Discussion Of Literature Research Articles

Porosity and Movement in Life Stories

Fueled by intellectual curiosity, literary discourse oscillates between factual and fictional narratives. Continually nourished by reality and imagination, it reflects a binary rhythm of representativeness and subjectivity. This work analyzes the biographical genre to explore the shift in rhetorical boundaries and representations in self-narratives. It examines various techniques writers use to reclaim the territory of intimate stories and lives. Infusing these narratives with meaning and unity aims to bridge the gap between the individual and the world. Awarding the Nobel Prize for Literature to feminist writer Annie Ernaux highlights the growing interest in the biographical genre. Ernaux, known for placing intimacy at the heart of her work, brings attention to this genre that often navigates through narratives marked by left-wing and 'politically correct' perspectives. Consequently, the genre emerges as a vital participant in the world's progress, establishing self-literature that withstands the test of time. A cross-study of various life stories — including intimate narratives, extremist views, self-portraits, memoirs, autobiographical novels, autofictions, and travel stories — enables us to understand the porosity and movement within this expansive genre. By presenting and juxtaposing different biographies, writers create a space for interaction, allowing the lives of others to permeate our understanding. Consequently, the biographical genre, serving as a mediating force, and the concept of otherness as mediation are reexamined within the fictional landscape of the human mind.
 
 Received: 10 January 2023 / Accepted: 29 February 2024 / Published: 6 March 2024

Silence Speaks Volume in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Krapp's Last Tape

Silence Speaks Volume in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Krapp's Last Tape

Discussions on the social role of political lyrics and "tendentious" poetry in German literary criticism of the Pre-Mart era

The article is devoted to the discussion by the German literary community of the 1830s – 1840s of the artistic and social role of political lyrics. The work seeks to present the diverse opinions of prominent publicists, literary theorists and writers of the era, such as Ludwig Berne, Heinrich Heine, Robert Eduard Prutz. The author shares the well-established idea in German historiography that the literary and critical discussion of the Pre-March era gives a more complete picture of the genesis of the political consciousness of the Germans and the socio-political processes that took place in Germany. The author's attention is focused on the discussion concerning the aesthetic and ideological-political ideas of the literary community about the place of poetry in the space of culture, its functions and the claims of writers to direct participation in political life. The methodological basis of this work is the theoretical achievements of the scientific research areas of the "history of concepts" and intellectual history. The central idea of the article is the assumption that the time of the sharp politicization of German artistic culture in the 1830s and 1840s coincided with the revision of the previous principles of artistic creativity, accelerated it and at the same time complicated it, giving both processes a more conflictual and nonlinear character, fixing and exposing the absence among German authors of liberal democratic views that stood at the forefront of literary theory, general, clearly formulated aesthetic guidelines. In these decades, new principles have been approved in the evaluation of literary works affecting socio-political issues. There is a legitimization of political poetry at the theoretical level, but the contradiction between the spheres of politics and aesthetics is not completely removed. And literary discussions are gradually moving out of the artistic and aesthetic sphere into the sphere of practical politics: moderate liberal views collide with democratic radicalism, national patriotic ideas enter into a polemic with cosmopolitan ones.

THE ENDURING LEGACY: EXPLORING THE PLACE OF SHARAF RASHIDOV'S POETRY IN WORLD LITERATURE

Sharaf Rashidov, a distinguished Uzbek poet of the 20th century, remains a pivotal figure in the landscape of world literature. His works, characterized by profound introspection, cultural richness, and universal themes, have left an indelible mark on literary traditions beyond the borders of Uzbekistan. This article examines the significance of Rashidov's poetry in the context of world literature, delving into the themes, influences, and enduring legacy that position him as a revered voice in global literary discourse.

Whole-Class Discussions About Literary Texts: Engaging in Dialogue and Eliciting Literary Competence

This study examines literary discussions from Scandinavian lower secondary school classrooms, specifically the different ways in which teachers provide opportunities for students’ development of literary competence. Moreover, it discloses what kinds of literary competence these teachers elicit and encourage. Three extended video-recorded discussions, in which a large number of students actively shared their understanding of literary texts, were selected and analysed qualitatively with regard to the interaction between teachers and students and the content of the discussions. It was found that teachers used both open-ended and closed questions to introduce new themes, and that their frequent use of follow-up questions promoted dialogicity. The teachers generally favoured one particular aspect of literary competence, yet several aspects of students’ literary competence were visible in the discussions. For example, students were encouraged to pay attention to content, formal characteristics and contextual issues. Implications for teachers’ literature instruction and for students’ development of literary competence are discussed.

Integrating Literacy Gardens with the Coffee Value Chain to Promote Sustainable Knowledge Innovation

Integrating Literacy Gardens with the Coffee Value Chain to Promote Sustainable Knowledge Innovation

Patriarchy, Religion and Women’s Subjugation in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

This paper explores the intricate portrayal and symbolic nuances of patriarchy and religion as fervent sources of intolerance within Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus (2003). The study transcends the binary view of these forces, scrutinizing their dynamic interplay and discerning their nuanced expressions within the depicted characters and broader societal constructs. The examination traverses beyond the surface-level manifestations, rummaging into the intricate fabric of power dynamics, gender roles and cultural norms to unravel their profound impact on individual conduct and the structural foundations of society. Drawing on theoretical frameworks, this study invokes John Locke's Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration (2003) and Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish (1995) to dissect patriarchy and religious practices as intricate manifestations of intolerance. By situating the analysis within these theoretical underpinnings, the study unveils the multifaceted layers of control, discipline and ideological enforcement inherent in these forces. The culmination of this exploration propels beyond a mere diagnosis of the issues at hand. It advocates for a transformative shift, contending that the perpetuation of patriarchy and religious fanaticism must be dismantled for the collective well-being of families and society at large. This call for cessation transcends mere condemnation, urging a profound reevaluation of ingrained societal structures and norms. Beyond its contribution to literary discourse, this study seeks to offer a deeper comprehension of the pervasive influence of intolerance, shedding light on its contemporary relevance. By pushing the boundaries of traditional analyses, this paper aspires to be a catalyst for transformative discussions on the dismantling of oppressive forces, paving the way for a more enlightened and inclusive future.

Literary Discussions in the Modern Classroom: Online and In-person Implementation Strategies

Literary discussions are widely utilized in education, yet their profound impact on students' comprehension requires in-depth exploration. This paper delves into the influence of literary discussions on student comprehension and examines how these discussions can enhance students' understanding and analytical skills. Through literature reviews and case analyses, this study investigates teaching strategies, student engagement levels, classroom ambiance, and other factors involved in literary discussions, revealing the potential mechanisms through which literary discussions influence student comprehension. The paper explores variations in the application of literary discussions across different types of literary works (novels, poetry, drama, etc.) and their relationship with students' creative thinking. Finally, the paper provides recommendations to assist educators in effectively utilizing literary discussions to enhance students' comprehension skills. Students must have the opportunity to discuss literature in ways that provoke deep thought and meaning from each work they encounter. Therefore, English Language Arts teachers and instructors must be creative in finding unique ways in which they encourage their students to experience and respond to literature. This paper discusses a variety of strategies to implement in virtual and in-person classrooms, such as Socratic seminar, Teacher-led as a facilitator, Teacher-led as a promoter of diverse perspectives, Using student-generated discussion questions whole class, Using student-generated discussion questions in small groups, Using Close-ended questions, Using Open-ended questions, Inquiry-based, Making real-world connections to the literature, Literature Circles. These literary discussion strategies can be used for both fiction and nonfiction literature.

Punctuational Division of Literary Discourse

Author’s punctuation is a system of punctuation marks outside of official usage, pursuing certain artistically justified purposes. The article is devoted to the study of the role and significance of punctuation in literary discourse. The author studies the history and origin of the sources of punctuation marks. Also, the essence of literary discourse is outlined and the ways of transmission of this discourse are described. The use of certain punctuation marks is justified.

The Evolution of Literary Canons: Coetzee's 'What is a Classic?' in the Contemporary Context

J. M. Coetzee, a South African-born writer, is renowned for his sparse yet potent prose. His writing often delves into complex themes such as apartheid, colonialism, and the human condition with a stark, introspective style. Through his precise and evocative prose, he explores the depths of human experience, inviting readers to confront uncomfortable truths about society and the self, and he even writes about the fundamental themes of literature. He examines the development of Johann Sebastian Bach's reputation as a classic from a critical standpoint in his famous essay "What is a Classic," drawing parallels with contemporary writing. Coetzee's research provokes reflection on the procedures and complexities of declaring a piece of writing a classic. Discussions about the creation of canons, cultural identity, and historical conditioning continue to influence opinions on classic literature in the contemporary literary landscape. Coetzee's admittance that our historical background influences how we play and interpret Bach's music provides a critical perspective on the subjectivity that permeates classical composition interpretation. Coetzee's research provokes reflection on the procedures and complexities of declaring a piece of writing a classic. Discussions about the creation of canons, cultural identity, and historical conditioning continue to influence opinions on classic literature in the contemporary literary landscape. Through a close reading of the selected essay from the book, the paper will analyse Coetzee's reflections on the nature of the classic, his critique of canonical thinking, and his exploration of the tensions between tradition and innovation in literary discourse.

Metaphor and Poetic Expression in the Poetry of Sri Aurobindo

Renowned as a multifaceted figure in the 20th century, Sri Aurobindo engaged deeply in aesthetics, poetics, and Vedic and Upanishadic interpretations. His extensive writings spanned various disciplines, emphasizing the significance of literary discourse shaped by figurative thought in understanding human experience. This paper explores the pivotal role of metaphor in both common and literary discourse, offering a contemporary analysis of Sri Aurobindo's poetry. His philosophical contributions present an alternative to foundational ontological and epistemological assumptions in contemporary scientific thought. Using compelling metaphors, Sri Aurobindo illustrates the concealed depths of the mind and ego, comparing them to a temple crown emerging from waves. He envisions humanity as more than its conscious awareness, describing the momentary personality as a mere bubble on the vast ocean of existence. Sri Aurobindo's pursuit of elevated states of consciousness underscores his commitment to transformative exploration.

A Multidimensional Analysis of a High-Stakes English Listening Test: A Corpus-Based Approach

The Gaokao, also known as China’s national college entrance exam, is a high-stakes exam for nearly all Chinese students. English has been one of the three most important subjects for a long time, and listening plays an important role in the Gaokao English test. However, relatively little research has been conducted on local versions of Gaokao’s English listening tests. This study analyzed the linguistic features and corresponding functional dimensions of the three different text types in the Gaokao’s listening test, investigating whether the papers used in three major regions of China were differentiated in terms of the co-occurrence patterns of lexicogrammatical features and dimensions of the transcripts. A corpus consisting of 170 sets of test papers (134,913 words) covering 31 provinces and cities from 2000 to 2022 was analyzed using a multidimensional analysis wherein six exclusive dimensions were extracted. The results showed that there were meaningful differences across short conversations, long conversations, and monologues with regard to the six dimensions’ scores, and regions further had significant differences in three dimensions: Syntactic and Clausal Complexity, Oral versus Literate Discourse, and Procedural Discourse, while Time Period was not associated with any differences. Implications for language teaching and assessment are discussed.

La de Bringas: el contexto naturalista y la metaobservación crítica

"In this rereading of the novel, I propose that its reception in the periodical press at the time of its publication highlights the author’s naturalist tendencies. In the articles that appear in El Imparcial, La Illustration Ibérica, and La América, to name a few, literary critics often use the term naturalista to describe the content of the novel. This essay elucidates how these critics’ metaobservations of Galdós’s observation of the society that surrounds Rosalía, in turn, shed light on multiple doctrines, theories, and philosophies relating to the social, scientific, and literary discourses of the time. It also explores how these metaobservations dialogue in precursive fashion with contemporary analyses of this novel.Keywords: Spanish Naturalism; French Naturalism; periodical press; Isabeline literature; Galdós’s segunda manera"

Perso-Sanskrit Narratives of the Mughal’s Tasḵẖīr-i-kashmir: Phased Opening, Ecology and Literary Strategies

This study explores the Mughal conquest of Kashmir (tasḵẖīr-i-kashmīr) through the region’s phased openings rather than a singular watershed event signalling either a climactic loss of independence or ushering in a golden age. Before 1585–89, there were two decades of patronage, diplomacy, and a steady breaching of the valley’s defences. When Mughal dominion was established, sections of the local aristocracy figured prominently as part of the new dispensation of power, while others continued to offer resistance. An analysis of imperial and local Perso-Sanskrit narratives of the conquest yields insight into how Kashmir was incorporated into the Mughal empire. This micro-historical process is the most valorised of historical transitions within the early Mughal literary discourse, it was highly represented as moment of glory and grand vehicle for rhetoric of diplomatic propaganda. This study largely demonstrates pre-modern power elites’ graded political loyalties, multi-laterality of socio-historical and ecological processes that facilitated the Mughal kingdom-seizing in Kashmir. Simultaneously moving beyond the traditional binary of ‘conquest’ vs ‘resistance’ conceptualisation and political abuse of the local narratives, it navigates the analytical efficacy and social logic of five primary narrative constructions of the Conquest produced by Mughal political elites and regional counter-elites in the terminal decade of sixteenth and early decades of the seventeenth century, namely, Akbarnāmā, Insha’ Abū’l Faẓl, Śukha-rājataraṅgiṇī, Bāhāristān-i-Sháhi and Taʼrīḵẖ-i-Kashmir.

On Dynamics of Language Norms from Classical Period to the 19th Century (Biased on Hagiographic Texts Translated from Greek to Georgian Language)

The paper examines the dynamics of language norms from the classical period to the 19th century, based on the hagiographic texts translated from Greek into Georgian by a prominent Georgian church figure, Euthymius the Athonite. The translations were made between the end of the 10th century and the first half of the 11th century in the monastery of Iviron in Athos, Greece, and they have come down to us through manu-scripts copied both during this period and in the following centuries. They were creat-ed in different geographical spaces and cultural centers, which allows us to follow the evolution of language standardization over the centuries and to evaluate it in a wider philological, religious, and cultural context. In addition to the fascinating temporal and spatial range of the manuscripts, choosing the hagiographic texts as research material was also conditioned by the fact that hagiography, as an important genre of ecclesiastical writing, played a major role in the formation of religious and literary discourse in the Middle Ages. The literary, religious, and cultural weight of the Iviron Monastery of Athos has also been taken into account, which gives great linguistic value to the texts coming from there.

A Minor Subject: Habit and Subjectivity in Modernist Literature and Philosophy


 
 
 In this essay, I intend to investigate some of the aspects of the resurgence of habit at the dawn of the twentieth century by touching upon a series of paradigmatic texts of the modernist canon and by investigating their debts to and consonances with the contemporary philosophies of habit. My thesis is that during those decades – seen as a mere chapter in the longer history of modernity – the philosophical and literary theme of habit served not only as a way to understand and represent the ordinary dimension of life, but also as a means to develop an idea of human subjectivity that could mediate between the centrifugal and the centripetal tendencies that permeated the competing ideologies of the time. The crisis of subjectivity that characterized modernism and which has often been simplistically represented as a disintegration of the subject into irredeemably broken fragments, should rather be seen as the development of a dialectical idea of a “minor subject”, that is, an open, dynamic, multilayered subjectivity still endowed by a certain malleable consistency. Both modernist literature and its philosophical counterparts found in the “minor subject” (here in the sense of “subject matter”) of habit, the opportunity to investigate and represent the porosity between activity and passivity, volition and determinism, individual identity and social structures, that characterize this idea of subjectivity.
 I focus on three different representative – though not exhaustive – facets of the issue. In the first section, relying on Virginia Woolf's work, I highlight how some of the narrative techniques developed by Modernist writers can be seen as an attempt to give a plastic representation to the blurred boundaries of subjectivity as captured in the everyday existence of their characters. I then connect these innovations to the theory of habit of Samuel Butler, whom Woolf identified as one of the harbingers of modernity. In the second section I focus on Marcel Proust to discuss how modernist writers proved to be able to combine two opposed views of habit: on the one hand, the view of habit as purely mechanical and leading to inauthentic life; on the other, the idea of habit as essential to the human being's potential for self-perfecting and creativity. The third section is dedicated to addiction, seen as a form of habit in which the subject is radically torn between opposite forces. Following insights from Sigmund Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle, I interpret Italo Svevo's Zeno's Conscience as a meditation on how such a torn subjectivity manifests the essential incompleteness of the human subject and life's insuppressible nostalgia for the inorganic.
 Virginia Woolf’s blurred boundaries, Marcel Proust’s ambiguous authenticity, and Italo Svevo’s split selfhood are three interconnected facets of the modernists’ interest in the “minor subject” of habit. Investigating the interaction between the philosophical and the literary discourses on habit at the dawn of the twentieth century can contribute to a more nuanced reconstruction of a pivotal moment in the history of thought but also to the contemporary philosophical debate. Almost exactly one century later, the renewed interest in the theme of habit mirrors a situation in part similar to what characterized the ideological landscape of the time, as now too it is concerned with the attempt to reimagine a “minor subject” that mediates between the postmodern pulverization of identity and the temptation of reaffirming anachronistic forms of strong subjectivities.
 
 

Sprehod Irene Novak Popov po narečni beneški poeziji

The article focuses on studies of contemporary poetry from Beneška Slovenija/Slavia Friulana (Venetian Slovenia) by the literary historian Irena Novak Popov. Considering Venetian-Slovenian works as a subsystem within Slovenian literature, Irena Novak Popov recognises its distinct literary form and acknowledges its unique development, which is tied to a specific historical and social framework. She explores this subsystem as a distinct artistic and cultural phenomenon in relation to the mainstream system of Slovenian literature and strives to make the literature of the western edge of the ethnic Slovenian territory more visible in public literary discourse, establishing it as the subject of expert analysis. Through analyses of the individual poetics of a number of authors (Marina Cernetig, Viljem Černo, Aldo Klodič, Gabriella Tomasetig, Andreina Trusgnach and others), she suggests some peculiar components of Venetian-Slovenian writing. The present article highlights the special attitude of Venetian-Slovenian authors towards the local language and their heterogenous presentation of spatial reality.

The Politics of Female Bodies: Narratives of Gender and Power in Trees without Wind by Li Rui and A Piece of Land with Many People and Ghosts by Nguyen Khac Truong

ABSTRACT Based on feminist theory, this article compares two literary works published in the 1990s in Vietnam and China: Trees without Wind by Li Rui and A Piece of Land with Many People and Ghosts by Nguyen Khac Truong. It focuses on identifying the connection between gender and power, how the male gaze perceives the female body, and expressions of submission and resistance of women in the context of Eastern patriarchal society in the 1990s. Through a deep reading method, the article analyzes the nature of patriarchy and the presence of gender power in the two novels, thereby critiquing the social system dominated by men and breaking gender biases in literary discourse created by men. This article also contributes to scholarly research on feminist theory in the world.

Discourse of trauma and transformation of memory in the novel of J. S. Foer’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

The article is devoted to considering the peculiarities of trauma discourse in the context of dynamics and transformations of individual and collective memory based on the material of the novel by the modern American writer J. S. Foer “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”. Sociocultural dynamics of the first quarter of the 21st century causes significant changes in the spheres of collective imagination and memory, which finds its expression in the literary discourse, one of the significant types of which is currently the discourse of trauma. In turn, the category of trauma acquires universal status in modern humanitarianism. This determines the relevance of the research topic. The purpose of the article is to consider the discursive specificity of J. S. Foer’s novel «Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close» in the context of trauma, individual and collective memory. The subject of consideration is the peculiarities of the representation of trauma in the context of the transformation of memory in the novel by J. S. Foer. The novelty of the study consists in the attempt to distinguish the discourse of trauma related to the peculiarities of the narrator’s vision of reality and the socio-cultural determinations of trauma that affect the entire society, that is, to isolate the universal discourse of social trauma in the novel compared to individual trauma. The task of the research: to analyse the specific features of the discourse of trauma in J. S. Foer’s novel; find out the correlation between trauma discourse and transformations of individual and collective memory; to justify the universal nature of the trauma discourse in the novel. Historical-cultural, hermeneutic and discursive methods were used in the research process. The discourse of trauma in the novel acquires universal features and concerns all the narrators of the novel, who form its plot. The visual component that forms the visual-symbolic narrative of the novel actualizes the synesthetic perception of the trauma and its totality, spread not only to the family of the main character, but also to the entire society. At the same time, the graphic and visual experiments and findings of the author allow us to interpret the text as a complex postmodern and metamodern whole. The trauma discourse in the novel captures the transformations of individual and collective memory, which are aimed at restoring the functionality of the existence of people and communities on both the cognitive and emotional-affective levels. The discourse of trauma acquires features of totality, while remaining rational and avoiding signs of self-obsession, which enables catharsis as life after and with trauma. The symbolic nature of the processes taking place in the collective consciousness and imagination represents itself through the transformations of discourse, which record the transformations of memory. Prospects for further research are outlined by the possibility of considering the discourse of trauma in a wider cultural, linguistic and sociological context.

Un cuento de las mil y una versiones. Gernika en dos novelas contemporáneas

Subject to diverging versions, the bombing of Gernika is, to date, surrounded by contradictions. In this essay, we draft the principal narratives of the mediatic, historiographic and literary discourses about the attack, before focussing on several elements that fiction borrows from the controversy with a testimonial or dramatic aim. Amongst said elements, we analyze how two contemporary novels, El chico de Guernica (Luis Iriondo) and Le héron de Guernica (Antoine Choplin) address the following topics: the destruction range and the inhabitants’ trauma, the responsability of the assault, the operation’s motives (whether Guernica was a military aim or not) and the different aspects that can trigger a symbolic reading of the air raid