Символи на несъзнаваното в „Леката принцеса“ на Джордж Макдоналд

Author(s): Pavel Petkov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2021

The article explores some of the aspects of George MacDonald’s fairy tale “The Light Princess”, related to the sphere of the unconscious. Using Freudian psychoanalytical theory as a basis, I demonstrate that the author’s words tell us more than they were meant to and that some of them are symbols which, more than thirty years after the publication of the fairy tale, Freud recognised as messengers of the repressed. I first give a brief outline of Freud’s ideas concerning the unconscious; then I discuss in detail the implications of the symbol of falling in “The Light Princess”; lastly, I give several examples of repression as they appear in the fairy tale.

A hostile homophobic culture. „Welcome to Chechnya” by David France as a form of preserving the memory of the victims

Author(s): Justyna Pisarska / Language(s): English Issue: 32/2022

The paper concerns the documentary Welcome to Chechnya (2020), made in response to the mass purge of gay men and women that started in the Chechen Republic in 2017. The main aim of this paper is to highlight the problem of LGBTQIA+ society in Russia and Chechnya and give a voice to the victims of discriminated minorities. In the face of the war in Ukraine, it seems more important than ever. It is done through presenting the legal situation of LGBTQIA+ in both countries, explaining possible causes of the lack of acceptance of homosexuality in Russia and Chechnya, clarifying the Kremlin’s point of view in the domain of homosexuality and explicating the reason for which artificial intelligence (AI) is used in the documentary.

Inheriting the “Unfinished Business”: An Introductory Study of the Dictator Novel Set in Africa

Author(s): Yutaka Okuhata / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

Whereas so-called dictator fiction in Latin America is already established as a significant literary subgenre, it is only recently that an increasing number of studies have started to deal with its counterpart set in Africa. In fact, both inside and outside the postcolonial African continent, dictator novels have been written in several languages, including English, French, Arabic, and Kikuyu. One of the most outstanding achievements among recent studies of this kind of fiction is Magali Armillas-Tiseyra’s The Dictator Novel: Writers and Politics in the Global South (2019), which examines dictator novels in two different regions – Africa and Latin America – by using the keyword “Global South” to connect them with each other. After taking a genealogical overview of some dictator novels by both African and non-African authors, the present essay will critically investigate Armillas-Tiseyra’s argument in order to reconsider fictional African dictators depicted in contemporary novels, especially those written in English, from a global and transborder perspective. The aim of this essay is to clarify both the challenges and prospects of the current studies of this literary subgenre in/about Africa.

Steven Levy, Facebook, povestea din spatele unui brand de succes (București: RAO, 2022) [Steven Levy, Facebook, l’histoire derrière un brand de succès, Bucarest : RAO, 2022)]

Author(s): Letiţia Ilea / Language(s): French Issue: 1/2022

Review of: Steven Levy, Facebook, povestea din spatele unui brand de succes (București: RAO, 2022) [Steven Levy, Facebook, l’histoire derrière un brand de succès, Bucarest : RAO, 2022)] [Steven Levy, Facebook : The Inside Story (Bucharest: RAO, 2022)]

Emotional Violence from the Page to the Screen: Moral Abuse and Psychological Manipulation in The Age of Innocence from Edith Wharton to Martin Scorsese

Author(s): Beatrice Melodia Festa / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2022

Martin Scorsese declared that The Age of Innocence is the most violent film he ever made. This contribution aims to examine Scorsese’s representation of emotional violence on screen as opposed to Wharton’s illustration of psychological and emotional abuse in the novel. The essay aims to explore violence in The Age of Innocence, represented both in the novel and in the film as a subtle and crucial theme, so as to examine how Scorsese’s adaptation contrasts with Wharton’s narrative. As such, this interpretation aims to prove how The Age of Innocence stands apart, because of its significance in Scorsese’s career, and how both novel and film go way beyond the conventions of romance by illustrating female emancipation through an exquisite display of moral abuse and psychological manipulation, which Scorsese re-elaborates on screen through a devastating sense of moral frustration. Charting parallels between the novel and the film, the analysis will show how Scorsese re-elaborates a non-graphic form of violence, earlier outlined in the novel by Wharton, through a devastating visual tension. Ultimately, this analysis seeks to offer a reinterpretation of Wharton’s novel through Scorsese’s film adaptation.

A JOURNEY BETWEEN EAST AND WEST IN CARMEN FIRAN’S THE LOST SHADOW

Author(s): Alexandra MORARU / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

The increasing interest in the prominent theme of cognitive semantics, which promotes conceptual mappings, has become a favourite topic analysis both of literary and non-literary texts. Following the theoretical cognitive-semantic studies of George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, and others, the article highlights the conceptual metaphors in the latest novel of a Romanian-American writer. Carmen Firan’s “The Lost Shadow” is a book of love and adventure, a psychological exploration of the emigrant between two ages who is caught in between identity dilemmas. The stylistic analysis traces the directions in which the conceptual metaphors can lead us in exploring the possible interpretations of the novel, as well as the characters’ attitudes and actions. The research analyses the conceptualisation of life as a journey, of time as money, of vertical space as mental processes, as well as money and freedom throughout the book. It is the story of a Romanian couple settled in New York, a writer and a ballerina, who face the challenges of the new world with different intensities and perceptions. The novel thoroughly examines the paradigm of the eternal emigrant, of the man who ran away from his own success, from his own identity and his own country for no reason, and who no longer fits into any society. Therefore, the present research shall decode and interpret the conceptual metaphors LIFE IS A JOURNEY, TIME IS MONEY, and various orientational metaphors UP vs. DOWN.

History as Story, History as My (Family’s) Story: Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy (2020) – Book Review

Author(s): Sorina Georgescu / Language(s): English Issue: 11/2022

Review of: History as Story, History as My (Family’s) Story: Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy (2020) – Book Review

ASPECTS OF THE “DARK” IN DAVID ALBAHARI’S DARK AND PAUL AUSTER’S MAN IN THE DARK

Author(s): Darko Kovačević / Language(s): English Issue: 23/2021

The idea of the paper is to demonstrate different aspects of the “dark” which occur as a central concept in two novels written by the Serbian writer David Albahari (Dark) and his colleague from the USA, Paul Auster (Man in the Dark). In the introductory part of the paper the two writers are presented, with the emphasis on various similarities which exist between them. The central part of the paper contains the overview of both novels, as well as the comparative analysis of the conceptual use and aspects of the “dark” in each novel. The “dark” is visible at three levels, where the first level marks the lives of the narrators of the two novels as they tell their stories, the second is related to the political situations in the narrators’ (and writers’) countries, while the third level refers to the personal losses (death of loved ones) which characterise the lives of the narrators of both novels and determine their fates in many ways. The final part of the paper investigates the “dark” while treating both novels together and partially relying on the trauma theory. Conclusions are given in the final part of the paper.

DIAVOLUL ȘI ÎNGERII ÎN ROMANELE LUI ANDREI CODRESCU

Author(s): Cristina Matilda Vanoaga / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 13/2022

The paper discusses how Andrei Codrescu creates images of the Devil and angels in his novels. Partially, he explains in his essays the inspiration for building the postmodern representation in his novel. Inspired by reality, Codrescu disguises characters and events in imaginary constructions of a sacred manifesting mainly in the American landscape. The underground becomes a place of sacredness as perceived by a sexually permissive society. At the same time, the angels appear incapable of understanding the posthuman world or are revolted against their mission on earth. Another category of angels is represented by transferring the name to women enslaved by a false diabolical and sexually corrupted Devil.

Other People Do, in Fact, Exist: Richard Howard’s Epistolary Strategies

Author(s): Nick Norwood / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

Esteemed American poet and translator Richard Howard (1929–2022) won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1970 for his groundbreaking book 𝑈𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠, a collection of dramatic mono¬logues with the epistolary mode at its center. Originally and most deeply indebted to the dramatic monologues of Robert Browning, Howard’s work is also heavily influenced by novels in the great European tradition, by his deep immersion in European history, and by European literary culture in general. Howard’s witty, learned, ingenious persona poems advance the art of the epistolary in significant ways. For one, they demonstrate that a writer can establish his own idiosyncratic voice by assuming the voices of others. Moreover, Howard’s concentration on personas constitutes a counterbalance to the predominance of the Confessional mode in American poetry, highlighting the significance of his achievement. 𝑈𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠, published in 1969, arrived precisely at the time when the Confessional rose to prominence. As the tide of Confessional poets swept across the American literary landscape–carrying along with it its often-frivolous devotion to the contem¬porary, especially American popular culture–Howard’s poems relentlessly explore the lives of important figures of the nineteenth century and are unapologetically enamored of European high culture. Richard Howard’s poetry constitutes a rebuttal of Confessionalism, to wit, that “other people do in fact exist.”

Maple Leaf

Author(s): Nick Norwood / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

A poem

Tatiani G. Rapatzikou and Ludmila Martanovschi, Editors. 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑒𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠. 𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠-𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐿𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑚

Author(s): Tsvetelina Petkova / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

Ескизи от България в „Eimi“ на Е. Е. Къмингс

Author(s): Vakrilen Kilyovski / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 3/2021

The paper discusses the relatively unknown in Bulgaria travelogue of the American poet and painter E. E. Cummings – his “Russian diary”, EIMI. The stylistic and generic idiosyncrasies of the book are analyzed against the specific context of E.E.Cummings’ travel to the USSR. The focus is on the glimpses and impressions of Bulgaria as jotted by Cummings in his diary, while crossing the country aboard the Simplon-Orient Express in 1931. A translation of the “Bulgarian page” from the text is provided.

Exploring the Postmodern Apocalyptic Narrative: A Jamesonian Reading of Etel Adnan’s Master of the Eclipse

Author(s): Kheladi Mohammed,NOUIOUA Wafa / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

The tale of the apocalypse is considered a current subject of debate that has captivated the attention of postmodern writers. Similarly, in a postmodern atmosphere, Etel Adnan’s masterpiece, Master of the Eclipse (2009), problematises the traditional apocalyptic narrative. Thus, this study sheds light on the postmodern deconstructive aspect of Adnan’s literary text, involving how the author challenges the traditional apocalyptic narrative by foregrounding postmodern apocalyptic subjects. This last includes constant violence, international terror, the downfall of communities, and the subjection of human beings to world crises. These themes subvert the traditional apocalyptic narrative that establishes order, linearity and harmony and calls for Utopia. This study also highlights the collapse of historical metanarrative by drawing upon Frederic Jameson’s notion of ‘historical deafness’ and its consequences on the postmodern subject, including ‘schizophrenia’ and the ‘waning of affect’. It also examines the role of art, a remedy presented as a counter-response to turbulent postmodern times. It transpired that the postmodern vision advocates historical authenticity and reflects a pessimistic society’s experiences of despair and the loss of reality.

Saga „Zmierzch”, Internet i zmiana kulturowa. Uwagi z zakresu socjologii recepcji literackiej

Author(s): Monika Gnieciak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2022

In her article, Monika Gnieciak analyses the impact of the publication of the Twilight saga on the functioning of contemporary literary life. The controversial popularity of the saga, both among its fans and anti-fans, combined with the development of social networking sites at the time of its publication, resulted in a cultural change which caused the mechanisms of literary communication to undergo a permanent transformation. At the same time, the mass readership of Stephenie Meyer’s fiction brought about a change in the status of the young adult genre, which from a marginal literary product has developed into one of the most vibrant segments of the current publishing market.

TRAVELLING IN EDITH WHARTON’S WORLD

Author(s): Alexandra Alexa Oana / Language(s): English Issue: 17/2019

Travelling is inevitably an enriching experience, but for Edith Wharton‘s late 19th century New York leisure class, going to Europe was a ritual to be performed with the utmost attention to form. Wharton‘s characters travelled east to Europe for a number of reasons: from the customary honeymooning and the annual trips to Paris to order one‘s wardrobe, to the initiatic tours for young men and the serious business of finding an aristocrat husband willing to overlook a girl‘s ,,new money” which the leisure class was so keen on rejecting back home. This paper aims to discuss the issue of Americans visiting Europe as they are pictured in several of Wharton‘s novels, by emphasizing what they lost and what they gained during this experience. It will show that, no matter the reason, travelling was a powerful instrument for the rich in the game of social conventions and that a trip to Europe could sometimes make or break one‘s fortune.

A THEORETICAL APPROACH TO EUGENE O’NEILL’S PLAYS

Author(s): Laura Alexandra Petrea (Şopterean) / Language(s): English Issue: 18/2019

The present paper deals with Eugene O’Neill’s plays and the Greek Mythology, who has a big influence over them. In O’Neill’s writings, there are a lot of biographical elements which determined him to write plays, and at the same time, his life makes him read a lot of information and Greek tragedy. The writer’s life events which have influenced him, and then the specific terms are defined and presented. These two important aspects are found in Eugene O’Neill’s plays, and in the light of these, I can analyze the plays.

LITERARY CARTOGRAPHIES AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTIONS IN UPDIKE’S TERRORIST

Author(s): Eduard Vlad / Language(s): English Issue: 19/2019

Literary Cartographies and Identity Constructions in Updike’s Terrorist’ examines the patterns of abstract configurations of space and more specific illustrations of urban place of fictional New Prospect, New Jersey and the ways in which they are turned into the fictional shape that the novel Terrorist assumes. These are shaped to make sense of the post – 9/11 interaction between what might be seen as Updike’s 21st century American versions of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom, but having relevance to perceptions of a world of clashing ideologies.

BASIC QUESTIONS AND EARLY PATHS: AMERICAN STUDIES AS CULTURAL STUDIES

Author(s): Florian Andrei Vlad / Language(s): English Issue: 19/2019

The current paper aims at contributing to the clarification of a number of positions in contemporary debates today, by focusing on the early stages of what would be called, on both sides of the Atlantic, American Studies and Cultural Studies. The text links significant issues, figures and orientations in areas of inquiry that have moved, along with the changing scholarly and social climate, from a reverential attitude toward canonical culture and the elite cultural heritage, reminiscent of Matthew Arnold’s Victorian definitions of culture, toward a more critical and confrontational attitude to culture in the age of diversity, as illustrated in competing versions of Cultural Studies and American Studies.

REREADING “DREAMS FROM BUNKER HILLS”, BY JOHN FANTE. INTERTEXTUAL ACCENTS AND HERMENEUTICAL SUGGESTIONS

Author(s): Teodora Nicoleta Pascu / Language(s): English Issue: 21/2020

Defined as a literary testament, “Dreams from Bunker Hills” is the fourth novel of the so-called Arturo Bandini’s saga, the last literary work of John Fante and probably the most metaliterary one. This article is an attempt of critical rereading that should hopefully add some new insights to Fantian themes, in the light of recent theories of reading/rereading and interpretation. The significative literary genealogy of the author, which implies a meaning-making osmotic relationship between the (re)writing process, intertextuality issues and the retrieval of autobiographical memory fragments, will be then analysed in “Dreams” by integrating textual understanding and critical re-articulation.