Literary Writings Research Articles

The Digitization of post-World War II Italian Literary Journals

In recent years, the digitization of journals has gained ground as an important way of assessing the production of essays and literary writings within their original context of publication. Periodicals from the second half of the twentieth century, however, have attracted much less attention, despite their vast and diverse production as well as the presence of paramount contributors. Usually printed on cheap paper in very few copies, many of those journals can prove difficult to find and delicate to handle. This article aims to outline the state of the art of the Italian literary journals digitized at present and available online, and to examine some fundamental databases in our research: RIDI (Riviste digitali e digitalizzate italiane. Un contributo per l’Emeroteca digitale nazionale), Gino Bianco’s library (Emeroteca), CIRCE (Catalogo Informatico Riviste Culturali Europee) and Fondazione Mondadori’s archives (“Tirature”). 
 

The Narrative Character of the Image of Makhambet in Kazakh Poetry (Based on the Poetry of Olzhas Suleimenov)

The last zhyrau (poetic singer) of the Kazakh Khanate, Makhambet Utemisuly, was a prominent figure in the nation's history and literature. He held various roles as a poet, batyr (warrior), and esteemed commander, and his influence resonates strongly within the Kazakh literary tradition. Makhambet's persona served as a significant source of inspiration for numerous poets and writers in Kazakh literature. Notably, his portrayal holds a special significance within the poetry of Olzhas Suleimenov, a versatile poet, public figure, and turkologist. This assertion is substantiated by Suleimenov's poetic works dedicated to Makhambet batyr, covering a range of themes. This research work contributes to a profound understanding of the concept of «image» in Kazakh literary science, specifically through its expression in poetry. The primary objective of this scientific inquiry is to unravel the narrative essence of Makhambet's image as depicted in Olzhas Suleimenov's poetry. The author examines several literary works concerning Makhambet in the Kazakh canon. Through an exploration of the various dimensions in which Makhambet's image is portrayed in Suleimenov's poems and Russian translations, the author provides evidence to support the narrative nature of this image, substantiating their claims with relevant examples. Given that Suleimenov predominantly writes in Russian, the study places particular emphasis on the fidelity of the image's conveyance in both the original and translated versions. While the concept of «image» in the works of Kazakh poets has been the subject of multiple studies, with its significance duly acknowledged, the notion of narrative in poetry remains a pertinent subject within contemporary literary scholarship. This article underscores the paramount importance of investigating the concepts of «image» and «narrative» within the context of poetry, thereby emphasizing the core value of this research. In this research, the author substantiates the hypothesis that a profound and comprehensive exploration of the image in poetry necessitates the discovery of a narrative coherence that unifies the poem's internal structure, the author's intent, and the nuances of word usage.

Spiritual Study on the Concept of Life and Death in the Poetry of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi

One of the universal occurrences, death seems to have inspired great poets and writers in Iranian and international literature. This study examined how Rumi’s poems address one of the most important life facts, which is death. He regarded death as similar to life or subsequent birth, which is unpleasant and bitter, however, it is also something that poets are eager to embrace and relish for its scrumptiousness. The qualitative content analysis method was used to analyze the concept of life and death in Rumi’s poetry. Several poems on life and death were chosen randomly from Rumi’s masterpiece Mathnavi to be analyzed in this study. Moreover, this study attempted to express the ideas of life and death through some of his famous poems selected from Rumi’s world-famous pieces of writing. The analysis showed that Rumi’s concept of death is bent toward Sufism. He considers death as a rebirth and reunion. For Rumi, death is a reality that people do not have to worry about because it is a reunion with God but rather being happy and having a firm belief in God.

On the unfinalizability and uncertainty of contemporary literature—an analysis of Mo Yan’s new novels

Mo Yan, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012, has published many new works of different genres since 2017, such as novels, poems, dramas, operas and even sketch stories, attracting a lot of attention and discussion. Although these new works are numerous, they are still characterized by exploration and transition. There is a phenomenon of “unfinalizability” in these new novels, which is characteristic of Mo Yan’s literary writings, such as the recurrence of the literary figure “Mo Yan”. Mo Yan has adopted many writing techniques in his new works to strengthen their concern and criticism of reality, such as reflecting society through focusing on individuals, close-up simple descriptions, typification of contemporary group mentality and a new “hit acupoint” illustration style. Moreover, his new novels present literary, realistic and even philosophical “uncertainty” through a method of life intuition. However, when we analyze Mo Yan’s new works in his whole writing lineage, we will realize the author’s loyalty to reality and art, and his works’ foreseeing power unconsciously becomes evident.

The theory of Chinese narrative prose in the early twentieth century.

The subject of the study is critical articles by Chinese writers and literary theorists of the early twentieth century. They are dedicated to ways of transforming traditional literature. The object of the study is the evolution of the views of Wang Guowei, Lu Xun, Hu Shi, Yu Dafu, who in the process of creating modern Chinese literature (Xiandai Wenxue) set tasks for the national intelligentsia. The article proves that the interpretation of the main constants of modern Chinese literature was based on the ideas of Western, primarily German and English literary criticism and aesthetics. The article pays special attention to the discussion between Lu Xun and Hu Shi on the issue of the ideological position of writers, and Yu Dafu's articles on the role of the reception of Western aesthetics. The research methodology is based on the theoretical principles of historical-literary, historical-cultural, historical-functional, comparative-historical analysis. Elements of intertextual and receptive approaches are used. The main conclusion of the study is that the transition from the literary language of classical Confucian monuments (wenyan) to the spoken language (baihua) has become an important vector for Chinese literary theorists. However, their views on the future of modern national literature differed. Lu Xun insisted that the future of literature depended on the class affiliation of the literati. Yu Dafu believed that writers should use the experience of the best prose writers of classical literature in Western countries, and also take into account the literary inclinations of readers. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in Russian Sinology, a comparative analysis of critical articles by prominent Chinese writers and literary theorists becomes the object of study.

Feminism in Literature: A Study of Emecheta’s the Joys of Motherhood and Nwapa’s Efuru

This Paper is concerned with the motives, concepts and ideas expressed by African female writers in their works. They speak with one voice; they fight for the recognition and emancipation of women in male dominated societies. They use their works to air their views. They aim for the equality of all sexes. This study shows the aims of female writers in literature which seeks to bring an end to the oppression and subordination of women by men. It is worthy to note that these African female writers used in this study do not revolt against men but against certain laws that have denied them their inalienable rights. This study has investigated the aims of female writers in literature using two novels: Efuru by Flora Nwapa and The Joys of motherhoodby Buch Emecheta. These two authors have artistically used their novels to expose the ugly experiences of women in a male dominated society. This work however discovers in dismay that in most cases, women maltreat their fellow women in the name of tradition. The significance of this work derives in the fact that it joins the voices of previous researchers to encourage women, both readers and writers to rise up and be liberated from the long craws of male chauvinism. The researcher therefore believes that these complementary efforts shell help in proving suitable society where women are to be recognized.

A Literature Review of the Studies on the English Translation of Literary Works by Chi Zijian

As one of the most representative ethnic literature writers, Chi Zijian has written myriads of works, some of which are translated into many foreign languages. This paper aims to collect and study on these English translational works so that more relevant research results can be supplied to the study on the translational works by Chi Zijian.

The Pied Piper as a Killer in London: China Miéville’s Novel King Rat

This study examines how the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin is re-told in China Miéville’s novel King Rat in London by combining elements of urban fantasy and arguing that the boundaries between the real and the fantasy world are blurred in the city of London. China Miéville is regarded as one of the most remarkable contemporary British Fantasy literature writers. In King Rat, blending the familiar cityscape with elements of myth, magic and horror creates a rich environment where ordinary lives intersect with extraordinary forces. By analysing the thematic and stylistic features of the novel, this study will reveal how King Rat exemplifies the basic elements of urban fantasy, focusing on the setting, characters, and fantastic elements and how it makes an important contribution to the genre. This analysis will provide readers with a detailed panorama of the interplay between urban settings, fantastic elements, and dark themes in contemporary literature.

The Cost of Equality: Analyzing the Unforeseen Financial Strains of Fee-Free Higher Education in South Africa

In the past, many South African students found it difficult to pursue higher education due to the high expense of tuition, which also restricted their prospects for development on both a personal and professional level. Fee-free education has helped to level the playing field and provide equal access to education, regardless of an individual’s financial background. Evidently, financially disadvantaged students now have better access to higher education, and this is attributed to fee-free education in South Africa. However, budgetary restrictions exist in South Africa, and the government’s finances are put under strain by the country’s policy of free public education for all pupils. The purpose of this article was to discuss unforeseen financial constraints in South African higher education due to fee-free education. In this article, a qualitative content analysis was employed which was grounded on analysing the existing scholarly literary writings. This paper established that enrolment rates in universities and colleges all around South Africa have increased significantly because of fee-free education. This research adds to the continuing discourse concerning the expenses tied to achieving equality and the unanticipated financial pressures stemming from tuition-free higher education in South Africa. Keywords: Fee-Free Higher Education, Government Finances, Access To Higher Education, Funding

The Brass-Bells Drum: An African Literary Writer’s imaging of Neo-colonial woes in Nigeria

Literature reflects and refracts socio-political issues. Novels, a genre of literature, images of socio-political realities with a view to proffering solutions to some of the threats to human and social development. This essay examines the depiction of postcolonial disillusion and neo-colonial woes in Nigeria as represented in Akińwùmí Ìṣọ̀lá’s Saworoide translated, as The Brass-Bells Drum by Pamela Olubunmi J. Smith. The paper hinged on the Marxist Sociology of Literature and Postcolonial approaches, it critically evaluates inept political leadership and corrupt practices. The analysis reveals that corrupt leadership and followership undermine the development of Nigeria. Some of the major challenges undermining the development of Nigeria are the insincerity and insensitivity of political leaders to the plight of the masses, selection/electoral corruption, mismanagement of public funds, abuse of power, neglect of the masses, political assassination, bribery, and corruption. It is established in the novel that, the greatest obstacles to Nigeria’s development are inept leadership and corruption. The paper concludes that the uniqueness of Iṣọla’s discourse of postcolonial woes manifests in the adroit blend of motifs and narrative techniques of political instability, betrayal of trust, acute leadership crisis, and corruption. The novelist advocates harnessing some tangible and intangible cultural heritage as well as communal revolt to checkmate the continuing spread of this menace of (mis)governance in Nigeria.

African Literature and The Protest Novel: Neo-Nationalism in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Weep Not Child

Every literary writer belongs to a particular society; he writes to reflect the conditions of that society. Therefore, African literature captures the African temperament. This paper attempts an analysis of Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Weep Not Child. Colonisation turns people into objects in order for the colonialists to facilitate their manipulation and the handing over power to Africans with a hope that this group of Africans will change the cause of events. The inability of these leaders to perform to expectation leading to a period of transition from colonialism to neo-colonialism necessitated the protests in most African novels. This paper explores the African literature written from the African point of view. It explores what inspires the Africans to protest through their literary works. The origin and trends in African literature from the ancient to the stage of protest is also discussed. The paper uses the eco-criticism framework to focus on the protest element in Ngugi’s Weep Not Child. It exposes the forceful acquisition and abuse of power on the social and political life of the entire citizens. It looks at Ngotho who protests against the inhumanisation and exploitation from the white counterpart, turning them into slaves. It further examines the critical analysis of the novel, viewing the elements that make the novel a protest fiction. Finally, the paper pins down the work of this great African writer as a protest based on its contents.

Development Of Teaching Modules Based On Local Wisdom In Learning Literature Writing For Students In Elementary School Teacher Education Program

Development Of Teaching Modules Based On Local Wisdom In Learning Literature Writing For Students In Elementary School Teacher Education Program

The Evolving Themes of Innocence and Experience in Ruskin Bond’s A Season of Ghosts

Ruskin Bond’s literary works are often celebrated for its simplicity and timeless charm worldwide. Among his diverse oeuvre, A Season of Ghosts is a compelling narrative, delving into the journey between innocence and experience. This present research paper is an exploration of the evolving themes of innocence and experience within the context of Bond’s A Season of Ghosts. Through a multidimensional approach, the study focuses on a comprehensive analysis of characters, plot, and narrative techniques, employed in Ruskin Bond’s A Season of Ghosts. Hereto, it seeks to explore the transformation of characters and how they navigate the shifting terrain between innocence and experience, highlighting the nuances of their personal growth. Besides, this paper investigates the influence of external forces on characters’ perceptions of innocence and experience from socio-cultural and historical perspectives. Thus, Bond’s A Season of Ghosts is significant for a close reading with its thematic exploration in order to throw light on how it reflects not only the maturation of the characters but also the multifaceted themes of loss, nostalgia, and the passage of time. Moreover, the study adds to a nuanced understanding of Ruskin Bond’s fascinating way of storytelling as well as his potential to navigate the delicate balance between innocence and experience in his literary writings.

The original set designs for Bodas de sangre and Yerma: written and built spaces

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) was one of the most influential writers of Spanish literature of the 20th century. His particular point of view, influenced by rural and urban experiences, inspired set designs with high aesthetic and compositional value. This research analyzes the original stagings of Bodas de sangre in the Teatro Beatriz (Madrid, 1933) and Yerma in the Teatro Español (Madrid, 1934). Compiling documentary material and preparing plans and technical models offer a complete view of each proposal, considering the design criteria and construction processes of those designs for which information is available today. Studying the set designers responsible for each project is also relevant. Manuel Fontanals, Santiago Ontañón, and Siegfried Burmann were leading figures in Spanish and foreign theatrical plastic art during the Second Spanish Republic and the following years. In summary, the study shows how the designs for each scenic space were created, analyzing both their compositional and technical details and the transformation process from the written space to the built one. After all, set design is a discipline belonging to ephemeral architecture, which aims to generate atmospheres and structures with a short useful life but with aesthetic, functional, and stability requirements.

Beyond the River and Into the Gulfscape: Yaqui Mobility in Baja California

Abstract The visions of missionaries, investors, adventurers, and literary writers have long dominated the history of Baja California, while Indigenous peoples remained at the margins of these accounts. This article proposes a redirection of the peninsular history, one that centers on the experiences of the Yaqui people, whose interconnections with the gulfscape are more far-reaching than expected. Yaqui history for decades has been restricted to the Sonoran-Arizona borderlands. Yaqui people, I argue, were not only familiar with the Gulf but comfortable navigating the waters of the gulfscape, developing an intimate relationship that integrated a cultural perspective. This article challenges the north-south corridor as the only landscape for movement and argues for a new definition of mobility as a more complex process. The article traces a lateral Yaqui mobility from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth century to focus on the variegated experiences of Yaquis in Baja California. It highlights how mobility contoured the lived geographies of Yaqui sailors, divers, miners, and their families, creating space for community, culture, identity, and a sense of belonging that was uniquely Yaqui. In doing so, it also documents the contributions of the Yaqui people to the local political and socioeconomic conditions interconnected with the occurrences of the global economies.

Artistic and stylistic features of the novel by Nikolai Mordinov - Amma Achchygyia "Springtime" ("Saasky kem")

The article provides a complete stylistic analysis of the text of the novel by the Yakut classic writer Nikolai Mordinova - Amma Achchygyia "Springtime" ("Saasky kem") and the artistic and stylistic features of the work were revealed. The epic novel "Springtime" is called the encyclopedia of the Yakut pre-revolutionary life. In it, the author authentically reflected the way of life, customs and culture of his people, convincingly showed the awakening during the formation of Soviet power in remote Yakutia. The work went through about 10 editions in Yakut, Russian, and is translated into Ukrainian, Hungarian and Czech. It is known that in the history of Yakut literature there are two editions of the novel: the first edition, published in 1944 without amendment, and the second, corrected and supplemented, which received wide recognition from readers and declared itself as a classic canon of the epic novel of the Soviet period. The language and style of the novel "Springtime" has its own unique, artistic and aesthetic features. It is noticeable that in the second edition the author worked diligently on the text of the work: the reader admires the artistic depiction and the richness of his native language. Especially in the first and third parts of the novel, stylistic figures of speech (actualization, anaphora, anaepiphora, antipophora, antithesis, homeology, gradation, concatenation, epiphora, etc.) are often found, generating verbal harmony and a special style of the writer. The speech of the characters, monologues and dialogues. are also conveyed in the literary-processed colloquial language of that time. It must be admitted that the language and style of Nikolai Mordinov - Amma Achchygyia is the canon of the Yakut literary language and serves as a vivid example for many writers of modern literature.

Somewhere in the outer darkness: Locating the frontier (eco)gothic of Ambrose Bierce

This article examines the pioneering American weird literature writer Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914) through the critical lens of the ecogothic, arguing that he resituates the gothic within the real or imagined landscapes of the American frontier, his ‘frontier gothic’ epitomized by the image of ‘the cabin in the woods’. In his writings, the frontier gothic becomes transitional boundary genre on the ‘frontier’ between the earlier gothic and later folk horror, where not just isolated cabins of lone prospectors, but whole rural communities find themselves in a similarly abject, ruinous moral condition. The liminal ‘frontier’ nature of the ecogothic is repeated in miniature in the specific way in which abandoned cabins in isolated gulches become ecogothic ‘day-old’ ruins, quite distinct from a gothic ruin in its lacking civilized boundaries between interior and exterior, culture and nature, epitomized by the image of ‘blank windows’ and doorless doorways.

A Study of Demonstrative Determiners in Pashto

The existence of determiner phrases and their different manifestations in number, gender, and case have been studied and proved in English in many research studies. Many languages other than English need this investigation to establish a sound hypothesis about the universal language structure. This study was an attempt to find out the structure of the determiner phrase in the Pashto. It also investigated the equivalents of the English determiner phrase in the Pashto. It used the spoken corpus of Pashto as primary data. In addition, short stories and novels written by literary writers in the Pashto have been used as secondary data. Moreover, intensive group discussion with native speakers of Pashto has also been utilized as another secondary data source. The minimalist program was used to guide and understand the syntactic structure of languages. It was followed by the determiner phrase hypothesis. The hypothesis states that a noun is headed by its determiner in a noun phrase. Data were analyzed within the framework of the determiner phrase hypothesis. The study shows that a noun in the determiner phrase is not determined by a definite or indefinite article in Pashto. The determiner phrase is inflected for number, gender, and case in Pashto. Furthermore, the Pashto determiner phrase is different from English in terms of medial demonstrative determiners. The study is significant as it provides insight into the structure of the Pashto determiner phrase.

서지자료 분석을 통한 윤동주 시 연구 3

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the life and poetry of Yun Dong-ju, focusing on “Catholic Boys,” a bibliographic data related to Yun Dong-ju. “Catholic Boys”, first published in April 1936, contains eight children’s poems by Yun Dong-ju, as well as works by his friend Um Dal-ho and children’s literature writer Kang So-cheon. This paper summarizes the works of Eom Dal-ho in “Catholic Boys” and infers the time and place where Yun Dong-ju and Kang So-cheon met based on Kang So-cheon’s works in “Catholic Boys”. In addition, we analyzed the eight children's poems published by Yun Dong-ju in “Catholic Boys” and analyzed the way the works were included in Yun Dong-ju's study notes and magazine scraps and their evolution, the issue of confirming the certified copy of Yun Dong-ju's poetry was discussed by examining the aspects in which they were accepted in posthumous collections of poetry and the recently published complete works of Yun Dong-ju.

Assessing Creative Awareness and Literary Writing Games in the Norwegian Context

This paper reports on a survey and teaching intervention done with Norwegian students in their first (VG1), second (VG2), and third year (VG3) of high school English (16-19 years old). The goals of the project: 1. To examine Norwegian student/teacher attitudes toward creativity; 2. To design, play-test, and asses creative reading games. The study found students surprisingly open to creativity and games in education, however, there was a general wariness of assessment. As the students progressed through high school, they increasingly saw writing as something one is forced to do, and resisted sharing their writing. Almost all students saw themselves as outside the community of writers. While the novel nature of the games made for initial difficulties, this was also a motivator. The key to effectiveness was pairing theory with practice to give students a clear sense of the pedagogical goal: to develop and experience the use of creativity (divergent thinking). The use of multimodality in games (drawing) was immensely effective for student engagement and collaboration; however, it was less effective in terms of maintaining clear pedagogical goals in the time given. Finally, the most effective approach in terms of engagement was to involve students as game designers. This paper will focus on a presentation of student views on creativity followed by an assessment of the game results in light of these views.