techno-fantasy attracted blistering criticism. Focusing on the overlooked historical debate that followed the release of the film, this article argues that criticism regarding the visualization of a technological future reveals how seemingly legitimate imaginations of a communist future reflect internal contradictions within the socialist present. Reading the film and the debate it sparked within the context of technological development in the late 1950s, this article identifies one locus of criticism: the human–object relationship. During the construction of the reservoir, the film shows a harmonious human–object relationship, but the futuristic part of the film depicts that relationship as profoundly alienated. I argue that this discontinuity does not betray ignorance of or an intentional departure from socialist ideology; rather, it reflects ideological contradictions between intellectual and manual labor, egalitarianism and class difference, industrialization processes and revolutionary agendas. In its rhapsodic depiction of advanced devices that consolidate the division of knowledge, the film unintentionally lays bare a fundamental conflict that was undermining the socialist system in the real world.

Exploring the potential of GPT-4 as an interactive transcreation assistant in game localisation: A case study on the translation of Pokémon names

ABSTRACT Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) models are beginning to assist humans in complex creative endeavours. Transcreation is one of such creative processes, which in the context of translation consists of linguistically and culturally adapting a text or a part of it, including visuals, with the goal of maximising positive reception from a specific audience. Game localisation constantly engages in the transcreation of both real references (realia) and fictional elements (irrealia). Irrealia, albeit imaginary, are essential for gamers’ successful immersion and, thus, need to be properly adapted. This paper examines the potential of GPT models as assisting tools during game localisation processes. This exploratory study exemplifies how GPT-4 may be able to generate new language-specific irrealia via prompting to adapt fictional neologisms, focusing on pokémonikers, portmanteaus from the Pokémon game saga. It also describes how transcreation-related outputs can be used by translators as a pool of localisation options, for brainstorming, practice, and other purposes. The paper finds that the implementation of GPT chatbot-human interactions shows growing potential to support translators while adapting fictional elements, but also emphasises the current limitations of using GPT models, including accuracy, context-awareness, cultural sensitivity, and appropriateness, as well as potential ethical concerns.

Driving While Brown: The American Road Trip in H.M. Naqvi’s Home Boy

ABSTRACT H.M. Naqvi’s novel Home Boy features three men of Pakistani background who embark on a cab ride from New York City to Westbrook, Connecticut. They wish to check on an elusive character, Mohammed Shah (a.k.a. the Pakistani Gatsby or the Shaman), who is missing after 9/11. I analyze this journey, known as the “Shaman Run,” as an American road trip. For critical analysis, I synthesize Nancy Leong’s concepts of “open road” and “traffic stop narratives,” highlighting the racialization of American roads, with Sarah Sharma’s notion of “Brown Space” regarding the post-9/11 criminalization of cabdrivers with ties to the Global South. I argue that the Shaman Run begins as an open road narrative but is transformed into a traffic stop narrative overlaid with Brown Space, leading to a reconsideration of the possibilities of open road narratives. Naqvi incorporates elements of road trip fiction in Home Boy to recount how certain Americans did not regard Muslims as fellow mourners in the aftermath of 9/11. Writers and filmmakers from Pakistan and the Pakistani Diaspora have depicted the othering of Muslims in post-9/11 America, but Naqvi is distinctive in foregrounding this theme by repurposing a well-known genre of American literature.

Navigating the World of The Stranger (1979) After the Cultural Revolution: Unveiling Hong Kong Leftist Science Fiction Film by Bao Fang

Abstract After the Cultural Revolution, a period marked by a global retreat from radical politics and increased compromises, filmmakers in the Hong Kong leftist film industry faced financial challenges stemming from the studio’s struggles during the Cultural Revolution. Despite these difficulties, they ingeniously incorporated generic elements to captivate audiences, using popular genres as conduits for social commentary. The Stranger by Feng Huang Motion Picture company stands out, as director Bao Fang adeptly appropriated science fiction elements to adapt a real story of espionage in Hong Kong. The film signifies Bao’s transition from opera film and historical pictures to negotiating realist and science-fictional elements to convey social innuendo. Drawing inspiration from recent works by Mingwei Song and Seo-young Chu, my argument extends to explore how sci-fi serves as a mode of expression for geopolitical commentary. The film not only expresses concern over Soviet espionage and also reflects the fear over the collapse of grand narratives such as Enlightenment and Revolution.

Analisis Sosiologi Sastra Cerpen Penthouse 2601 Karya Djenar Maesa Ayu dan Implikasi Pembelajaran Bahasa Indonesia

Short stories are part of a literary genre that describes the environment. One of the important things in short stories is how the author's events and thoughts can be expressed well so that they can be understood and enjoyed well by readers. To find information contained in short stories in more depth, research can be done in the form of analysis. The aim of this research is to examine the content of the short story entitled "Penthouse 2601" by Djenar Maesa Ayu using a literary sociology approach. In literary sociology, literary works are considered as a reflection of society's life which cannot be separated from consideration of fictional elements and social aspects of society's life. The research method used in this research is a qualitative descriptive research method. By using listening and taking notes as a data collection technique. The results of this research show that in the short story entitled "Penthouse 2601" there are social aspects and cultural aspects. This research can have implications for Indonesian language learning, especially at the Senior High School (SMA) level

ХХ ғасыр басындағы проза тілінің дамуы

The goal of this research is to determine how the Qazaq prose language emerged early in the 20th century, and what characteristics of its evolution occurred. In the years of 1920 to 1930 the prose genres such as stories and novels developed quickly. These works incorporated a great deal of folklore in addition to covering a wide range of subjects. Prose language formation and evolution are closely related to other facets of narrative. Because analyzing the degree of development on fictional elements such as the language of characters, the author, portrait, landscape, and descriptive elements is intended to detect the formation of the prose language in general, we concentrate on the traits of their development and factors indicating the formation of the language. The outcomes of the investigation revealed that the Qazaq prose literature of the time provided new meanings to local words and acted as a main source for their growth. Grammar and fiction language were greatly influenced by the language of prose works found in textbooks, newspapers, journals, and various folk literary works. The argument is that prose has its roots in the shared heritage and that historical and genealogical narratives have a certain prose style. Prose works' language was the main factor that greatly enhanced the vocabulary and grammatical features of literary language which from short stories to novels developed simultaneously in all genres. This study took a comprehensive approach, taking into account the aspects of novels and short stories, their relationship to styles, poetry passages, elements of colloquial language, new phenomena, oral literature, fairy tales, and legendary occurrences.

Detecting falsehoods: History and mafia in the work of Leonardo Sciascia and Sebastiano Vassalli

This article explores points of contact in the work of Leonardo Sciascia (1921–1989) and Sebastiano Vassalli (1941–2015) through historical novels with Sciascia's La strega e il capitano (1986) and Vassalli's La chimera (1990) as well as in their accounts of the mafia in Sciascia's Il giorno della civetta (1972) and Vassalli's Il cigno (1993). Deleuze's conception of falsehood as an essential structural element of crime fiction serves as a mechanism to highlight both authors’ intolerance of false histories and the deliberate obfuscation of the collusion between mafia and the State in Sicily and beyond. While the two writers were often ideologically aligned, Vassalli's narration of the mafia in Il cigno, and his subsequent criticism of Sicilian authors who had failed to ‘impugnare il bisturi’ and expose the true nature of the mafia, created a literary polemic. A debate ensued in the public domain, centering Sciascia in a discussion of positionality and questioning whether Vassalli had the authority to venture opinions on Sicilian matters. This controversy served to revive concerns about the role of literature in creating a coherent national identity or stoking regionalism, while simultaneously problematizing the role of the author as detective able to shed light on intractable problems.

Концепции герметизма и гностицизма в современной научно-фантастической литературе

The aim of the research is to clarify the features of the interpretation of the concepts of hermeticism and gnosticism in science fiction in the late 20th and 21st centuries devoted to the problems of trans- and posthumanism. The paper examines the features of the integration of gnostic and hermetic ideas into modern English-language science fiction. The scientific novelty of the research lies in considering the works of contemporary science fiction writers (G. Egan, R. Sawyer, N. Stephenson, W. Gibson, Ch. Stross) and in identifying the main variants of how gnostic and hermetic themes are developed in the writings of these writers. The author sees the influence of gnostic and hermetic ideas in science fiction works devoted to the topic of transhumanist changes in the form of interventions in the human body at the biochemical level, the themes of mind scanning and digital immortality, and the rational observer of the Universe. As a result, it is proved that gnostic and hermetic elements in contemporary science fiction devoted to the problems of trans- and posthumanism allow writers to include the problematic of hypothetical technologies for improving human nature into the context of a centuries-old religious tradition.

Wargames as Realistic Tabletop Simulations of Fictional Events: The Case of Warhammer Games

For the past twenty years, games studies and research in literacy theory have discussed the connections between games and fiction, and have tried to better grasp how games build fictional worlds and the mechanisms which allow players to be immersed in such universes. In particular, this academic conversation has engaged with the ontology of games, with the objective of understanding what exactly is at stake in games and how fictional elements and real or virtual elements interact in such context. Yet most of these analyses mainly focused on videogames, both due to their recent emergence, and because they could supposedly provide richer and more detailed fictional worlds in which players could interact. In this paper, I instead expand the reflection on the ontology of games by looking at some specific non‑digital games, and more specifically wargames, through the case of the Warhammer games franchise. To do so, I address how exactly such games give players the opportunity to simulate fictional events, or in other words how they allow for a realistic representation of fictional battles depicted by Warhammer novels. To answer this question, I argue that the entanglement between fictional elements, rules, and miniatures in wargames allows players to create a realistic simulation of a military conflict, and that this relation provides a fruitful avenue to consider how fiction and reality can be bridged through games.

PERSONAL PROPER NAME IN LITERARY TEXT TO DEPRESENT THE EXTERNAL AND INNER WORLD OF A PERSON

The article gives an interpretation of the term "proper name", defines the types of nouns in the literary text, and examines how the external and internal world of a person is described through the name of a person. Factual material -based on the works of Russian writers, describing a person's appearance through a personal name is an important element of Russian fiction. The analysis of Russian personal names in the texts taken from the works of Russian writers shows that carefully selected names of heroes can serve as an important tool in the development of the inner world, moral qualities and character.

Real in virtual or virtual in real? Intersecting virtual and real experience in open-world video games and heritage tourism

ABSTRACT The increasing numbers of open-world games provide a sense of immersion, as if users were in a virtual world, by guaranteeing free movement within that world. One example is Ghost of Tsushima, a game developed by Sucker Punch Productions in the United States and released in 2020. The game was created by adding fictional elements to the historical facts surrounding the Mongol Empire’s invasion of the Japanese island of Tsushima in 1274. The developer implemented a virtual world as close as possible to the truth through thorough historical research into local records. This article aims to investigate the relationship and boundary between real and virtual tourism afforded by realistic virtual worlds, as well as provide a hybrid analysis of community discussions around Ghost of Tsushima on the social media forum Reddit. The community’s posts and comments suggest that the game cultivates a sense of immersion that can generate the desire to experience Tsushima, Japan in real life. However, this study also found that the game’s particular representations shape expectations in a way that influences the nature and extent of tourist initiatives.

Семантические особенности квазиантропонимов в текстах англоязычных фэнтезийных видеоигр

The article presents an analysis of the semantic parameters of quasi-anthroponyms utilized in English-language accompanying texts for fantasy computer games. As a first step, we developed an approach to clarify the term quasi-anthroponym, which had been subject to various interpretations in scholarly publications. Quasi-anthroponyms are defined here as names of animated fictional objects that function as characters within the virtual worlds of video games. Taking into account the correlation between real and fictional elements, fantasy characters are categorized based on the degree of their fictionality. Quasi-anthroponyms naming characters of highly fictional game universes are classified into three major groups according to their semantic potential. The primary semantic parameters underlying this classification include indications of the character’s appearance, specific characteristics and combinations of certain features, such as the character’s functions in the game universe. The significance of this research lies in expanding the field of anthroponymic studies by incorporating relevant language material from virtual game discourse. Moreover, the practical implications are demonstrated through the potential use of these findings in lectures and seminars on contemporary English lexicology and stylistics, as well as in the analysis of texts of fantasy video games in language teaching. This aligns with the growing trend towards gamification of modern educational practices. Ultimately, this study establishes substantive criteria underlying the creation of English-language names for fictitious characters in the realm of fantasy video games. In addition, inventorization, systematization and classification of these linguistic units were conducted.

“Hope, but also Danger”: A Conversation with Larissa Lai on not Going Back and the ‘Re’ of Recuperation

Larissa Lai is a poet, fiction writer and academic who holds a Canada Research Chair at the University of Calgary, where she directs The Insurgent Architects’ House for Creative Writing. She has authored nine books. Her most recent works are The Tiger Flu, Iron Goddess of Mercy and The Lost Century. She is a recipient of the Jim Duggins Novelist’s Prize, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Otherwise Honor Book. She was recently awarded a Maria Zambrano Fellowship at the University of Huelva in Spain and has been actively engaged in cultural organizing, experimental poetry and speculative fiction communities since the 1980s. Her work often explores themes of identity intertwined with elements of science fiction and the fantastical imagination. This interview took place in Parque García Sanabria on 24th March 2023 during a visit of Larissa Lai to the University of La Laguna. This interview focuses on the convergence of history, myth and affects, providing a reflection on the circularity of time and the promise of happiness.

Kajian Sosiologi Sastra Dalam Cerpen “Di Persimpangan Pantura” Karya Tantri Pranash

A short story is a literary work in the form of prose that contains a conflict with a short, focused solution only on one incident or story. The most important thing in a short story is to reveal the author's events and ideas in such a way that the reader can understand and enjoy it. The short story "At the Pantura Crossing" by Tantri Pranash published on Kompas.com on December 11 2011 is a short story that represents social reality in the region Pantura (North Coast of Java). Precisely in the Patokbeusi area which is a prostitution area, which contains the dynamics of relationships between characters, social conflicts, and the values upheld in the film local community. The aim of this research is to analyze the content of Tantri Pranash's short story "In Pantura Intersection” using a literary sociology approach. In literary sociology, Literary works are seen as a reflection of social life and cannot be separated from consideration elements of fiction and social aspects in social life. This means studying literary sociology the relationship between literary works and people in society, as well as social processes. Method The research used in this research is a qualitative descriptive research method. With using reading and note-taking techniques as data collection techniques. Short story research results Tantri Pranash ``At the Panthura Junction'' contains (1) economic aspects, (2) aspects culture, (3) social aspects, and (4) moral aspects. These results explain that literary works reflect community life.