Literary Genre Research Articles

Margery Kempe and the Late-Medieval Image Debates in England: The Curious Case of the Non-Animating Crucifix

ABSTRACT This article examines the devotional practices presented by The Book of Margery Kempe in connection to late-medieval English image debates. While scholarly consensus holds that Kempe displays an uncritical approach to the popular devotional practices of her time and a strong attachment to effigies, I argue that she espoused a much more nuanced view, deeply influenced by the anxieties raised in the clash between the Church and the iconoclastic Lollards. This article offers a case study of Kempe’s approach by analysing a scene in which her desire to experience a miracle of image animation is denied. This is a highly unusual outcome within The Book’s literary genre, which can be explained as an active engagement with the issues raised in the image debates. I conclude that the scene should be read as offering guidance on the idolatrous potential of devotional images and how to properly engage with such artefacts.

The Séance of Reading: Uncanny Designs in Modernist Writing, Thomas J. Cousineau

‟The Séance of Reading: Uncanny Designs in Modernist Writing” (2023), a book arising out of Thomas J. Cousineau’s long and fruitful teaching experience and his extensive engagements in Romanian academia as a Fulbright scholar, entices readers to appreciate key canonical works spanning American and European literature through the lens of the Romanian ballad ‟The Legend of Master Manole” and Mircea Eliade’s view of mythical creation by sacrifice. The aesthetic myth of master-builder Manole lends magnitude and resonance to nine modernist texts set in harmonious juxtaposition for the purpose of revealing and restoring the sacrificed textual elements within. Most valuably, the author makes the reader register the intricate relationship between the sacrificed protagonist and the architectural body of the literary monuments discussed throughout his book, which successfully brings together different literary genres, capitalizing on the scenario of death and ontological rebirth.

The Inoperative Community in Twenty-First-Century British Theatre

Abstract The literary genre of drama and its performative realisation in the theatre are based on dialogue and interaction. In this, drama and theatre have always had a close affinity to the structures of society in general and community in particular. I shall argue in the following that Inua Ellams’s Barber Shop Chronicles (2017), Travis Alabanza’s Sound of the Underground (2023), and Martin Crimp’s Not One of These People (2022) can be considered as deconstructions of a traditional understanding of community. I shall argue that the designs of community that emanate from these plays conceptually highlight an alternative model of community, which – following the philosophies of Jean-Luc Nancy and Giorgio Agamben – I shall call an “inoperative” (Nancy) or “coming” community (Agamben). The inoperative nature of these communities, which the three plays not only reflect upon but also constitute by themselves, is marked by a shift to singularity, by an openness to the Other, by fluid dramatic/theatrical/linguistic structures that challenge traditional normative and exclusionary practices and borders. The deconstructive aesthetics at work in all three plays reveals an inoperative community which denotes a potentiality that is always on the horizon, but never fully actualised. All three plays become epitomes for defining the ethical as well as the aesthetic programme of much British theatre in the twenty-first century: they question (and reject) traditional concepts of community that are based on unity or identity, while they also criticise overreaching, neoliberal individualism and the decline of communal interactions.

Festmusik mit persönlicher Note

Abstract Festa teatrali were an established music-theatrical means of celebrating courtly festivities around the middle of the 18th century when Margravine Wilhelmine of Bayreuth began to adopt this form at her court. After a brief description of the general development of the Festa teatrale in the context of courtly festive culture, the successive appropriation and special organisation of the Feste teatrali under the margravine, who herself provided the textual basis for two works, will be discussed. The status of the printed French prose version will be analysed in this context. It is not a translation of the Italian text set to music, as was usual with bilingual printed libretti, but a version that preceded it in the creation process. The article clarifies to what extent this version can claim its own aesthetic value, how it can be categorised in literary genre traditions, and how Wilhelmine von Bayreuth positions herself as an author.

Geschlechterpoetik

Abstract ‚Geschlechterpoetik‘ as a methodological approach examines the mutual interferences between gender and genre in classicist drama around 1700. It outlines in which way the development of literary genres, especially tragedies, can be described in relation to historically variable and culture-specific gender performativity in dramatic texts. Obviously classicist drama of the early Enlightenment gradually transforms the virile ethics of the ‚Staats- and Heldentragödie‘ established by ancient poetics into a ‚zivile Tragödie‘. The ‚zivile Tragödie‘ is constituted by moral values that can be considered as genuinely human and universal. In the context of 18th-century moral philosophy, the rising influence of empiricism and the polarisation of gender roles morality is increasingly associated with ideals of womanhood. The gender-based transformation of early modern tragedy can be exemplified in selected texts of Johann Christoph Gottsched, Luise Gottsched and Johann Elias Schlegel which visualize the described transformation of ancient heroic tragedy into a so-called ‚zivile Tragödie‘ by using and gradually naturalizing female allegories for pitiful female protagonists who ideally incorporate genuine human ethics.

Exploring the Significance of Nature in Literature: Eco Critical Themes in the Selected Work of Barbara Kingslover

The present article deals with an analysis of the eco-critic elements in Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behaviour. The article explores the perspectives of eco-critical along with ecological speculations in order to deal with the climate change and cultural aspects of the novel. Critical, unlike the conventional eco-critic in literary genre, discards the genre constraints the last happenstances and becomes impressive for endless critical examination. Ecology offers the supreme impulse, which is concealed in traditional ecology. The eco-critical enclaves in the novel closely surround the aspects of the current world’s concerned environment, which is why the novel becomes appropriate to be analyzed as an ecocritical. The deteriorating environmental circumstances in the contemporary world and a much similar one in the novel provide an optimal space to study ecology beside ecocriticism. An ecocritical analysis of the text not only focuses on the need for ecological consciousness in the characters. But in a sustainable way of saving the earth for the future

Marie Luise Kaschnitz’ literarische und lyrische Interviews

In her literary texts Marie Luise Kaschnitz comments and questions journalistic interviews as a literary genre and as a social practice. The poem Interview is rather a monologue or a soliloquy than a dialogue with the interviewer. This lyrical interview mixes the literary genre of the journalistic interview with others, namely the poem, the confession, and the example. The conventions which constitute the literary genres are performed and inverted at once. By this strategy of inversion, the poem does not only expose how the conventions are constitutive for literary genres, but also challenges the aim of an interview: The reader of a journalistic interview wants to learn more about the famous person, which is being interviewed, but the poem Interview refuses to communicate. However, a shared understanding of literary genre is required for this refusal.

Construction of Algorithms for English Learners to Read Foreign Literature Based on Machine Translation Technology

The construction of algorithms for English learners to read foreign literature based on machine translation technology involves several key steps. Initially, the algorithm utilizes machine translation to convert the foreign text into English, ensuring accessibility for learners. Next, it employs natural language processing (NLP) techniques to enhance the readability and comprehension of the translated text, such as simplifying complex sentences, clarifying ambiguous phrases, and providing annotations or explanations for cultural or linguistic nuances. Additionally, the algorithm may incorporate adaptive learning mechanisms to personalize the reading experience, adjusting the difficulty level and content based on the learner's proficiency and preferences. This paper explores the development and implementation of algorithms designed to facilitate English learners' comprehension of foreign literature using machine translation technology. Leveraging Probability Path analysis and classification techniques, investigate the effectiveness of various algorithms in improving translation accuracy, fluency, and comprehension for English learners. Through the Probability Path analysis, we delve into the complexities of language structures, translation probabilities, learner interaction, and linguistic adaptation, illuminating the intricate dynamics of machine translation in the context of language learning. Additionally, classification results provide insights into the performance of different algorithms in translating diverse literary genres, showcasing their potential to support English learners in comprehending foreign texts. The findings reveal translation accuracies ranging from 87.8% to 92.0%, with corresponding fluency scores ranging from 4.0 to 4.6. Additionally, algorithms result in comprehension improvements of 23% to 30% for English learners.

A Comparative Exploration of Gender Representations in Persian Sufi Literature and Modern Literary Works

The research examines how gender is depicted in Sufi and modern Persian literature, exploring the complex factors that influence the representation of gender roles and identities throughout different historical periods. The study meticulously reviews these literary genres to identify the many perspectives on gender, acknowledging that each genre provides a distinct viewpoint through which societal values are conveyed. The investigation delves into not just literary aesthetics but also the cultural and historical conditions that have shaped the development of gender norms. This study examines how Sufi and modern Persian literature, which are deeply influenced by their specific time periods and cultural contexts, mirror and distort social perspectives on gender. Through the analysis of the progression of these depictions over time, the study sheds light on the profound transformation of gender norms and identities throughout the course of Iranian history. This inquiry enhances our comprehension of the complex relationship between literature, culture, and gender dynamics, providing significant insights into how literary works reflect and influence society's perspectives. The results of this study not only enhance academic discussions on Persian literature but also offer a subtle perspective to analyze the wider cultural weave of Iran.

Ecolinguistic components of the Arctic literary image in Vasily Matonin’s travelogue Kochevoy dnevnik

This article explores key ecolinguistic components forming the literary image of the modern Arctic in V. N. Matonin’s travelogue Kochevoy dnevnik (“Nomadic Diary”). Nowadays, a significant part of the scientific literary works covers the Arctic image of the past, from the very beginning of the circumpolar region development to its active transformation during the 20th c. The modern study of the Arctic image is not the same as the study of the modern image of the Arctic presented in this article. All above determines the relevance of the work. The research material includes the Arctic travelogue Kochevoy dnevnik by Vasily Nikolaevich Matonin. This book describes the author’s journey through three regions belonging to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in 2012–2013. The contextual analysis applied in the article aims to systematically identify and describe several contexts of the phenomena studied. This study uses the ecolinguistic approach connecting some individual components of the space representation into a complex ecosystem. The use of ecolinguistic frameworks to examine the formation of the modern Arctic literary image determines the scientific novelty of this article. This work covers the structural and functional features of travelogue as a literary genre (such as composition, author’s quasi-socialization in a new reality, relaying of the subjective space image, author’s self-reflection, manifesting importance of language as an essential element forming a connection between man, society and nature); defines the concept of the “Arctic literary image” as a combination of physical, symbolic and mathematical space of different multilingual multicultural circumpolar territories; and analyses some linguistic, social, demographic, ethnocultural, interactive, mental, political, economic and environmental aspects that construct the circumpolar literary image in V. N. Matonin’s travelogue.

Narratives of Justice: Legal Meaning, Literary Genres and Politics

Abstract This article explores diverse models of legal interpretation and their impact on the intersection of law and literature. Beginning with narrative naturalism and the Tarskian Correspondence Model, it contrasts with the Symphonic model’s contemporary perspective, recognizing the nuances of legal concepts. Then, it examines Heraclitean Realism and the Provocative Tapestry Model as challenges to the traditional concept of legal system. While realism acknowledges subjectivity, the Provocative Tapestry Model seeks revolutionary change. In comparative law, the Tarskian Model aligns with linguistic analysis, the Symphonic Model with harmonizing approaches, the Living Tapestry Model with dynamic perspectives, and the Provocative Tapestry Model with confronting conflicts. These diverse interpretation lenses influence cross-cultural legal understanding in comparative law methods, creating a multifaceted perspective. The conclusion examines narrative tropes in each interpretation, revealing storytelling elements and rhetorical strategies shaping legal traditions.

Сценичность рассказов Раймонда Карвера

The interest of theater directors in R. Carver’s short stories and their adaptability to the demands of the stage opens up new frontiers for the study of his novellas. The texts meet the demands of the stage/screen due to several features. The writer preferred a “dramatized” way of reflecting reality. The aim of this research is to identify the stage characteristics of R. Carver’s texts. The scientific novelty of the paper consists, on the one hand, in identifying the unique thematic and stylistic features of Carver’s writings, his place in American literature, as well as in the context of world literature, and, on the other hand, the paper expands the boundaries of the literary canon, enriching the cultural experience of researchers in Russia. The uniqueness of the research lies in advancing our understanding of the literary genre. By expanding the boundaries of the genre, clarifying its historical evolution, analyzing reader reception, exploring intertextual connections, and assessing literary influence, such a paper makes a valuable contribution to the field of literary studies. The research findings have shown that R. Carver’s experiments with drama and screenplays were reflected in his prose works and manifested themselves in the creation of the “stage story”. The elements of drama used in short stories help recreate an atmosphere of mystery and arouse interest in what is happening off-screen. Dramatic techniques are found at various levels of the narrative: in the composition of the material, in the construction of dialogues of the stories, in attention to the inner life of the characters, expressed in the external, for example, in the description of gestures.

Research on Lifelong Learning Tendencies of University Students

Research on Lifelong Learning Tendencies of University Students

LITERARY MEMES AS BIBLIOTHERAPY FOR FILIPINO ESL PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ EMERGENCY REMOTE LEARNING

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a swift transition to emergency remote teaching, impacting students and educators’ well-being. To address these challenges, literary memes emerged, combining literary references with humour or poignant commentary, engaging students, and conveying meaningful insights or coping strategies. Despite their prevalence, their efficacy as bibliotherapy tools remains underexplored. This study investigated the potential of literary memes in promoting well-being and enhancing the learning experience during times of crisis. Focused on 64 English as a Second Language (ESL) Filipino preservice teachers, the study explored their preferences and perceived value of literary memes, ascertaining their exposure and assessment of this emerging literary genre as potential bibliotherapy. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis, while quantitative data underwent statistical analysis, including measures such as mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient (r), and t-tests. Findings indicated that ESL preservice teachers preferred memes creatively linked to literature, maintaining a moderate level of exposure, using them to forge emotional connections with peers and family. These memes, abundant in literary references, provided entertainment and moderately contributed to bibliotherapy, as confirmed by the values of Pearson r and t-tests, calling for their integration into ESL teacher education programs to foster engagement and well-being among preservice teachers.

Unveiling Language Prejudice: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Racial Slurs Across Genres

Discrimination and racism have been obvious for decades. This encompasses derogatory racial epithets such as "nigger, niggers, n-words". The objective of this study was to employ corpus-based analysis in order to examine the frequency of racial derogatory expressions across various genres of literature. The COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English) data were employed to perform a corpus-based linguistic analysis of the terms 'nigger', 'niggers', and 'n-word' over a span of 20 years (1990 to 2019). Although the words "niggers" and "n-word" have similar meanings, the occurrence of the word "niggers" and "n-word" in the corpora was significantly less frequent compared to the word "nigger." Primarily, the term "niggers" was used as a plural indicator for the derogatory term "nigger". The frequency with which individuals who use derogatory language, such as the term "niggers," associate themselves with pronouns like "they," "us," "those," "all of you," etc., suggests the existence of these patterns. The sole term that displays a notably diverse frequency distribution across genres is the n-word (in comparison to these two terms).

Anak-anak yang Terpinggirkan: Pembacaan Dekonstruksi terhadap Fabel Aesop The Ant and The Grasshopper

Fabel is one genre in children literature that is utilized to teach moral values to children. Animals in fable are metaphors of the value in society so that they can internalize the value and identify themselves with the ideal value or the logos one. This research is qualitative research. Source of data is from a children fable entitled The Ant and the Grasshopper that is retold by Jan Payne. The data is collected using literature review method. The data are analyzed descriptive-interpretatively using Derrida deconstruction reading. Derrida’s deconstruction reading uncovers the instability of meaning in the fable which ends up marginalizing children. The binary opposition is used in the fable to maintain the stability of logos meaning, namely the importance of diligence and hard work. Meanwhile, the other part of the binary opposition is laziness which is used as the marginalized part. This part is used to assert the logos. Apart from that, other meanings that disturb the instability of meaning are marginalized, one of which is the gray area. This fable shows that there is a possible gray area that is an alternative between working hard and being lazy at work or spending time relaxing. However, to emphasize the center, this gray area is also marginalized. As a result, voiceless children have no choice but to identify themselves with the discourse expressed in the fable. Thus, this logos construction can be said to impose values on children. On the other hand, children themselves do not have the capacity and power to provide counternarratives because cognitively they have not yet developed and they do not have a voice to deliver their concern because the narration is dominated by adult writer.

Hans Staden and the Protestant Captivity Narrative: The Origins and Fractured Legacy of a New Literary Genre

Hans Staden and the Protestant Captivity Narrative: The Origins and Fractured Legacy of a New Literary Genre

I'm a traditionalist, I Don't like pizza and street food: The relationship between cultural consumption habits and food preferences

According to the stratification theory by Bourdieu, music taste, literary genres read and taste-related patterns such as eating constitute the determinants of cultural consumption of individuals based on their position in their social class and also function as a criterion set to separate or differentiate themselves from other individuals in the same social class. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the cultural consumption patterns of individuals and food preferences within the scope of the stratification theory. This research adopted a multi-methodical research method for this purpose and determined the food consumption preferences of individuals by categorizing them performing clustering analysis within the framework of the stratification theory, and then the cultural consumption patterns of the obtained groups were revealed using multiple correspondence analysis. As a result of the analyses, participants’ food preferences were grouped as traditionalists, yes-sayers, modernists, hedonists and weight controllers. When the results regarding the relationship between cultural consumption and their food preferences are examined, the food group that the traditionalists have been avoiding is pizza and street tastes, while they do not prefer/dislike classical western music, Latin and heavy metal out of music genres, poetry out of literary genres. The individuals in the weight controllers group liked rock music and classical Western music, while they did not like arabesque music and religious music genres. Modernists prefer international cuisine products and fish. While yes-sayers liked religious music in the cluster, they did not like Turkish folk music. Hedonists, on the other hand, avoided from arabesque and protest music genre.

QUEERING DIGITAL LITERATURE AND DIGITAL WELL-BEING IN JEFF GARVIN’S SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN

The development of digital technology and communication has brought about rapid transformation in the field of literature. Books, articles, blog posts, tweets, and conferences, that constitute the digital humanities have grown exponentially in the 21st century. The emergence of the digital space has received a quick response from various literary genres, and in no exception, queer literature, which ranges from online book publications to documenting queer experiences through blogs and more generic social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, has not only become a popular and affordable space for the queer community but more than a socializing space across the globe. Queer literature on digital space can now be seen as the fastest-growing genre of literature that evolved. Jeff Garvin’s Symptoms of Being Human, which is written in the form of blog posts, explores the way in which this digital space has provided an opportunity for queer literature and the community to thrive by curating their identities online, reaching out to like-minded people across the globe, documenting their experiences, and educating the public about their unacknowledged identity and sexuality. The paper examines how this new mode of communication paved the way for digital well-being by maintaining a balance between the digital and the real world, accommodating and acculturating social space, acting morally and responsibly, and effectively managing digital and real-life interactions, as demonstrated in Jeff Garvin’s Symptoms of Being Human.

Decolonising neo-colonial hegemonies in Africa: A comparative case for socialist realism in the drama and law of Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa

Through a comparative investigation of the function of socialist realism in the drama and law of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, this research investigates the decolonization of neo-colonial hegemonies in Africa. Using the drama and legal systems of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa as comparative case studies, the research explores how African societies can challenge and demolish oppressive systems of domination sustained by colonial legacies and contemporary neo-colonial forces. Relying on the Socialist Realism and Critical Postcolonial theoretical frameworks which both support literary and artistic genre that encourages social and political transformation, the research deploys the case study analysis, comparative literature analysis and focused group discussion methods. Data obtained are subjected to content and thematic analysis. The study emphasizes how important the relationship between the legal and artistic worlds is to the fight against neo-colonialism. It further reveals the transformational potential of socialist realism as a catalyst for social change by looking at themes of resistance, social justice, and the amplifying of disadvantaged voices in drama and legal discourse. The research contributes to ongoing discussions about de-neo-colonization through this comparative case study, and emphasizes the role socialist realism plays in overthrowing neo-colonial hegemonies. The study sheds light on the distinct difficulties and opportunities these nations—and indeed, all of Africa—face in their pursuit of decolonial justice by examining the experiences of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.