Literary Theory Research Articles

Una lectura resiliente del "Lazarillo de Tormes"

The aim of this paper is to analyse resilience in a classic literary piece of work such as La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes, y de sus fortunas y adversidades. In order to do this, the article starts by questioning the adequacy of the term “resilience” in relation to the analysis of characters within literary theory and criticism, especially in connection with a possible psychology of the character. Fortunes and adversities are then contextualised, primarily through the role that folklore plays. Subsequently, a detailed analysis is offered through the character’s resilience. Finally, the article concludes with the importance of the concept of “resilience” to understand this literary work.

Existentialist Motifs of Alienation and Death in McCarthy’s ‘Border Trilogy’

The article closely reads Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy in light of the existentialist motifs of alienation and death. The aim of the study is to analyse the literary representation of these motifs in the trilogy. The applied methodology involves close reading, which facilitates identifying the motifs of death and alienation in the novels; character analysis, focused on exploring the main characters’ experiences of death and alienation; and comparative analysis, which is used to compare the representation of the existentialist motifs in the novels. The study reveals that in The Border Trilogy, the existentialist motif of alienation manifests itself through the desire of the main characters to free themselves from social conventions and to mend the wrongness of the world they live in. This motif takes forms of madness, alienation from other characters, and isolation from society. The protagonists, looking for their place in the world, face hardships, encounter resistance, and therefore constantly feel estrangement. In the novels, the existentialist motif of death serves for a better understanding of human nature and is one of the driving forces of the protagonists’ existence. This motif manifests itself through blood and bones, dreams, natural and violent deaths, the extermination of nature, and the disappearance of established traditions. Symbolising the end of existence, death prompts the main characters to search for the purpose of their lives and strive for authenticity.

The Complementarity and Substitution Effects of CSR‐Focused Governance Mechanisms on CSR Decoupling

ABSTRACTResearch Question/IssueThe study examines whether CSR‐focused governance mechanisms (CSR committees, standalone CSR reports, and CSR contracting) operate as complements or substitutes for each other in mitigating CSR decoupling.Research Findings/InsightsThe study finds that CSR‐focused governance mechanisms diminish CSR decoupling and enhance CSR credibility in UK firms. In addition, the simultaneous presence of CSR committees and standalone CSR reports has a complementary effect in mitigating CSR decoupling. Conversely, the combinations of CSR committees and CSR contracting as well as standalone CSR reports and CSR contracting exhibit a substitute relationship. These impacts remain consistent when categorizing CSR decoupling into underreporting and overreporting. During the financial crisis of 2008–2009, the complementary relationship between CSR committees and CSR reports remained consistent, although the substitution between CSR committees and CSR contracting, and CSR reports and CSR contracting, is only observed after the crisis.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsThe study innovatively contributes to the agency theory literature by adopting a bundle corporate governance approach while focusing on specific CSR governance mechanisms to address agency issues. It empirically shows that complementary combinations of CSR‐focused governance mechanisms signify a marginal benefit in reducing CSR decoupling, leading to a reduction in agency costs.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsThe study offers several implications. First, it helps firms create ideal combinations of different CSR‐focused governance mechanisms that provide superior marginal benefits. Second, firms' stakeholders, especially the investors, could identify the usefulness of adopting CSR‐focused governance mechanisms in CSR reporting. Finally, it could also attract regulators' attention toward the weaker aspects of the existing corporate governance code regarding CSR.

Smart Experience and Green Health Tourism: The Moderating Role of Content Marketing

The purpose of this research is to evaluate smart experience in green health tourism with the mediating role of content marketing by using the two models of technology acceptance and hedonism. This study utilizes quantitative and causal research methods. A total of 332 respondents completed a survey conducted at two Iranian tourism hubs. Also, purposeful sampling was used for data collection. Respondents rated their perceptions of each item on a five-point Likert scale. Using the partial least squares path modeling technique, the results reveal the direct effects of smart experience on green health tourism. The findings suggest that content marketing interacts with smart experience to influence green health tourism, such that the use of smart experience in health tourism can reduce the annual costs of developing environmental protection methods. This paper thus contributes to the hospitality management theory, green tourism, and wellness literature.

‘Mike, Bob, Bill, Jim, Thom’: queer communal life and poetic form in Thom Gunn’s ‘Jack Straw’s Castle’

ABSTRACT This article establishes a relationship between Thom Gunn’s experience of queer domestic space and his use of poetic form through a close analysis of ‘Jack Straw’s Castle’. Drawing on queer historical scholarship, I outline the context of queer communal dwelling in the United States that led to Gunn’s Cole Street residence. Through a close reading of his letters, I set out the ways in which Gunn was invested in remodelling the heteronormative household model. Drawing on literary spatial theorists such as Bachelard, I argue that the form of ‘Jack Straw’s Castle’ is answerable to the domestic space in which it was written. I conclude that the poem formally absorbs and refracts the queerness of the mode of dwelling that engendered it.

Literature Manuals in Times of New Mediacy in Sweden

The present article focuses on the role of the teaching and learning of literature in a large-scale Swedish, professional development programme for teachers called the Reading Lift. More specifically this study, using qualitative content analysis, examines the educational function of the most prominently referred to literary didactic theory and method developers in the program: Judith Langer, Aidan Chambers, Louise M. Rosenblatt, and Rita Felski, but also the relationship between literary didactics, literacy, and fiction. The results show a strong domination of Langer-inspired manual and strategy-based approaches, primarily promoting efferent reading stances. More holistic hermeneutic and dialogic approaches in support of aesthetic reading, represented by Chambers, Rosenblatt and Felski, are less common. Further, there is a strong alliance between the literacy concept and the systematic and manual-based literary didactic approaches. Also, in the literacy discourse, literary works of art have become not just texts amongst other texts, and foreign, but are also framed as hypermediacy. Based on our results we tentatively suggest that a shift in paradigms of literature education has taken place, from literature pedagogy, grounded in print culture, to literature didactics, situated in new mediacy and the digital.

Gendered Psyche: A Psychoanalytical Reading of Jacob Tobia’s Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story

This literary research paper employs psychoanalytic literary theory to delve into the complex interplay between identity formation and transgender experiences in Jacob Tobia’s memoir titled Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story. Through the lens of psychoanalysis, the study aims to unravel the intricate layers of self-discovery, acceptance, and resistance present in the text. By closely examining the text, the paper explores how psychoanalytic concepts like the unconscious, symbolism, and repression contribute to an enriched understanding of transgender characters' psychological landscapes.The analysis focuses on the representation of transgender characters in literature, examining how their narratives echo and diverge from psychoanalytic frameworks such as those proposed by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. The paper argues that psychoanalytic approaches can shed light on the internal conflicts and external societal pressures that shape transgender identities within the literary realm. Through carefully examining character motivations, symbolism, and narrative structures, the study elucidates how these works engage with psychoanalytic concepts to offer nuanced and empathetic portrayals of transgender experiences.Furthermore, this research explores the broader implications of employing psychoanalytic perspectives in the analysis of transgender literature, contending that such an approach can deepen our understanding of the complex and often subconscious dynamics at play in the construction of gender identity. Drawing connections between psychoanalytic theory and literary representation, this paper contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding the psychological dimensions of transgender experiences in literature, offering insights into the intricate relationship between identity formation and psychoanalytic frameworks within transgender narratives.

Impact of Narrative Structure on Reader Interpretation in South Africa

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of narrative structure on reader interpretation in South Africa. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Narrative structure profoundly influences how readers interpret a story. Linear narratives, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, tend to guide readers through a predictable trajectory, offering a sense of closure and coherence. In contrast, nonlinear structures challenge readers by presenting events out of chronological order or through multiple perspectives, inviting them to actively piece together the story's meaning. The study suggest that while linear narratives may be more accessible and easier to follow, nonlinear structures often provoke deeper engagement and critical thinking, as readers grapple with the complexities of fragmented timelines and shifting perspectives. Additionally, the emotional impact of a narrative can vary depending on its structure, with nonlinear narratives often evoking heightened suspense and intrigue. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Reader-response theory, cognitive literary theory and narratology may be used to anchor future studies on assessing the impact of narrative structure on reader interpretation in South Africa. Practical recommendations involve applying research findings to inform the creation, analysis, and teaching of literature. Policy recommendations entail advocating for initiatives that promote diverse and inclusive narratives and support research in literature and reader engagement.

Divine command theory and the (supposed) incoherence of self-commanding

Abstract Theological voluntarism is a family of metaethical views that share the claim that deontological statuses of actions are dependent on or identical with some divine feature. Adams's version of this theistic metaethical view is a divine command theory (DCT). According to Adams's DCT, the property being-morally-obligated is identical to the property being-commanded-by-God. Thus, a natural consequence of Adams's DCT is that an agent is morally obligated to do something just in case God commands that agent to do such a thing. From Adams's DCT, it follows that God is morally obligated to act just in case God commands himself to act. Quinn argued that commanding oneself is incoherent and, therefore, that God cannot be morally obligated to act. The claim that commanding oneself is incoherent has seldom been discussed in the divine command theory literature. This article is an attempt to change that. Here, I argue (contra Quinn) that that no constitutive rule (or condition of satisfaction) of self-commands is incoherent, from which it follows that self-commanding is not an incoherent speech act. I conclude that divine command theorists can, without the charge of incoherence, affirm that God can be morally obligated because God can command himself.

Feminine Mystique Experienced by Ana Concion in Angie Cruz’s Dominicana

Women are often deprived of their rights based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. Betty Friedan thinks patriarchal culture makes women too passive, do not think independently, and do not work for themselves. In addition, women are often trapped in feminine mystique, meaning that they are only fixated on the demands of serving their husbands and doing domestic chores. The novel Dominicana by Angie Cruz talks about Ana (the main female character) trapped in a feminine mystique. That novel is the primary source of data in this study. The aims are to find out how feminine mystique is presented in the novel and explain Ana's efforts to get out of these issues. The researcher uses a feminist literary criticism as an approach and applies Betty Friedan's feminine mystique theory. Thus, the results of this study indicate that Ana did not get her rights as a woman and only did domestic chores without having access to public sphere. Therefore, she made various efforts, such as against her husband, finding a part-time job, joining an English class, and revealing her husband's affair. However, the researcher only focuses on the main female character, to discuss the Feminine Mystique that she experiences and the resistance she does. In future research, the researcher hopes that many will analyze this novel as an object of study in literary criticism. Many literary criticism theories and approaches can be used to analyze this novel, such as psychoanalysis, historicism, structuralism, and sociology of literature. Future researchers can also examine this novel with the same approach by choosing different theoretical references.

Li Zehou’s Ideas on Chinese Modernity Revisited

Li Zehou’s Ideas on Chinese Modernity Revisited

Relational Skills and Corporate Productivity in a Comparative Size Class Perspective

AbstractDrawing on insights from various fields within game theory literature, such as strategic interactions, social dilemmas, gift exchange, and procedural utility, we argue that corporate social responsibility (CSR) and relational skills—whether between firms, employers and workers, among workers themselves, or with stakeholders—are associated with positive effects on productivity. We test this hypothesis using a comparative approach across small, medium, and large Italian firms, leveraging data from the 2019 CSR survey conducted by the Italian Statistical Institute (ISTAT). Our analysis reveals that firm size plays a crucial role in the impact of relational skills on added value per worker, even after controlling for relevant factors. Key components of relational skills identified in our study include corporate policies focusing on workers' well-being, prioritizing teamwork attitudes in recruitment, supporting initiatives within the local productive network, and involving stakeholders in CSR initiatives. Our findings indicate that stakeholder engagement positively impacts all firm sizes, while worker well-being is particularly significant for small and medium firms, local network initiatives for medium and large firms, and teamwork for medium-sized firms. Instrumental variable estimates find evidence of a causal link beyond these correlations. We conclude that firm size exhibits an inverse U-shaped effect on the impact of teamwork skills, reduces the influence of gift exchange mechanisms, and strengthens the effects of investments in the local productive environment on added value per worker.

Contingencies of localization in literary theory

Contingencies of localization in literary theory

Intricateness of Adaptation of Literature to Film in Today’s Crisscrossed World

This paper investigates the realities of literature adaptation to film in today’s world of literary criticism. People enjoy motion pictures and compare them with its original textual Literature. By focusing on literary criticism theories, this article explains modern to postmodern aesthetic points, especially in the era of definitions in romanticism, reflectionism and its auto, empiricism until pragmatism, and the age of language beyond communication. Through those former points, the adaptation of Literature to film brings in a wider point: the world itself. The adaptation is shown to broaden concepts and interpretations among writers, directors, and also audiences. Every aspect is so active to interpret in today's crisscrossed world that meanings vary from critical and evaluation perspectives. The adaptation is not about merely fixed definitions or even market orientations but open meanings on dialogues among realities. Any measurement from Literature or film is never enough to compare adaptation to its original form since it is located between individualities and societies. In conclusion, the adaptation of Literature should indicate that dominations must be minimized by maximizing hospitality of differences.

Queer temporalities and the life course: Trans aging in Torrey Peters' Detransition, Baby (2021)

Torrey Peters' debut novel Detransition, Baby from 2021, a Women's Prize for Fiction nominee, problematizes gender norms by telling the story of three main characters: Reese, a trans woman, Ames, who de-transitioned to live as a man again, and Katrina, a Chinese and Jewish cis woman who is also Ames' lover and boss. Ames and Katrina are expecting a child and are testing the possibilities of having a non-conventional family together with Reese. Parenthood is, thus, the central theme of the novel which structures also the sections of book into the time before the conception and the weeks after it. By doing so, the temporal framework of the novel queers the linearity of heteronormative life courses on the form as well as the content level. Therefore, the interplay of form and content invites to critically investigate how the concept of trans time that challenges linearity and normative conformity (Halberstam, 2005) may provide useful insights into trans aging and the life course through this literary representation. Following, contemporary feminist theorists' commitments to negotiate what makes “life more livable for those whose gender presentation, identity, or bodily experience have been judged abnormal, nonexistent, or impossible” (Karhu, 2022, 304–305), this paper aims at carrying out a critical feminist literary analysis of trans aging, queer life courses and the thereof related gendered norms in Peters' novel. By relying predominantly on feminist poststructuralist theories (Butler 2004) and cultural aging studies (Maierhofer, 2019), it is the aim to challenge normativity and limited social norms through this critical literary reading.

Unveiling the role of congruity in service robot design and deployment

Purpose This paper aims to examine the congruency effects of physically embodied robots in service encounters, which addressed a significant research gap concerning the synthesis of robot design elements (e.g., appearance and voice) and their service purposes. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in congruity theory and human-robot interaction literature, this study conducted a pretest and two experimental studies revealing the need to view robot design holistically and recognizing the pivotal role of congruity in shaping consumers’ service robot adoption. The moderating role of service purposes (utilitarian vs hedonic) was also investigated in terms of robot design and consumer reactions. Findings Consumers generally tend to favor robots with congruent designs, particularly for utilitarian service purposes. The serial mediation through perceived congruence and perceived intelligence explains such a favorite tendency. Practical implications This study advances service robot design research by highlighting the critical role of congruity in enhancing consumer engagement. It supports the use of comprehensive, congruent designs for services with utilitarian purposes and recommends adaptable designs for hedonic settings. Originality/value This study addressed the research gap by examining service robot design from a holistic perspective. The research findings highlight the importance of congruency effects in service robot design and deployment and provide valuable insights and guidelines to industry practitioners for optimal investment in service robots.

The shape of chance: what can stones tell us about artistic creativity and literary theory?

The shape of chance: what can stones tell us about artistic creativity and literary theory?

Neuro-Aesthetics – Representing the Mind on Stage

Neuro-Aesthetics – Representing the Mind on Stage

The Space of the Stylite

For scholars and students of Late Antiquity, the stylite’s column exerts a special appeal. Scholars have examined literary representations of stylites and sought out visual parallels for the phenomenon of column-standing. This article shows that topographical contexts were central to establishing the potency of the column as a holy object and the trajectory of stylitism in history. I employ the term topography broadly to encompass the physical characteristics of an area, the ways in which humans augmented physical characteristics through the built environment, and specific architectural organizations. I examine three topographical contexts and make three interconnected arguments. By selecting the hill adjacent to Telanissos as the location for his columns, the premier stylite Symeon (d. 459) participated in a long-standing regional tradition of activating the numinous power of high places and stone through cultic activity. The monumental pilgrimage complex built after Symeon’s death made the column a relic and integrated veneration of Symeon into liturgical ritual. The incorporation of stylites into northern Syria’s cenobitic communities circumscribed stylitism as a distinctly monastic vocation. These three contexts illustrate that the significance of the column was located in processes of production and reception. At the same time, stylite columns were not passive objects. They faced the gods of old; they enriched ecclesiastical rituals; they molded the bodies of those who activated them; they proclaimed the ascendancy of monastic institutions. As both products of their topography and agents within it, stylite columns constructed a distinctive Christian landscape in Syria’s limestone massif.

Anatomy of the Superstitious Mind: Subjectivity and Interiority in Two Early Twentieth-Century Rebuttals to Liaozhai's Records of the Strange

Abstract Focusing on the issue of psychological portrayal, this essay examines two early twentieth-century rebuttals of Liaozhai's Records of the Strange published in newly founded Chinese fiction magazines. Although the two rebuttals lend themselves easily to a didactic interpretation, the essay argues that their demystification of the supernatural is equally in service of literary representation of individualized subjectivity endowed with interiority. Besides aligning itself with the ongoing efforts to recover alternative forms of modernity repressed by the May Fourth discourse, this essay endeavors to contribute to a fuller understanding of the diversity of ideologies, forms, and styles in so-called new fiction.