Tragic Narrative Research Articles

Programmes promoted on police service websites to safeguard autistic individuals in Ontario, Canada: an inductive content analysis

PurposeThis study (1) explores what programmes police services promote for autistic individuals on their websites and (2) describes how autistic individuals are constructed in the information about these programmes.Design/methodology/approachAll 53 official police service websites in Ontario, Canada, were examined to determine which programmes were promoted for autistic individuals. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to identify and describe how autism was constructed in the information about the programmes.FindingsAbout 64.8% of police services in Ontario, Canada, promoted at least one programme to autistic individuals and their caregivers. These programmes included Vulnerable Person and Autism Registries, MedicAlert™ and Project Lifesaver™. Autistic individuals were described as vulnerable using medicalised and tragic narratives of autism.Originality/valueAutistic individuals and caregivers have suggested several interventions to improve police-autistic individual encounters. Little is known about which interventions police services have adopted and which representations of autism are used to describe autistic individuals.

War Is Back in Post-Heroic Europe: Change and Continuity in the Relationship Between the Armed Forces and Society

Since war is back in Europe, societal perceptions are shifting. Terms such as “warfighting,” “whole of society,” and “total defence force” are becoming more prevalent. There is a growing recognition of the military’s importance and heightened appreciation for soldiers, while taboos on weapon manufacturing and warfighting are disappearing. To what extent, how and with what implication have societal attitudes surrounding the armed forces changed in recent years? This article examines this question through exploratory empirical research of military, political, and public communication items, including media accounts and speeches. This reveals both change and continuity in what had been called post-heroic Europe: both a more pro-military stance and the persistence of one-dimensional narratives of conflict, military intervention and soldiers. This is strategically and ethically problematic. While fairy tale narratives dehumanize both opponents and “our” soldiers, demanding them to be superhuman, a tragic narrative better captures the human reality of war.

The Implications of Queer Representation in Contemporary South Korean TV Narratives

Existing scholarly works on the topic of queer representation in South Korean media focus primarily on Korean cinema and K-pop, but there are far fewer studies on queer or queer-coded portrayals in Korean TV media. Queer characters and relationships are gradually becoming more visible in mainstream South Korean TV with some examples being Semantic Error which centers on the romantic relationship between two men and Nevertheless which depicts the feelings of friendship between two women turn clearly romantic. Considering the significant rise in popularity of Korean TV dramas not only in Asia but also in western society, where audiences are more conscious of queer narratives, the realm of queer representation in Korean TV definitely warrants more scholarly attention. I aim to contribute to the conversation about depictions of queerness in Korean media by analyzing the representation of queer characters in 2021 TV drama Work Later, Drink Now, specifically the queer subtext of Jigoo and Jiyeon’s relationship, and how this story reveals South Korean perceptions of queer experiences by matching and/or distinguishing itself from the tragic narratives that queer characters are often depicted in Korean TV dramas. I will also analyze the reception of this show by South Korean society in relation to queer identity based on its references in Korean pop culture and online fan discussions. I argue that the writer of Work Later, Drink Now intended to provide commentary not only on the situation of women in contemporary South Korean society, but she also pushed an underlying queer narrative, aiming to shed light on the reality of being, specifically, a queer woman in South Korea.

Unraveling The Musical Tapestry Of Tazul Tajuddin’s Opera Puteri Saadong Through Freytag’s Pyramid

In the heart of Kanazawa, Japan, on May 3, 2016, the Kanazawa Opera House was the stage for an operatic spectacle that transcended cultural boundaries and took the audience on a profound emotional odyssey. Tazul Tajuddin’s “Opera Puteri Saadong” skillfully weaved together Malaysian and Western influences, creating a musical narrative that resonated with both heartache and desire. This article delves into the performance of the “Opera Puteri Saadong”, focusing specifically on its musical elements within the perspective of Freytag’s five-act structure. Through an exploration of the opera’s music, including its emotional depth, character development, dramatic tension, cultural influences, and vocal performance, this analysis seeks to uncover how the music enhances the storytelling and conveys the central themes of the narrative in each act. Outlining a moment of tragedy for the main character, Freytag’s pyramid was determined as the analytical approach to analyse the opera performance due to its emphasis on tragic narrative, which is applicable to the dramatic arc of the legendary story of Puteri Saadong. By examining a range of musical techniques and dramatic effects demonstrated throughout the opera, this paper also intends to provide insight into the significance of incorporating materials of Malaysian folk music and contemporary Western art music in bringing the tale of Puteri Saadong to life on the operatic stage. From the tender intimacy of a love scene to the epic grandeur of a battle sequence, this intercultural music enhances the overall impact of the opera, conveying its central themes of love, betrayal, resilience, and transformation with depth and resonance, engaging the audience with its unique blend of Malaysian and Western cultural impact.

The use of the civil wars in Colchester's tourist image

This article explores the relationship between useable pasts and tourism to show how towns reinvented themselves using their local and unique histories throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. To achieve this, the article focuses its attention on the growing influence and importance that tourism had on Colchester's development. It shows how important visible landmarks and mythical stories are in ensuring a past's usability. Alongside this it highlights the importance of local stakeholders and businesses in owning the past and marketing the town as a historic location. In doing so it demonstrates the ways in which Colchester reinvented itself from an old Market town to become an Historic town. Focusing on the controversial history of the Siege of 1648, it will show how towns dealt with tragic narratives as they began using the past to sell themselves to the nation.

H of H and the Combustion of Thought

This piece looks into the atmospheric and catastrophic environments that punctuate H of H: storms, ice-breaks, volcanic eruptions, and nuclear explosions that give the tragic narrative an electrifying edge. It draws attention to a “chemical” poetics at the heart of Carson’s translation technique and thinking about Euripides’ play. This mannerism, also found in Euripides’s “combustible mixture of realism and extremism” (Grief Lessons, blurb), is not exclusive to H of H. It can be detected across Carson’s oeuvre – a tendency to combust the reader’s mind in ways that become a philosophy for re-reading Euripides and, more ambitiously, Carson’s own sense of the tragic.

Theorising the Uncanny Adaptation through Hamlet

Abstract Adaptations possess an uncanny quality, especially when those adaptations are built on tragic narratives. When audiences see the same characters relive the same plots in different contexts, what was once familiar becomes unfamiliar, and a kind of haunting is produced. Adaptations that move across mediums from stage to film to video games carry an especially prominent potential for uncanniness. Using adaptations of Hamlet and specifically the video game, Elsinore, to track this evolution reveals that the temporal ambiguity that the uncanny adaptation produces within a tragic narrative carries the potential to enact ethical aims, while also suggesting a way forward in thinking about that narrative’s future. By first defining the uncanny adaptation and examining Elsinore as a case study, this article explores the ethical potential that is made possible through the uncanny elements of tragic adaptation.

Reykjaholt Revisited: Representing Snorri in Sturla Þórðarson's Íslendinga saga

Reykjaholt Revisited: Representing Snorri in Sturla Þórðarson's <i>Íslendinga saga</i>

The Slavic connection in Luchino Visconti’s ‘German trilogy’: Dostoevskian demonism as German apocalypse in The Damned

For decades, critics have viewed Luchino Visconti’s The Damned (1969), the first instalment in his famous German trilogy, simply as a (melo)dramatic depiction of Nazism’s rise, conceived in the director’s characteristic anthropomorphic vein. With Nazism cast as a lethal and sexually perverse phenomenon rooted in the previous generation’s foibles and weaknesses, the film’s hitherto ignored debt to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel Demons (1872), however, directs viewers to a more comprehensive insight embedded in the film, namely that history repeats itself, and not obligatorily according to Marx’s famous formulation of the iteration as farce. Indeed, the murderous violence of Russia’s nihilism captured by Dostoevsky expands in Visconti’s film to a national apocalypse that belongs to one of history’s most tragic narratives. Cinematic taxonomy, however, has no category to accommodate Visconti’s original engagement with Dostoevsky’s text, for it falls neither within the established conventions of adaptation nor of intertexts.

Ovid and Petronius’ Pyramus and Thisbe (Satyricon 131.8-11 and Metamorphoses 4.55-166)

Abstract Petronius’ engagement with Ovid’s poetry in the Croton episode of the Satyricon is more extensive than has previously been appreciated. As well as drawing upon Ovidian elegiac poetry, especially Amores 3.7, the description of Encolpius’ second failed tryst with Circe at Satyricon 131.8-11 also alludes to Ovid’s narrative of Pyramus and Thisbe at Metamorphoses 4.55-166. This ironic perversion of one of the Metamorphoses’ most innocent and tragic narratives parallels Petronius’ later Ovidian allusion at 135.3-137.12, where the story of the pious couple Philemon and Baucis (Met. 8.616-724) is recalled during Encolpius’ visit to Oenothea’s hut. Petronius’ engagement with the Metamorphoses during Encolpius’ exploits in Croton is thus shown to be deeper than has previously been realised.

Progress, decolonization and global justice: a tragic view

Abstract What does making progress in global justice mean? What are the barriers to progress? This article introduces the notion of tragic progress, against assertions by International Relations realists that tragedy and progress are mutually exclusive concepts, and as a complement to notions of ‘pragmatic progress’ and ‘bounded progress’ offered by IR constructivists and philosophical pragmatists. Tragic progress refers to the disruptive and often painful process of self-examination spurred by contexts of crisis, both for individuals and for wider collectives. Focusing on the multiperspectival structure of tragic narratives, tragic reversals and the moments of recognition they invite, I argue that the devices of tragedy direct our attention to mechanisms for unlearning, and stimulate the pursuit of self-knowledge and transformation in contexts of crisis as a basis for social change. The contemporary crisis of international order can be interpreted as a tragic reversal for its practitioners and adherents, with the potential to generate moments of recognition that increase their receptivity to polymorphic claims of justice, many of which have been buried, muffled or repressed. The call to decolonize international order can be interpreted as a call for tragic progress, which consists of unlearning colonial subjectivities, practices and commitments, thereby opening up opportunities to make possibility out of dispossession, slavery, genocide, and other social, political and moral horrors of our time.

As fronteiras entre o exílio trágico e a morte social em Medeia, de Sêneca

This article aims to analyze the boundaries between the tragic exile and the social death in Medea, by Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The reflection starts from the discussion about the social conduit and political consultations of female and male characters represented in the tragic narrative. It is know that the tragedies present a set of behaviors and attitudes that was linked with the ethical and moral constructions of citizens. Normally, foreigners were associated with truculent actions and images of violence, anger, savagery, fury, between others. In this repertoire, Senecan tragedy followed, as it is proposed, a similar guideline once the representations of foreigners and their objectionable traits turned into rhetorical devices. It becomes, then, relevant to comprehend the role of foreigners as a construct of deviant behaviors from roman aristocracy in the imperial court.

A Criticism of Confucianism’s Social Functions from “A Fu on the Marvelous Crow”: The Prophetic Meaning of the “Crow” in the Divination Culture

The intensely tragic narratives of A Fu on the Marvelous Crow show profound distrust of Confucianism while drawing heavily on ideas from Confucian classics. This reflects both the adorning quality of Confucianism in the Western Han Dynasty and the chaotic social circumstances in the Western Han Dynasty’s middle and late periods. The crow in this work represents “Ren” a core principle of Confucianism that means humanity, benevolence, and love, and her death represents the decline of “Ren.” The prevalent divination culture of the time serves as the context for this writing.

A Review of Digital Narrative Spaces: An Interdisciplinary Examination

<i>A Review of</i> Digital Narrative Spaces: An Interdisciplinary Examination

Great Patriotic War in Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinematography: Problems of Remediation

The article is devoted to the representations of the Great Patriotic War in Soviet and postSoviet cinematography. The study presents the comparative analysis of the heroic narrative dating back to wartime propaganda and most clearly manifested in post-war film epics, as well as the tragic narrative, which is inextricably linked with the ‘lieutenant’ prose of the Thaw-era. The changes in the images of the Soviet cinema in the Russian war films of the 2000s are considered. It is proved that these changes, found in modern series and remakes, are critically evaluated by both academic circles and youth audience. On the basis of discussions held in ten focus groups the main critical attitudes are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the problem of remediation which consists in the predominance of visual images only outwardly copying popular Soviet films, without independent reflection on the specificity and the meaning of military experience. It is noted that the concept of remediation makes it possible to shift the focus from dissatisfaction with individual parts of films about the Great Patriotic War to the general problem of changing the media regime in modern society and to start analyzing the mechanisms of its functioning.

Beyond the redemptive self: Narratives of acceptance in later life (and in Other Contexts)

Prior research has shown that midlife adults who construct highly redemptive life narratives tend to exhibit high levels of generativity and psychological well-being. What researchers today describe as the redemptive self, therefore, serves as a strong model for living a good life among many midlife American adults. In late life, however, and in certain other contexts, narratives that showcase the power of acceptance, rather than redemption, may prove more suitable as good life stories. In narratives of acceptance, the protagonist aims to come to terms with life and the inevitability of loss and suffering, to reconcile conflict, manage (rather than overcome) adversity, and sustain interpersonal bonds of intimacy and warmth. Narratives of acceptance may nourish valued human characteristics like grace, humility, and wisdom. Converging ideas regarding narratives of acceptance may be found in the literatures of narrative gerontology and disability studies, and from writings on the salutary effects of internalizing tragic narratives in psychotherapy and promoting social interventions designed to alleviate pain and promote well-being under conditions of significant constraint.

DIGITAL FRONT:ПЕРВАЯ МИРОВАЯ ВОЙНАВ КОМПЬЮТЕРНЫХ ИГРАХ

The article presents a brief overview of contemporary discussions on the transformation of historical memory in digital culture, and above all in video games. The representation of the heroic and tragic narratives in games, most often related to World War II and World War I, respectively, differs significantly. The former uses a realistic strategy of representation and emphasizes visual detailing, linear plot construction, and the synchronization of in-game, fictional, and historical time. Authenticity is perceived here through the realism of details. The tragic narrative uses a deconstructivist strategy of representation, characterized by animated or impressionistic graphics and by positioning war itself as the main enemy, not national armies or individual soldiers. Thus, authenticity is understood through a reference to the existential nature of the war experience. The realistic strategy prevails in contemporary popular culture, but the heroic narrative is increasingly intertwined with the tragic. As a result, the balance between the desire to normalize the war and its problematization shifts significantly in the space of culture. The article analyzes Western historiography by examining the games “Verdun 1914–1918”, “The Trenches", "Brave Hearts” and others. The authors conclude that the influence of digital culture and video games on the perceptions of the past cannot be reduced exclusively to consumerism or the popularization of academic knowledge. It implies an active transformation of the very ways of interacting with the past, a change in established genre norms, an increase in interactivity, democratization, and aestheticization. These trends are inextricably linked with broader transformations of the modes of historicity in public consciousness at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Audacity of His Enterprise: Louis Riel and the Métis Nation That Canada Never Was, 1840–1875

In a much-needed intervention in the scholarship on Métis leader Louis Riel, M. Max Hamon successfully brings Riel’s agency to the forefront in this work. Hamon argues that Riel participated in creating a new political environment that attempted to integrate Métis, First Nation, and Canadian (French and British) perspectives. Hamon positions Riel as a man “connected to, rather than disconnected from, the worlds that he encountered” (14), and he claims that Riel aimed to create understanding of Métis claims of nationhood and rights within the Canadian public, not as an enemy to the Canadian project.Hamon uses a decolonizing approach, choosing to end the book in 1875 rather than Riel’s death in 1885. This periodization allows the focus to remain on Riel’s agency and to emphasize areas of Riel’s life other than the Resistance of 1885. Also, Hamon moves beyond the published versions of Riel’s writings, and potential biases created through their editors, turning instead to the original archives to bring a fresh perspective to these items. Hamon argues that original archives produced new information on Riel’s family and aided in Hamon’s goal to “overturn earlier interpretations of Louis Riel” (16). Additionally, this focus on the archives allowed Hamon to use archival documents on Riel’s education, noting that focusing on these years allows the careful consideration of how Riel’s indigeneity was received.Hamon also approaches Riel through a chronological approach to four main foci: family, education, political culture, and networking. Hamon links Riel to a long tradition of Métis politics, beginning with his parents and showing that this was not dampened by his education in Montreal. Hamon positions Riel not in just Métis politics but also within the broader Canadian political sphere, examining his use of networking through letters. Hamon demonstrates the more comprehensive links that his networking created—not just in Métis politics but also in Canadian politics and the confederation process. These letters and networking connected Riel to his family, the Church (Bishop Taché and Bourget—the Bishop of Montreal), and the newspapers. Hamon establishes how, especially in his campaign for amnesty, Riel created communication lines between Montreal and Red River. Hamon also notes that this focus on Riel’s networks counters the metropole-periphery framework Riel is usually placed in and highlights “multiple meanings, projects, materials, and experiences that constitute the process of colonization” (222).Another point of interest is Hamon’s use of Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital regarding Riel. Hamon connects this capital to Riel’s relationships—both institutional and formal—essential to Riel’s success. Using Bourdieu’s theory, Hamon delineates how the exchanges between these relationships were a critical source of capital and power for Riel and how he used this in his search for amnesty. Riel first gained cultural capital during his time at the Collège de Montréal, where he connected with the Lower Canadian cultural elite.Hamon challenges the tragic narrative of previous biographies on Riel while bringing significant information to the broader knowledge regarding Red River’s political and cultural structures. For example, Hamon does an excellent job explaining the processes of the public and the private spheres in the period leading up to the formation of Manitoba and the role and influence of women within the public sphere. Hamon does an admirable job of demonstrating how the Métis and Riel complicate the categories of Indigenous and settler while also grounding Riel’s life in the concepts of wahkohtowin (kinship) and otipemisiwak (those who own themselves).

Iconic Celebration of Charms and Friendship in Poetry: Fálétí’s “Adébímpé Ọ̀jẹ́dòkun”

Iconic Celebration of Charms and Friendship in Poetry: Fálétí’s “Adébímpé Ọ̀jẹ́dòkun”

Filipino Children and Adolescents' Stories of Sexual Abuse: Narrative Types and Consequences.

There is a paucity of qualitative research on children's and adolescents' perceptions of their sexual abuse experiences. This paper aims to describe the narrative types and consequences of sexual abuse stories among ten female Filipino children and adolescents. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using dialogical narrative analysis. Results show that three narrative types appear in the stories of the survivors. These are the tragic resistance narrative, rescued slave narrative, and heroic saga narrative, and each of these narratives has idiosyncratic effects on the identities, affiliations, disclosure, and adjustment processes of the participants. The results show how symbolic cultural structures can have far-reaching consequences on sexually abused children and adolescents.