Literary Devices Research Articles

The untranslatability of Literaturnost revisited in the era of artificial intelligence

Abstract This paper revisits Roman Jakobson’s literaturnost within the framework of modern poetics and in light of the challenge posed by artificial intelligence to human literary translation. It is argued that literary translation is, in essence, more of a project of code transposition and meaning generation than of message transmission. Furthermore, it is noted that although algorithms can process certain literary devices, they are currently unable to process the polysystemic relations that constitute an artwork’s literaturnost. Consequently, it is emphasized that meaning transferal, meaning generation, and the revolt against meaning will continue to pose barriers for future machine translation even in the long term.

The magic lantern as a Gothic literary instrument

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the function of the magic lantern, a seventeenth-century scientific invention with the ability to project frightening images painted on transparent slides, as a literary device intrinsically connected to the Gothic genre. Darkness, foul weather, animated portraits, eerie apparitions, crumbling abbeys and half-demolished tombs team with physics and optics in an intricate swirl of exchanges between literature and visual technology, still relevant today. These exchanges are vividly illustrated in Girona’s spectacular Museu del Cinema – Col·lecció Tomàs Mallol.

Alchemical tafsīr: Qur’anic Hermeneutics in the Works of the Twelfth-Century Moroccan Alchemist Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs

ABSTRACT Beside the codenames and esoteric symbols inherited from Graeco-Egyptian antiquity, the later Arabic alchemical tradition also adopted motifs drawn from the Qur’an: from the blessed olive tree of the famous Light Verse (Q 24.35) to the burning bush and Moses’ staff. This interweaving of scripture and alchemical theory is especially noticeable in one of the major works of the post-Jābirian corpus, Shudhūr al-dhahab (Shards of Gold) by the Moroccan poet Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs (fl. sixth/twelfth century), as well as in Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs’s self-penned commentary, Ḥall mushkilāt al-Shudhūr (The Solution to the Obscurities in the ‘Shards’). But was the use of such motifs simply a literary device or did Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs claim to discern a hidden alchemical meaning embedded in the qur’anic text? Focusing on this unexplored strand of the Islamic exegetical tradition, this article examines the premises put forward by Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs in support of an alchemical reading of scripture.

Decolonial Metatextualities: Strategies of Resistance in Three Contemporary Novels of Oceania

Decolonial thinkers have stressed that to decolonise is not to reject the colonial legacy, but to deal with it, and to centre First Nations’ perspectives in its critique and in decolonising knowledge. As a critical relationship of a text – with itself, other texts, literature, and culture – metatextuality is a literary device operationalized in contemporary novels to resist persisting colonial powers. In this paper, we present three works of fiction by Indigenous writers of Oceania, and analyse their political use of metatextuality: L’île des rêves écrasés (Island of Shattered Dreams), by Tahitian author Chantal Spitz (1991); The Yield, by Aboriginal Wiradjuri novelist Tara June Winch (2019); and After Story, by Aboriginal Eualeyai/Kamillaroi writer Larissa Behrendt (2021). Centred on First Nations’ characters from Tahiti and Australia, these novels expose how they are racialised, marginalised, and constructed as inferior in postcolonising societies; and how, at the same time, these Indigenous characters are legitimate knowers and storytellers, reflecting on Western literature (often ironically), on their own marginality, and on their ancestral knowledges and languages. Borrowing from decolonial theorists Tlostanova and Mignolo’s (2012) ‘border thinking’, we propose that these novels deploy a ‘writing from the border’.

Problems and possibilities for Swedish working-class literature in a neoliberal age

In recent decades, inequality has increased in Sweden. The increasing gaps are connected with policies that are often called neoliberal. How does working-class literature relate to these social problems and what literary possibilities does it open up? In this article I discuss these questions based on some literary examples from Swedish contemporary working-class literature. These literary examples have attracted much attention. My perspective is that I see working-class literature as literature with a distinct use value and a literature that has specific functions in the working-class literature context (Felski, 2008).
 Kristian Lundberg, Johan Jönson and Jenny Wrangborg all give personal accounts from workplaces. Such can be valuable. The problem with Lundberg and Jönson is that they tend to be introverted and egocentric. Especially Lundberg lacks the class perspective. Perhaps Lundberg’s Yarden (The Yard, 2009) should be described as confessional literature rather than working-class literature. With Susanna Alakoski the working-class is hidden behind the concept of poverty. The working-class as actor is absent. The labor movement as well. Instead, it is the middle class who appear as actor. Through the role of jester, Jönson makes class society visible. The role of jester could be seen as a specific rhetorical strategy and a literary device to create a distancing effect, or Verfremdungseffekt. Wrangborg connects to the legacy of early working-class literature with struggle poems. From within the workplace she describes work situations and experiences of class.
 Emil Boss takes a close look at language and concepts in a postpolitical age when old concepts have changed meaning. It is a crucial task for working-class literature to explain, interpret and examine old concepts that have changed meaning in a new political era, when the labor movement has lost contact with previous ideals and social democratic governments pursue rightwing politics, thus making it difficult to distinguish between left and right.

Стратегии репрезентации русской литературной классики в романе Дж. Барнса «Шум времени»

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the novel “The Noise of Time” by Julian Barnes through the lens of Russian classical literature. The aim of the study is to determine the role of the Russian classical literature of the XIX century and the strategies of its representation in “The Noise of Time”. The novel unusually depicts biography of D. D. Shostakovich, Barnes’ favourite Russian composer. The work emphasises and describes the main characteristics of the English writer’s poetics, as well as the literary devices he employs: intertextuality, fragmentation, fabulation and irony. Main attention is paid to the analysis of the intertextual references to Russian literature in “The Noise of Time”. In the novel, the reader can discover references and quotations from the short stories “The Overcoat” and “The Nose” by N. V. Gogol, the article “Hamlet and Don Quixote” by I. S. Turgenev, the short story “A Letter to a Learned Neighbor” by A. P. Chekhov and others, which additionally shed light on the main character’s image. The originality of the study lies in identifying the specific role of Russian classical literature in the imaginary world of “The Noise of Time”. As a result, it has been demonstrated that Russian literature is presented in the novel as an important aspect of Russian culture, as well as world culture and has made a tremendous impact on Barnes’ creative life.

Folklore of Cervantes, Ilocos Sur: Content and Folk Literature Analyses

In the Philippines, a number of studies were conducted related to folklore and its cultural significance but few explored the content analyses of unpublished folk literature. In such context, this study invested its resources into collecting, compiling, analyzing, and translating the undocumented folklores of Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. The study identified 12 literary pieces that were retold by or adopted from culture bearers. Interestingly, content analysis employing Formalism as an approach to literary criticism revealed that these literary pieces possess literary devices that surface their organic unity. Hence, the people of Cervantes preserve their folklores amidst technological and societal advancement and change.

Specificity of Comedy in Contemporary Kazakh Prose (E. Tursunov’s Short Story Cycle)

The relevance of this article lies in the need to construct a comprehensive history of the development of comedy in contemporary Kazakhstani literature, of which the works of Ermek Tursunov are an integral part. The author explores various approaches to the study of irony, satire, and humor, including philosophical (G. Hegel, F. Schlegel), cultural (A. Bergson, B. Dzemidok, M. M. Bakhtin, D. S. Likhachev, Y. Borev, A. M. Panchenko, N. V. Ponyrko, V. Ya. Karasev), and philological (V. Tyupa, V. Propp, M. Yu. Asanina, I. A. Obukhova, S. A. Dubrovskaya). The scientific novelty lies in the fact that Tursunov’s stories are analyzed for the first time in the declared aspect. The research has established that, firstly, irony becomes an important means of comedy in Tursunov’s collection of stories “Karashanyrak”. Secondly, non-direct speech ironically exposes the hero’s surrounding world (“How Kazakhs believed in omens”). Thirdly, there is an orientation towards Chekhov’s humorous tradition (“How Kazakhs received guests”, “How brides became wives”). Fourthly, the writer’s humor relies on national Kazakhstani traditions of comedy embodied in folklore (“How Kazakhs organized noisy performances”). Finally, one of the ways of constructing a comedic plot in Tursunov’s stories is through the synthesis of an anecdote with elements of satire. This study offers new insights into the role of comedy in contemporary Kazakhstani literature and contributes to the broader understanding of humor as a literary device.

„Prze-pisywanie” w literaturze najnowszej

Retelling and reinterpreting myths is one of the most popular literary devices of feminist criticism. In the anthology Ziarno granatu Polish authors reinterpreted individual Greek myths. The (re)telling of well-known myths from the female perspective emphasized the oppressive nature of these tales, showing how women were overlooked and discriminated against. The stories included in the anthology point to the timelessness of the issues of Greek myths, and the authors of the works indicate the correlations between ancient stories and contemporary Poland.

Spooky concepts and urban studies: Conceptual metaphor, narrative tension and explanatory power

From the metaphor-soaked concepts of Dracula urbanism, the Vampire index, Frankenstein urbanism and zombie neoliberalism to the idea of a vampire property-holding class, conceptual metaphors are a repeating theme in urban studies. Once you are alert to their presence, conceptual metaphors seem to be everywhere, operating as key literary devices, productive interpretive tactics and critical discursive manoeuvres in the field. And if it is true that metaphor is an important conceptual device in urban studies, then the field's use of conceptual metaphor deserves our critical attention. Taking Wilson and Wyly's Dracula urbanism as a prompt, this commentary offers some speculative reflections on conceptual metaphor in urban studies, before commenting on Dracula urbanism as a concept directly. The discussion is organised around the narrative tension, explanatory power and discursive playfulness that conceptual metaphor affords in urban studies. I argue the power of conceptual metaphor comes into play at the level of analytical acuity. A good conceptual metaphor has an explanatory power that moves our understanding of an urban process, issue, etc. forward. It opens new conceptual vistas, or it brings into focus new conceptual stakes, or it paths the way for new types of empirical investigation in the field. Put simply, a good conceptual metaphor allows for a good theoretical intervention. It has productive explanatory power; it takes urban scholars somewhere beyond their initial excitement about a fancy new name for a concept. A spooky conceptual metaphor must be analytically powerful, otherwise it's just Halloween; an empty signifier dressed up as Frankenstein for a night, trick or treating for citations and attention.

An In-Depth Morphological and Syntactic Analysis of the Poetic Language in The Snow-Storm by Ralph Waldo Emerson

This research paper is a critical analysis of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem, The Snow-Storm. The paper examines the morphological and syntactic structure of the poem, analyzing its literary devices and themes. The analysis highlights the use of inversion, inflection, repetition, and metaphors in contributing to the poem’s central themes, such as the insignificance of humans in nature, the power of nature over humanity, and the constant flux of life. Additionally, this paper draws attention to the poem’s relevance to contemporary environmental issues, suggesting that the poem could reflect the importance of protecting and preserving nature. The limitations and scope of the research paper are also discussed. This research paper’s contribution to literary, social, and environmental studies is significant, as it illustrates literature’s interpretive possibilities in reflecting upon contemporary issues and human experiences.

THE USE OF PARADOX IN PROSE: AN EXPLORATION OF CONTRADICTION AS A LITERARY DEVICE

The paper is devoted to the intriguing realm of paradox in prose, investigating its role as a powerful and captivating literary device. Paradox, characterized by the simultaneous existence of contradictory elements, challenges readers' conventional understanding and invites deeper contemplation. Through a comprehensive examination of renowned literary works and critical analysis, various functions and effects of paradox in prose will be outlined. How paradox can be employed at different narrative levels, such as character development, plot construction, and thematic exploration is a truly intriguing issue. By examining key examples from classic and contemporary literature, including authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Shakespeare, Herman Melville etc. the article demonstrates how paradox enriches storytelling by creating tension, ambiguity, and cognitive dissonance.

Street Guide as a Literary Genre: La Manada City

This study thoroughly examines La Manada (The Wolf Pack) City, an artwork that illuminates the various forms of violence and oppression experienced by urban communities, particularly women and marginalized groups. Our research specifically focuses on the literary elements of this painted map which demonstrates the transition from defensive to artistic strategies as a means of survival. Initially, we aim to provide a comprehensive background of the artwork, including its title, social context, the incidents that inspired the idea, and the author’s activism. Subsequently, we scrutinize the literary resources of the 257 items that comprise the street guide of the map. By analysing the various names given to locations on the map, including literary devices and semantic fields, we observe reminiscences of classic surrealist paintings and the artist’s ability to protect herself while revealing the violence hidden behind the guise of antithesis, alliteration, metaphor, and other literary devices. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our research, we compared it to two other maps with different intentions. Our findings confirm the strength of La Manada City, which operates both locally and globally. As a representation of the former emporium city of Seville, our map exposes the adverse impact of dominant capitalistic strategies on community life, perpetuating inequalities for countless “poor owners of the world” by disregarding nature and culture.

LINGUO-STYLISTIC STRATIFICATION AS IDENTIFICATION OF FEMININITY IN THE NOVELS “SIRANUSH” BY SRBUHI TYUSAB AND “A GIRL’S HEART” BY SIPIL

The paper investigates the linguo-stylistic stratifications in the novels of Western Armenian women authors of the second half of the 19th century, in particular, Srbuhi Tyusab’s Siranush (1884) and Sipil’s A Girl’s Heart (1891), as well as their characteristic features and interpenetrations. The study aims to pinpoint those stratifications as a technique of female writing through the study of the linguistic features of the novels under analysis. The problem of the research is to interpret the literary techniques and devices (comparison, metaphor, oxymoron, ellipses, morphological and syntactic means) used in the mentioned works from a new perspective, clearly highlighting the male-female worldviews and world-images in the fictional works of the female authors. The illustrative material was analyzed with an application of linguistic, literary and comparative methods observing the linguo-styistic stratifications as identification of femininity in a single domain. The mentioned novels have so far not been analysed in terms of linguo-stylistic stratification. The study is important and relevant not only from the point of view of interdisciplinarity, but also that of the analysis of women’s issues in Armenological Studies.

Remembering the Horsemen of Smithfield: Chivalric Nostalgia in John Stow’s Survey of London

A Survey of London offers readers past and present an unrivalled insight into the history of early modern London. However, it is of hitherto unrecognised significance that the Survey draws on a pronounced horse culture and participates in the seventeenth-century revival of chivalric literature as a way of engaging with topographical change in the City. Drawing on early modern nostalgia studies, this article is the first to explore how the depiction of Smithfield’s horsemen evokes chivalric nostalgia. With the help of the memory studies concepts of synchronic and diachronic historical consciousness, I show how this chivalric nostalgia functions as a literary device that by harnessing the traditions of chivalric romance offers a way of challenging the impact of urbanisation on readerly memory. This approach reveals the importance of Smithfield’s horsemen in London’s rich civic history and that nostalgia is a strategy rather than a limiting force in the Survey.

The Development and Reflection of Romanticism in John Keats' Poems

Romanticism is one of the most precious and culturally developing times throughout history, and John Keats was a representative figure in the romanticism movement. This study is aimed at the historical background of romanticism and the influences of John Keats. After close reading and research, the cause of romanticism is found: in the long term, the theory of enlightenment influenced people and led them to pursue freedom and human rights; in a short time, French Revolution, which happened in 1789, turned to be a failure, which causes people to search for a spiritual world to express their intense emotions. Because of the background, romanticism has unique features which convey intense feelings and connections with nature; usually, many literary devices are applied to make it exquisite. Also, in terms of form, blank verse poems became more diverse. His writing characteristics were well expressed by studying and analyzing John Keats' work, specifically Bright Star and the ode to the Nightingale. He used a lot of mythological metaphors and personification in his poem, which gives it a feeling of a fairytale. Because his poems illustrated the main ideas of romanticism, a lot of poetry and writers were influenced by him. In addition, his influence has expanded to the artistic field. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood considered him a spiritual leader, composing many works based on Keats's poems. Therefore, John Keats contributed uniquely to developing romantic literature and art.

Language Techniques and Literary Devices for National Messaging in President Buhari’s Democracy Day Speech

That language is used to convey a broad sense of meanings and that the meanings that are conveyed with language are moulded by our immediate social, political and historical conditions are safe assumptions about the efficacy of language. This paper discusses language techniques and literary devices for national messaging to ascertain their functions in national discourse. To achieve this aim, the study examines purposively sampled excerpts from Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari’s Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2019, using insights from practical stylistics. This is to determine whether the language and literary devices have been deployed effectively to the speech’s content. The language and literary devices observed were reference items, to signal solidarity and inclusivity; evidential clauses, to consolidate the argument raised; capitalisation, to foreground the issues discussed; name-calling, to ridicule political opponents; the praise tactic, for self-promotion and positive representation, the blame-game tactic, to evade responsibility and denigrate previous administration; hasty generalisation, to advance personal agenda; and allusion, to draw knowledge from historical events. The study submits that the aforementioned devices, depending on how they are used in communication, can either foster or jeopardise national integration. Consequently, it recommends that national discourses be cautiously constructed using pertinent linguistic and literary devices.

Constructing parallelism in the Kurdish contextual poetic manuscript namely Salim Sahibqran . (This research paper is precised from doctoral dissertation)

Parallelism is one of the significant literary devices which are crucially employed to analysis literary discourse. Formalists look at it as key component to construct meaningful poetic script. Consequently, it leads to produce harmonization and establishing of the linguistic component of the text .This rhythm happens once the parallelism is inherently natural dissimilar to it is produced with effort. As long as the parallelism is dominantly perceived, it will prominently regulate the superlative of the written text. The study deals with constructing parallelism in the Kurdish contextual poetic manuscript namely (Salim Sahibqran) which is outlined from a doctoral dissertation .The study presents the theoretical background of the parallelism from the perspective of formalists to construct a poetic manuscript .Furthermore it is also employed as methodology of the study to analyze a bunch of poems from the stated poet. The study sheds light on the decisive point which is a distinction between parallelism and deviation. These two terms have been used in the literarily critical analysis of Kurdish texts and poetic manuscripts as an interrelated concepts, whereas the study has declared that parallelism is an independent literary device.

The Use of ‘Magical Realism’ in the Works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Descriptive Study

Known for own brand of magical realism, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most renownedwriters of the 20th century. Marquez creates a surreal and dreamlike ambiance that blurs the linesbetween reality and fantasy in books and short tales by fusing parts of the actual world withmythical and magical events. The use of magical realism in Marquez's most well-known books,including ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’, and ‘The Autumn ofthe Patriarch’, is examined in this study. The study looks at the different ways in whichMarquez's usage of magical realism reflects the political, social, and cultural upbringing. Itexamines the symbolism and imagery used to convey a sense of magical realism and considershow this strategy affects how the reader interprets Marquez’s works. The study also examinesthe literary influences that helped Marquez develop the writing style, including Latin Americanliterature and Franz Kafka's works. The case that Marquez's use of magical realism in theseworks is a potent method for delving into a variety of challenging themes and concepts, such asidentity, memory, love, and power. Marquez has secured the position in the canon of greatliterature because to this distinctive and effective literary device

MEZZALUNA

Author Statement: As a queer artist bisected by two ethnicities, I'm driven to examine the world views around me and share my unique perspective through my work. Combining my formal training in media design, language acquisition, and cross-cultural exchanges, I strive to create pieces that reflect the idiosyncrasies of the human condition. My writing often explores themes of identity, culture, and society, drawing on my lived experiences—moonlighting between different cultures and identities—to repurpose representation into a more reflective mirror whilst simultaneously rejecting its historically misty veneer. To achieve this, I use a variety of literary devices and techniques, such as experimental punctuation and sensory nomenclature, to imbue my work with emotional depth and nuance. I'm particularly fascinated by the intersection of the sublime and the mundane, using poetry as a means of translating the ineffable and exploring the grandeur of everyday experiences. This equipoise frequently imbues my overarching lyrical conceit with intimate conviction. My artistic output is deeply personal, often starting with imagining a persona and scene, visualizing what they may encounter or never come to know, and refining my imagery and resolution into decisive moments of execution. When polishing an idea, I delight in the sonic and structural cues of verse, availing myself of alliteration and experimental punctuation to evoke specific emotions that require the full scope of my language to anatomize its message. I spend countless hours on the organization of color schemes, typography, and graphics for more visually endowed pieces to complement the magnitude, mood, and motifs being conveyed. Looking to the future, I hope to further explore the richness and aesthetics of human nature through my background in Asian Studies, Romanticism, and children’s literature/media while connecting with others and fostering a deeper appreciation for the intersectionality and complexity of the world around us. By using poetry as a means of translation, I contend to create artwork that inspires the senses, confronts systemic ways of thinking, and fosters an empathetic mien for those who truly need it; and, above all, I aim to provide a representation of the working world that is worthy of one’s fullest attention and my highest efforts.