Hierarchy Of Characters Research Articles

«Дон Жуан и Кармен» (1918): драматический замысел М. Цветаевой

ABSTRACT Spanish motifs are present throughout Marina Cvetaeva’s work, from her early texts until the end of her life. Amongst them, the axis associated with the figures of Don Juan and Carmen is thoroughly integrated. Indeed, the development of both mythical figures reveals Cvetaeva’s process of creative recombination of plot, together with her invention of the unique story of Don Juan and Carmen, setting their relationship within a specific chronotope that allows the rebirth of both protagonists. In the cycle “Prince of Darkness” (1917), the plurality of incarnations of Don Juan and Carmen is transformed into a hierarchy of characters: Prince of Darkness – Don Juan – Carmen. The “eternal” nature of this process is emphasized by the transfer of the characters to Russia. Further, the conceptual basis of the plot – which was intended to be performed on stage, as Cvetaeva stated in notebook dated 1918 – was partially used in other dramatic works with similar characters (Lozen, Casanova, Cupid, Henri-Henriette, Venus, etc.). Hence the broad intertextual background of our analysis of the texts pertaining to the 1910–1918 period of Cvetaeva’s production.

НЛО НАД ПЛАНЕТАРИЕМ:ЭПИСТЕМОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ПРОПАГАНДА И АЛЬТЕРНАТИВНЫЕ ФОРМЫ ЗНАНИЙО КОСМОСЕ В СССР В 1940–1960-Е ГОДЫ

The article examines the origins and development of narratives about historical and present-day contacts with al-ien civilizations (ufology) in the USSR after World War II. The current research literature usually interprets ufology as a form of quasi-religious and mythological thinking, yet my study of the genealogy of Soviet ufology demon-strates that the development of alternative knowledge about the outer space was a by-product of the state-sponsored propaganda of scientific knowledge. This relationship suggests that the common understanding of the public com-munication of science as a mere tool for the transfer of knowledge from experts (scholars) to the public is simplistic and misleading. By bringing together science popularizers and broad audiences in a communication chain, the postWWII Soviet mass scientific literacy campaign required the former to mater new narrative forms to appeal to the latter. The narrativization of science for its public communication means that popular science genres exist in a rhetor-ical and literary context, rather than belonging to the domain of the production and verification of scientific knowledge. This makes stories and their structural elements (plot development, internal conflict, and the hierarchy of characters) a key aspect of science communication. Consequently, a history of ufology in the post-World War II USSR serves as an illustrative case revealing how the epistemological polyphony and diversity emerged in late Sovi-et society

Nabokow w masy: Obrona Łużyna na dużym ekranie

The intellectual prose of Vladimir Nabokov is not easy to be filmed. Thus, filmmakers have made a lot of changes in the original text. The goal of The Luzhin Defence creators’ was to show a completely new interpretation of Nabokov’s novel and present it to the public. This is why they simplified the plot, added some dynamism, made it more epic and attractive (love triangle, Luzhin’s mother’ suicide, erotic scenes, conspiracy, kidnapping, failed wedding). Luzhin’s childhood has been presented as a series of flashbacks. The hierarchy of characters has been changed: two equivalent characters are in the center (Luzhin and Natalia). All other characters have been given their first names and their biography. The film is spiced with feminism: the female character is stronger than in the novel and the story of a chess player (Luzhin) is presented from the feminist director’s point of view. Love story is placed in the center of the plot and it covers the topic of the game of chess. The motif of chess is connected with an extra independent character providing comments about chess to a viewer. Nabokov’s idea about the transcendental nature of arts, madness as the price for being a genius, is not presented in the film. The conflict in the film is not about metaphysics, but about intrigues and envy. Additionally, the plot has been complemented with an epilog to Nabokov’s story. After Luzhin’s suicide Natalia finishes the championship chess match by following his notes about the game and takes a revenge.

SHARAR'S NOVEL DILCHASP: ONE PENNY TOO MANY

Colonial predicament made the life and its understanding complex in the Subcontinent. To represent this complexity, Urdu writers found the polyphonic genre, i.e. the novel helpful. They used different techniques of characterization to narrate the social hierarchy of characters. The novel also provided the space for them to attract the people with encapsulating the residual sensibility of conventional love of Urdu poetry and at the same time launch their ideas of reform to accommodate the changing world. This article presents an analysis of Sharar's Dilchasp and argues that he used the novelistic genre to represent his hierarchized social milieu, cultural norms and reformative agenda.

A revised dichotomous key for the mangrove crab genus Scylla De Haan, 1833 (Brachyura, Portunidae)

Abstract Species identification in mangrove crabs of the genus Scylla De Haan, 1833 is problematic, due to the high intraspecific variation and the continuity of diagnostic features. To determine the hierarchy of characters that are most useful in differentiating Scylla species from the Philippines, 1,185 mangrove crabs were collected from seven sites across the Philippines. Morphological species identification was contrasted with morphometric and molecular techniques. The hierarchy of characters in the existing dichotomous key resulted in the misidentification of 245 samples. Errors stem from asymmetry in the features of the chelipeds and the continuity in the features of the frontal lobe spines. Considering mainly morphological characters, the most reliable traits were the geometric patterns in the swimming and walking legs. Nonetheless, 27 individuals with morphological ambiguities exhibited unique patterns in digested nuclear ITS-1 fragments, unreported in any known species of Scylla. A revised hierarchy of characters resulted in a 97.8% match with molecular species identification.

Louise Erdrich’s Place in American Literature: Narrative Innovation in Love Medicine

Abstract As a novelist, Louise Erdrich is unique in receiving both popular and critical acclaim. Strangely, her popular appeal has discouraged study of her novels as experimental narrative texts. This is unfortunate, since innovations in Erdrich’s novels rival much “experimental” contemporary American fiction. This study outlines a convention of a three-level hierarchy of characters in novels and compares this convention with two experimental American novels: Infinite Jest (1996) by David Foster Wallace and Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) by Thomas Pynchon. The study then addresses Erdrich’s first novel, Love Medicine (1984), to show that it is unique in not having a main character. Although the other two experimental novels try to do without a main character, neither of them succeed at getting beyond this convention. Love Medicine innovates in at least one major narrative convention in a way that other experimental novels cannot do. This is one way in which Louise Erdrich and Love Medicine compare favorably to some of the most respected experimental contemporary American novels. Erdrich’s novels should take their place alongside other experimental American novels, being studied in similar ways, regardless of whether they are also read by a broad public audience.

VICTORIA: an on-line information system on the lichens of Victoria Land (Continental Antarctica)

VICTORIA is an on-line information system on the lichens of Victoria Land (Continental Antarctica). It provides descriptions and pictures of taxa, as well as nomenclatural, taxonomic, distributional and ecological data. Moreover, VICTORIA offers two interactive identification tools, dichotomous and multi-criteria keys, to the species. Friendly interfaces, optimized hierarchy of characters and multi-criteria filters based on easy-to-observe characters facilitate the identification process. At present VICTORIA provides information on 57 species occurring in the Terra Nova Bay area.

From basepairs to birdsongs: phylogenetic data in the age of genomics

AbstractGiven the quantity of molecular data now available, including complete genomes for some organisms, one can ask whether there is a need for any data beyond complete genomic sequences for phylogenetic analysis. One reason to look beyond the genome is that not all character information is encoded in organismal genomes. We propose a hierarchy of characters that ranges from biologically transmitted but nongenomically encoded characters, such as bird songs, to characters that are genomically encoded. All of these characters can retain historical information and are potentially useful for phylogenetic analysis. In addition, a number of phenotypic levels that are expressions of the genome can be identified. The question whether it is worth including any of these levels if all of the underlying sequence data have been collected arises, since issues of redundancy occur. Utilization of phenotypic levels that are ultimately based on sequences may facilitate reconstructing homologies that are not evident from sequence data alone. We propose the use of simultaneous analysis of sequence data and as many levels of phenotypic characters as possible to take advantage of homology information that may be more easily recovered from the latter. A method that eliminates redundancy to the degree that it can be detected is proposed.

From basepairs to birdsongs: phylogenetic data in the age of genomics

Given the quantity of molecular data now available, including complete genomes for some organisms, one can ask whether there is a need for any data beyond complete genomic sequences for phylogenetic analysis. One reason to look beyond the genome is that not all character information is encoded in organismal genomes. We propose a hierarchy of characters that ranges from biologically transmitted but nongenomically encoded characters, such as bird songs, to characters that are genomically encoded. All of these characters can retain historical information and are potentially useful for phylogenetic analysis. In addition, a number of phenotypic levels that are expressions of the genome can be identified. The question whether it is worth including any of these levels if all of the underlying sequence data have been collected arises, since issues of redundancy occur. Utilization of phenotypic levels that are ultimately based on sequences may facilitate reconstructing homologies that are not evident from sequence data alone. We propose the use of simultaneous analysis of sequence data and as many levels of phenotypic characters as possible to take advantage of homology information that may be more easily recovered from the latter. A method that eliminates redundancy to the degree that it can be detected is proposed.

Gestion d'une base de données pour la détermination générique approchée des coraux jurassiques

The database is a set of 405 cards. Each card corresponds to a genus with 17 characters. The present program allows a subset corresponding to the characters selected by the user to be extracted from this database. It runs on an IBM PC compatible micro-computer with a dBase III+ compatible program. Each card comprises 18 fields. The first one for the genus name, the 17 others for descriptive characters. Every character-state is coded in the following way: A for an absent item, P for a present one and AP for an ambiguous case. On running, with the sama codes A, P, and AP, the operator submits a combination of 17 character-states corresponding to the specimens he wants to identify. Then the computer quickly displays or prints a list of genera. A card (or a genus) is chosen only if all its fields at the state A agree with an A or an AP of the request and if all its fields at the state P agree with a P or an AP of the request. The check-list obtained shows junior synonyms genera and old comprehensive genera. This allows the omission of non reclassed species to be avoided and this is a major advantage for a zoological group in which generic assignments fluctuate so much. The program can be constantly improved by adding cards and characters. It runs as a generator of artificial classifications. The hierarchy of characters, inherent to the so called natural classifications is avoided. For a group in which fundamental characters are least conspicuous, the quality of identification may only be improved.

A General Coefficient of Similarity and Some of Its Properties

A general coefficient measuring the similarity between two sampling units is defined. The matrix of similarities between all pairs of sample units is shown to be positive semidefinite (except possibly when there are missing values). This is important for the multidimensional Euclidean representation of the sample and also establishes some inequalities amongst the similarities relating three individuals. The definition is extended to cope with a hierarchy of characters.