Non-fiction Works Research Articles

Hindutopia: Indian Mythological Fiction Writing and Representations of India and Hinduism

Since the beginning of the 21st century, mythological fiction has grown immensely in quantity and influence in the English-language Indian literary market. Several authors became famous publishing literary adaptations of myths, particularly the epics. The most successful (Anand Neelakantan, Amish Tripathi and Devdutt Pattanaik) have published fiction and nonfiction works in which they have focused on representations of India and Hinduism. This paper analyses and systematises representations of mostly their nonfiction discourses through critical discourse analysis. Despite differences in content, style and political ideology, these authors fit a discourse centred on a Hindu worldview which I call Hindutopia. According to this idea in which India and Hinduism are abstracted from spatiotemporal nuance, the nation-state is said to owe its positive distinctive traits due to the influence of Hinduism. Such traits are opposed to their counterparts, which are associated with other nation-states and worldviews, mainly the West and Abrahamic religions. However, while rejecting colonial and global legacies, the retellers often borrow from them by recreating them as “traditional” Indian elements.

We Belong Here: Queer Rurality and the (Eco)Poetics of New Nature Writing (Mike Parker, Luke Turner, Amanda Thomson)

This paper studies a body of hybrid non-fiction works that lie at the intersection of queer and nature writing and which articulate a new conceptualisation the queer subject’s relationship with rurality. Those pioneering narratives – which for the purpose of the present research have been labelled “queer new nature writing” – do not offer a simple reversal of the traditional mode of thinking about the agonistic character of the queer-rural dyad. Instead, having recognised the very potential and possibility of the queer life beyond the city, they remain deeply aware of the need to imagine new ways to think and write about their experience of queer belonging in the rural space. The major aim of the paper is thus to identify the signposts of queer new nature writing and argue in favour of acknowledging the micro-genre’s unique (eco)poetics: one that is distinguished by such markers as the exploration of queer rural heritage, counter-pastoralism, or the presence of the auto(eco)theoretical impulse.

Environmental Imagination in Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping and Lila

This article considers how the natural environment is represented in two novels by Marilynne Robinson and also references her non-fiction work. While Robinson is an outspoken advocate of various social causes in her essays and public speeches, environmental themes do not appear very frequently in her non-fiction texts. However, in her novels and particularly in Housekeeping and Lila, nature a large role. These two novels have some significant connections, and yet they differ fundamentally in their environmental implications. This difference can be related to the difference between first- and second-wave ecocriticism.

Creating “a Little Garden of Our Own”: Constructions of Childhood and Knowledge About Gardening in Frances Burnett’s The Secret Garden (1911) and Arthur Mee’s The Children’s Encyclopaedia (1910)

Although there has been considerable previous scholarship on the garden and what it symbolises in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden (1911), less attention has been paid to the act of gardening itself within the text. The present article reads this popular children’s novel in conjunction with Arthur Mee’s The Children’s Encyclopaedia (1910), which, while well-known in its time, does not have the classic status of The Secret Garden. Drawing on theory about the narrator–narratee relationship in children’s texts, this comparative analysis considers how knowledge about gardening is constructed and narrated in a work of fiction and a work of nonfiction, respectively, particularly in terms of how the child reader is addressed, constructed, and positioned. We investigate how constructions of childhood are linked to the concept of gardening, both mediated through books and the act of reading, and as an activity that children are invited to undertake. Both texts present knowledge about gardening as something which is constructed both through reading and studying and through practical experience. However, while in The Secret Garden, child characters co-construct knowledge more collaboratively, the adult narratee in The Children’s Encyclopaedia more strongly instructs the “young gardener”. The garden in both texts eventually becomes a way to socialise children; however, the act of gardening also allows a temporary freedom from those social roles.

What Counts as (Evidence of) Narrow Aesthetic Cognitivism

In this paper I argue that the existing arguments for narrow aesthetic cognitivism are not valid. The reason is that the proponents of the view have mostly focused on theoretical debates rather than on empirical studies of the matter. I make my argument in five steps. First, I distinguish narrow from broad aesthetic cognitivism. Second, I specify the scope of the narrow claim and suggest that narrow aesthetic cognitivism is not about art in general but about narrative fictional works. Third, I point out that arguments in favor of the possibility of such works expressing truth do not discuss how truth is justified. Fourth, I concede that justification of truths in fictional and nonfictional works in the end rests on the experiences outside of the work but argue that it is an empirical matter whether belief has been acquired or not. Fifth, I demonstrate that the most recentanalysis on belief-acquisition evinces that fiction is a not an effective vehicle for imparting beliefs. I conclude with a discussionof what would count as evidence in favor of aesthetic cognitivism.

Medicine Through the Lens of Humanity: Exploring the Legacy of Oliver Sacks, the Storyteller Neurologist.

In an era of medicine when a paternalistic approach was the norm, neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks infused his care with humanity, centering a dialogue that emphasized his patients' perspective and personhood. For most of his life, he encountered significant personal challenges, and struggled with prosopagnosia and an internal conflict with his sexuality. Instead of allowing these challenges to hold him back, he transformed them into the driving force behind a career that uniquely combined the scientific beauty of neurology and a humanistic patient-centered approach with the power of literature. Through non-fiction works like Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, he translated the overwhelming complexities of neurological disorders into stories that touched the hearts of readers around the world, making the science of the brain more accessible and human. In his later years, Dr. Sacks grappled with his mortality and the broader questions of aging and life's purpose, themes central to his final book, Gratitude. His reflections emphasized the importance of aligning healthcare with patients' personal values and goals. Dr. Sacks' legacy is marked not only by his professional contributions and literary achievements but also by his deep compassion and innovative approach to patient care, which continues to influence modern medical practice and inspire an ongoing discourse about the intersection of science, humanity, and individual experience.

Views of Arundhati Roy on Political, Genre, and Canonical Writers

This research paper examines the non-fictional works of Arundhati Roy through the lens of the notion of 'justice'. Justice is a crucial concept in every culture or political system. The past demonstrates that justice transcends language and cultural divides. Democracy encompasses the concept of justice thoroughly and inclusively, providing equal opportunity for all individuals in a community. The notion of democracy is included by the idea of justice. This project argues that the nonfictional works of Arundhati Roy may be analysed as discourse of justice, given their significant contribution to broader discussions on justice.

MİLAN KUNDERA – “GÜLMƏLİ MƏHƏBBƏTLƏR” HEKAYƏSİNDƏ MƏHƏBBƏT İDEYASI

Milan Kundera – The Idea of Love in the Story "Laughable Loves" Summary Born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, Milan Kundera was a student when the Czech communist regime was established in 1948, and later worked as a laborer, jazz musician and professor at the Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Prague. His books were banned after the Russian occupation in August 1968. She and her husband settled in France in 1975, and in 1981 became French citizens. He is the author of the novels "Joke", "Life is Elsewhere", "Goodbye Waltz", "Book of Laughter and Forgetfulness", "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and "Immortality" and a collection of short stories "Laughable Loves" – all originally in Czech. His most recent novels, Slowness, Personality, and Ignorance, as well as his non-fiction works, Roman Art and Betrayed Will, were first written in French. The core of the themes that the author will work on in his later novels, as well as the original and innovative narrative methods in the development of these themes can be found in Kundera's "Laughable Loves", written with the greatest pleasure and delight. It can be said that the story book, which took ten years to write, is very different in terms of both content and form. In Kundera's stories, men persecute women with their "erotic passions." Married, single, old and young men face social difficulties, accept the loss of time and economic difficulties and try to attract women. Kundera beautifully reflects the universal challenges they face during this marathon. "Laughable Loves" is about raising the power of expression and aesthetics, as well as the successful depiction of this universal event – with humor.

Life After Lovelace: A Select Bibliography of Women in Computer Science

This bibliography provides a planning aid to librarians developing or strengthening collections with diverse books on women in computer science. It emphasizes print books published since 2012 focusing on histories, biographies, fictional and nonfiction works, and juvenile and children’s books. Subjects include pioneers in the field including Ada Lovelace, Katherine Johnson, Grace Hopper, and contemporary leaders.

Writing to Control the Narrative: Charles Dickens, PTSD, and the Staplehurst Rail Crash

Abstract: Charles Dickens's involvement in the 9 June 1865 Staplehurst Rail Crash was a traumatic event that resonated with the author for the remainder of his life (which ended five years to the day of the accident). This article merges examinations of Dickens's symptoms of what is now termed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the Staplehurst Rail Crash, auxiliary personal events that may have contributed to his PTSD, and his position as a public figure who controlled his image and expressed himself through his fiction and nonfiction works. Combining these three means of understanding Dickens's PTSD provides further insight into how Dickens attempted to use his authorial identity and writing to control the trauma that haunted him.

Society with Indian Characteristics: Caste, Class, and Species in Contemporary Retellings of the Rāmāyaṇa

This paper analyzes the construction of Indian society in retellings of the Rāmāyaṇa published in India between 2010 and 2020. I focus on the concepts of caste, class, and mythological species. Through discourse analysis of a corpus of retellings, nonfiction works by the same authors, and comparisons with secondary literature, I show how specific castes, classes, and species are assimilated to one another and contrasted with competing identities. I also show how such representations define positive traits of Indianness and contrast them with the opposite negative traits of Otherness. I conclude that, despite differences in style, the retellers imagine an ancient pre-colonial India imbued with the modern neoliberal values of freedom of choice and social mobility.

Shevyryov, S. (2022). Complete works of literary criticism (7 vols). Vol. 5: 1846–1854. Part 1: 1846–1849. Part 2: 1850–1854. Ed. by A. Nikolyukin. St. Petersburg: Rostok. (In Russ.)

Shevyryov’s complete collected non-fiction works in 7 volumes is an ambitious project with the aim to reintroduce a preeminent Slavophile ideologist to contemporary cultural discourse. Soviet scholars dismissed Shevyryov as ideologically erring, and it was not until the 1990s that his works were rediscovered by publishers and booksellers. In the last decades, Shevyryov’s legacy was revisited, sparking interest in his travelogues, among other things. The recently published fifth volume contains the new edition of Journey to White Lake St. Cyril’s Monastery [Poezdka v Kirillo-Belozerskiy monastyr], written to encourage its readers to take an interest in Russian history and its preservation.

Genre Features of G.D. Grebenshchikov Journalism (based on Minutes of Silence correspondence)

The article is devoted to the identification of genre-forming features of G.D. Grebenshchikov's journalistic creativity on the material of his work Minutes of Silence. The genre analysis of the text based on the description of its themes, composition and style allows one to assume that the genre nature of the writer’s journalistic work can be defined as multi-genre, with a clear inclination to the genres of fiction. Thus, the themes identified in the process of analysis (war, parting and loneliness) are relevant to the historical period of the creation of the work and, in general, to the journalism of the early twentieth century, but the theme of love (devotion, fidelity) as one of the key themes of Russian literature, is traditionally revealed through the genres of the story, novella, novel. In terms of composition, G.D. Grebenshchikov's text is closest to the genres of portrait sketch and reportage, but the author present in the text is interested not so much in the external background of the event, as in the dynamics of internal states and experience of the characters. In non-fiction works of the writer there is a peculiar author's style, which allows one to actualize the author's understanding of the observed event through a variety of stylistic means.

Образ мордовского края в творчестве Камиля Тангалычева

the article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of artistic embodiment of the image of the Mordovian region in the creative work of K. Tangalychev and fits into the complex of studies of domestic literary studies concerning the problem of analyzing the author’s individual style. The subject of analysis is the ways and methods of creating the image of the small homeland in the prose and poetic texts of the author. Objective: to reveal the specificity of representation of the image of the Mordovian region in the artistic heritage of K. Tangalychev. Research materials: poetry collections of K. Tangalychev “The Nearest Village” (2001), “The Tin Century” (2014), “The Pedigree of the Sunset” (2017), and the book of essays “The Return of the Strawberry” (2023). Results and novelty of the research: the creative work of K. Tangalychev, the poet and publicist, occupies a special place in the literary process of Mordovia. Tatar by nationality, living in close proximity to the Mordovian and Russian peoples, he praised the multinational region rich in cultural traditions. A distinctive feature of his artistic works is a dialectical combination of national and international, everyday life, ancient history and modernity. The scientific novelty of the article is due to the fact that it represents the first experience of a comprehensive study of the image of the small homeland in the literary heritage of the author. In the course of the study it was established that K. Tangalychev’s nonfiction works are deeply lyrical, and his poetry is permeated with autobiographical beginning. The central artistic dominant of his works is the image of his small homeland – the native village Akcheevo, which is mythologized into a symbolic image of ancient Greek Hellas – the place of strength and creative inspiration of the poet. The sacredness of this geographical topos is created by the key constants – the image of a mother praying for her son; native nature reflecting the divine essence of the universe; fellow villagers preserving national traditions; the legendary historical past of the Temnikovsky region. The lyrical hero, closely merged with the image of the poet himself, deeply experiences the destruction of human ties with his spiritual Home, hence, the motif of memory as the plot-forming basis of creativity of K. Tangalychev acquires special importance.

British Pillage of India: A Postcolonial Analysis of Shashi Tharoor’s “An Era of Darkness” and Naipaul's “India: A Million Mutinies Now”

Shashi Tharoor and V. S. Naipaul attempted to discuss the innumerable mistreatments perpetrated by the British Raj in their nonfiction works "An Era of Darkness" and "India: A Million Mutinies Now," respectively. The title plainly indicates that the British governed India for two centuries during which time there was darkness, mutiny, and exploitation. Because of them, Indians were subjected to terrible humiliation and misery, and they were pulled into poverty. The aftermath of such sad events is still present. Due to situations such as Britishers feeling smug, Indians were prohibited from public servant selections, prompting Jawaharlal Nehru to declare, "The Indian civil service was neither Indian, civil, nor a service" (Shashi Tharoor, 60). Both of them utilized a variety of strategies to split India in all areas, allowing exploitation to continue unabated. They devised the concept of a census. They did everything for personal gain. Whether that was the initiation of railways, the interruption of community schools, or the inability to give aid during the Bengal famine, there were many reasons for this. Tharoor does not want compensation for the British's wrongdoing; Rather, he intends them to recognize and apologize. Naipaul investigates the changes in society that occurred in India during British occupation. He captures the varied voices and viewpoints of the people living in India, delving into the country's intricacies via a series of tales and personal interviews. The title symbolizes the concept that India is undergoing numerous transitions, as represented by a million separate rebellions or mutinies. This study reveals a clear and comparable representation of Indian sorrow and British misdeeds via the words of the two authors described above.

«Конец я себе придумал»: мортальное моделирование в литературном творчестве В. М. Шукшина

The paper examines how V. M. Shukshin portrays death and uses the technique of mortal modeling in his literary works. Both fiction and non-fiction works, such as letters and working notes, are carefully examined for their depiction of hero deaths and, in some cases, the writer’s own death. In this context, mortal modeling refers to the portrayal of death-related scenes, the dying process, funerals, and the playful reinterpretation or personal experience of these events by the characters or the writer. The theme of death is prominently featured in the late artistic works of Shukshin. During the writer’s final years (1973–1974), seventeen out of twenty-two published stories portrayed death. In his correspondence with friends and relatives between 1972 and 1974, Shukshin also focuses on the theme of death. Moreover, in the letter to V. I. Belov (winter of 1969), Shukshin announces his decision to commit suicide. The problem of creative comprehension of the phenomenon of death by Shukshin is analyzed in the context of philosophical ideas of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The conclusion is drawn that mortal modeling in the literary work of Shukshin functions as a replacement for traditional rites of dying and burial. It also serves to reduce the fear of death, particularly in hospital settings. In the 20th century, this type of death became extremely technological, in isolation from relatives and friends. The departure from traditional patriarchal death rituals emphasizes the shifting comprehension of death during the 20th century.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Publication on Novel as Literacy Source

A novel is not always limited to long works of prose fiction (Hughes, 2002); a novel can inspire anyone in any field. This study employs a bibliometric analysis approach. The data used were 6.516 documents downloaded from scopus.com (see Figure 1). Microsoft Excel 2019 is used to analyze the average publication each year, while VOSviewer is used to create data visualizations and find the number of citations. The results show that the publication trend occurs in 2022 as many as 687. Then, the most researched research theme is “literature, novels, and identity”. In addition, there are several results of citation analysis based on searching the most influential documents, authors, organizations, sources, organizations and countries. It can be concluded that the development of novel publications is increasing to the present day. The researchers suggest a further research can be carried out on a comparative analysis of works of fiction and non-fiction.

An Ecocritical Reading of Arundhati Roy’s Select Works – A Literature Review

Purpose: The theme of ecocriticism as it is presented in Arundhati Roy's nonfiction writings is the focus of the study. The interdisciplinary study of the environment and literature is known as ecocriticism. Several of Arundhati Roy's chosen writings contain allusions to ecocriticism. The challenges people had to deal with because of the different environmental crisis that mankind had caused are explored in ecocritical literature, especially nonfiction works. The purpose of the study is to investigate how ecocriticism is used in the nonfiction works of the author selected for this study. A careful reading of Roy's works demonstrates the impact of the suffering the individuals endured. Design: In order to identify the research gap, a review of the literature is conducted by gathering data from secondary sources like peer-reviewed journals, national and international publications, the internet, and research sources like Google Scholar, Research Gate, SSRN, Elsevier, and Academia. Using ABCD analysis, the main points of the study are highlighted. To complete the proposed research, information is gathered from academic publications, doctoral theses, scholarly articles, and websites. The methodology utilized largely relies on gathering, analyzing, and interpreting prior knowledge. The methodology will use the textual analysis and comparison method. A close reading of a few of Arundhati Roy’s works will be done on the related topics. The APA Manual has been used to conduct the study's analysis in accordance with its guidelines. Findings: After reviewing numerous papers, books, and theses, it has been determined that the focus of the study will be on ecocriticism in a few key pieces of Arundhati Roy. It demonstrates that ecocriticism studies the goals intended to take a review of the literature and a thorough investigation of the problem at hand. Through a parallel reading of the fiction works with her non-fiction works, the research hopes to gain a deeper understanding of Arundhati Roy's works. Ecocriticism in nonfictional works is not emphasized in analyses of these important literary works. Paper Type: Literature Review

Credible Fears: The Asylum Narrative as Form in Lost Children Archive

Abstract: The first step toward winning asylum in the United States is the Credible Fear Interview (CFI), in which the applicant narrates their life in a way that conforms with legal expectations of “credibility.” This interview process appears in several recent literary works, most notably Valeria Luiselli’s nonfiction work, Tell Me How It Ends . However, the narrative situation of the CFI, this moment of high-stakes, transactional storytelling, also provides a way of interpreting recent migration literature and understanding how such works perform credibility for the reader. By analyzing the interplay of legal and literary narratives in Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive , this article positions the CFI as the primal scene of narration for recent migration fiction.

Rachel Cusk’s New Realism: Gender, Power, Voice, and Genre in the Outline Trilogy

Abstract Rachel Cusk creates a new narrative form in the Outline trilogy—distanced, displaced first-person point of view—to create a safe position from which to speak truths about marriage and motherhood that she has been criticized for expressing in her nonfiction work. Eschewing linear plot and dominating perspective in favor of overheard stories, the novels also represent a new form of social realism that illustrates how listening and collaborative storytelling can communicate social critique. By incorporating elements of her life and nonfiction in the trilogy, Cusk creates a nexus of autobiography, fiction, essay, and memoir in which the suffering of women and the cruelty of misogyny register as visible and undeniably real, changing the fabric of social reality by rewriting the forms that represent it.