Нереализираният празник в „Последна радост“

Author(s): Valentin Stoyanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 5/2016

The paper analyses Yovkov’s “Last joy” through the interpretation of the feast and its functions. The reach of people with eternal spiritual values with beauty and love is only temporary and incomplete; the feast does not reach the goal to unify material and spiritual, individual and society. The crisis in celebration is caused by the crisis of community. It cannot raise its own leaders, as well as it cannot separate the sacred from the profane. The paper develops the idea that in Yovkov’s prose not only the individual should strive towards beauty and good, but the society also should change its attitudes to achieve harmony with man and the world.

Борбата и родът: идейно-смислови позиции в стихотворението „Пристанала“ на Христо Ботев

Author(s): Kostadinka Hristova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 5/2016

Художественият текст – лаборатория за компетентности

Author(s): Sonya Aleksandrova,Fani E. Boykova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2016

The article aims to analyze one of the basic elements of reading competence, namely reading with comprehension of students from the 11th grade based on an excerpt from the novel “Bel Ami” by Guy de Maupassant. We outline the theoretical concepts which determine the idea ​of communicative competence, functional literacy, reading literacy, active reader. We present a practical analysis of the first three tasks from a test focused on verifying the basic knowledge of literature. Following our observations we reach a conclusion on the specific capability of the literary text to be converted into a training “lab” for building competencies in Bulgarian language and literature education.

Родопската музика и песен през погледа на Иван Вазов

Author(s): Anastasia Papageorgiou / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2016

In this paper, the author examines the main features of musical tradition in the Bulgarian part of the Rhodope Mountains, as Ivan Vazov presented them in his travelogue In the depths of Rhodope. The book contains valuable and very interesting information and descriptions on which comparisons and researches can be made. Furthermore, the paper intends to show the link between the daily life and culture of the inhabitants of Rhodope Mountains and the musical expressions and the repertoire of their songs. The main specific features of the Rhodope music and songs are described and parallels with Greek and Balkan folklore are marked. The paper offers literature, folklore, music and other routes in space and time in the Rhodope Mountains

За обучението по литература, което „ухае на обич“

Author(s): Nataliya Hristova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2016

Драматургията на Йордан Радичков – невъзможната словесност

Author(s): Nikolay Kirilov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2016

This article examines the functionality of the dialects and the folklore forms in the Radichkov’s dramatic works. The accented еthnically marked speech of the characters in the plays is realized not as uniting substance, but as such of the disuniting, as language of the failed communication, the nonsense and the illogicality.

Filozofia (według) Gombrowicza

Author(s): Marek Bernacki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 29/2017

The main subject of the article is a discussion of Witold Gombrowicz’s philosophical views, which were presented in the cycle of lectures delivered by him in Vence at the turn of April and May 1969, in the presence of his wife, Rita, and two of his friends: Iza Neyman and Dominic de Roux. In 1971 the lectures, written down by writer’s friends, were published in French as Guide de la philosophie en six heures un quarto (“Philosophy course in six hours and quarter of an hour”). Author of the article shows Gombrowicz’s predilection to existentialism and structuralism– two contemporary doctrines which, in his own opinion, the writer discovered himself as the first in Europe in his debut novel entitled Ferdydurke (1937). Philosophical course presented by Witold Gombrowicz two months before his own death, was compared in the end of the article to the message (main idea) of the late poem by Czeslaw Milosz entitled Vocative, written in the end of the 20th century. In this dramatic text the death was described as destructive, dull and unconscious power. Both, the Gombrowicz’s philosophical course, as well as Milosz’s late poem Vocative – can be interpreted as testimonial of heroic human intellect and soul in their uneven struggle against sickness and death, concluded author.

Ociosywanie traumy

Author(s): Krzysztof Biedrzycki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 673/2018

Po II wojnie światowej twórcy musieli przepracować żałobę, na nowo poukładać wartości, znaleźć klucz do epoki, która odbiera godność, sprowadzając człowieka nie tylko do pozycji zwierzęcia, ale – co gorsze – cyfry w statystykach, bezosobowego bytu w masie.

The Consciousness of the Posthuman in Peter Watts’ Blindsight

Author(s): Michał Różycki / Language(s): English Issue: 28/2017

The purpose of the paper is to analyze what seems to be one of the main themes of Blindsight – the treatment of the human brain and consciousness as yet another part of the body that can be enhanced to maximize its efficiency, with all the unnecessary parts to be remade or removed. This point seems to be emphasized by Watts’s characterization of the extraterrestrials – star faring, resilient and superintelligent, but lacking any sort of individuality or consciousness. Having, or being,a “self” is, it would seem, more of a flaw than a positive trait.

Representation of mental oddity in two novels by Philip K. Dick

Author(s): Damian Podleśny / Language(s): English Issue: 28/2017

The paper focuses on two novels featuring several examples of Dick’s characters who experience mental incapacities, breakdowns or suffer from serious mental states. In one of his novels, Martian Time-Slip (1964), the writer makes use of the possibilities of the “space-opera” setting to create a dramatic narrative featuring two people whose comprehension of the surrounding reality differs from that of the “normal” characters. The novel discusses the social incongruity of those who are considered mentally ill, and their struggle to overcome society’s conformity and ignorance, when it comes to accepting such people in society. The two focal characters are Manfred Steiner and Jack Bohlen; the former is an autistic child and the latter suffers from a latent form of schizophrenia. Both of them struggle to survive in the grim and oppressive environment of human colonies on Mars. In a much later novel, A Scanner Darkly (1977), Dick explores the process of gradual disintegration of human mind, resulting from excessive use of drugs. Bob Arctor, a local junkie, who is, in fact, an under-cover government agent, infiltrates the community of drug users. However, his cover forces him to take drugs, which leads him to serious brain damage resulting in schizophrenic fits and imminent mental disintegration.

“No amount of serotonin will bring Darcy to the door.” Understanding mental illness in contemporary autobiographical writing in English

Author(s): Katarzyna Szmigiero / Language(s): English Issue: 28/2017

Autobiographic writing about the experience of illness is becoming increasingly popular in English-language literature. Among many subjects addressed in patographies, the origin and treatment of mental disorders is a recurrent theme. Authors who have received a psychiatric diagnosis analyse the nature of their mental suffering, attributing it to biology, upbringing, traumatic life events or cultural stressors. Their opinions make an important contribution to contemporary discussions about mental health issues, gender roles and medicalisation of everyday life.The aim of this article is to present various approaches to mental illness and the brain-mind dichotomy voiced in many narratives. Although contemporary psychiatry tends to see mental disorders as brain diseases, some patients find this view reductionist as it robs them of agency. Others, on the other hand, support the biomedical model of madness and seem fascinated with neurological and biochemical explanations of their own moods and emotions. The third group comprises individuals who try to find an eclectic explanation, combining biology and socio-cultural factors.

Being her own biographer – Su Meck’s memoir I Forgot to Remember and the fallibility of memory from the perspective of neuroscience and cognitive psychology

Author(s): Anita Jarczok / Language(s): English Issue: 28/2017

Su Meck’s memoir relates her loss of memory as a result of the brain injury that she suffered when a kitchen fan fell on her head. Meck never recovered her memories from before the incident, and for some time after it she was also unable to form any new memories. In this dramatic account of the loss of memory, Meck tries to understand her experiences and to rebuild her sense of self. I describe the dire consequences of such a total memory failure, especially to our sense of self. However, I also argue that this memoir is about the fallibility of memory in general, not only in such an extreme case as the brain injury. Trying to reconstruct her story, Meck discovers that others have either incomplete or conflicting stories to tell her. I Forgot to Remember brings the transient and biased nature of our own memories into sharp focus. However, Meck’s narrative not only exposes the limitation of our memory and highlights its importance to our sense of self but also brings to light the fluid boundaries of various life writing genres and reveals the pitfalls of placing too much emphasis on memory in relation to self.

Похвалното слово за архангелите Михаил и Гавриил от св. Климент Охридски в Зографския сборник

Author(s): Andrej Boyadzhiev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 16/2018

The article compares the copy from the Zograf miscellany 107 of the Encomion for archangels Michael and Gabriel with some of the closest to it witnesses. A separate group of copies is this way wihdrawn and a new critical edition is proposed.

Amerykański i brytyjski ruch studencki i jego wizerunek w filmie

Author(s): Marzena Kraszewska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 8/2018

Teza: Niniejszy artykuł przedstawia genezę i krótki zarys historii rozwoju ruchu studenckiego w Ameryce i Wielkiej Brytanii oraz jego wizerunek w filmach z gatunku college movies, które pojawiły się w XX wieku, głównie w Ameryce.Omówione koncepcje: Zagadnienia dotyczące przynależności do korporacji studenckich, klubów sportowych i uczestnictwa w innych zajęciach nadobowiązkowych znalazły odzwierciedlenie w filmach z wyżej wymienionego gatunku.Wyniki i wnioski: W filmach studenckich odzwierciedlane są głównie bractwa i działalność sportowa. Natomist uczestnictwo w wydawaniu gazet i czasopism w kampusach, od lat 30-tych i 50-tych XX wieku, w klubach muzycznych i teatralnych, samorządzie studenckim oraz zaangażowanie w działalność polityczną są zazwyczaj wątkami pobocznymi w stosunku do głównej fabuły. Przedstwiony wizerunek jest więc niepełny i streotypowy, co ma znaczący wpływ na postrzeganie anglosaskiej rzeczywistości akademickiej przez społeczności na całym świecie.Oryginalność/wartość poznawcza podejścia: Przegląd dostępnej literatury związanej z tematem pozwala wyciągnąć wniosek, że dotychczasowe badania nie analizowały zbiorczo przykładów z kina amerykańskiego i brytyjskiego i nie porównywały ich z rzeczywistym wizerunkiem. Zagadnienia te są przedmiotem szerszych badań na temat wizerunku środowiska akademickiego i uniwersytetu jako instytucji na podstawie wybranych brytyjskich i amerykańskich utworów literackich z gatunku powieści akademickiej/kampusowej jak i filmów typu „college movies”, w większości należących do kina amerykańskiego, oraz poszukiwań śladów powieści akademickiej w literaturze polskiej i kinie polskim.

Z problematyki badań nad językiem polskich przekładów „Historii Aleksandra Wielkiego”

Author(s): Rafał Zarębski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 5/2018

The author presents the research on lexis and style of Polish translations of „The Story of Alexander the Great” – a manuscript translation by Leonard of Bończa (1510) and an anonymous print publication of 1550 as a comparative source; both sources constitute a series of translations. The manuscript provides an interesting lexical material (especially various synonymic equivalents placed in the glosses), which can broaden our knowledge on the affluence of lexical resource of Old Polish language. The study of translational practice of a medieval author opens up new perspectives of research, because of varied use of Latin in Polish language. The 16th century print publication sheds some light on the stylistic and linguistic characteristics of the manuscript, indicating constant and variable elements of the language.

Whisky oraz smoking jako narzędzia etnografa i antropologa. Jan Czekanowski w służbie jego książęcej mości

Author(s): Kamil Kozakowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 6/2017

In 1907, a German scientific expedition was held to explore a fairly unknown region of Central Africa. It was also the first non-European expedition of Jan Czekanowski who served as an ethnographer and anthropologist. In my article I want to ponder upon the influences of the expedition on the Polish researcher and the ways in which it shaped his beliefs and research perspective. Another important topic for me is the problem of colonialism, clearly visible and taken note of by Czekanowski in his journals.

O pamięci badacza terenowego na przykładzie afrykańskich dzienników Jana Czekanowskiego

Author(s): Małgorzata Kołodziej / Language(s): Polish Issue: 6/2017

Every individual’s way of memorization is conditioned by multiple factors related to, among others, culture or profession. The text is an attempt to analyse Jan Czekanowski’s diaries from Deutsche Zentral-Afrika-Expedition with a focus on the way an experience functions in the field researcher’s memory and how the journal becomes a particular form of cultural memory.

Home as Emotional Space in Marilynne Robinson’s Diptych about Gilead

Author(s): Marta Koval / Language(s): English Issue: 04/2017

The article discusses the controversial nature of home in Marilynne Robinson’s novels Home and Gilead. Family histories of two aging ministers – the Rev. Ames and the Rev. Boughton – are narrated in a way that brings together transcendentalist admiration of human uniqueness, political urgencies of the mid-20th century, theological dilemmas, and ideas of domesticity, identity and belonging. The concepts of uprootedness (Simone Weil) and home as an asylum and prison (Tadeusz Sławek) are used to analyze Robinson’s novels. The article views the representation of home as a place that challenges the alleged American tolerance and open-mindedness and subverts traditional patterns of domesticity.

Komunikacja społeczna i wiersz - O książce Anny Kałuży Pod grą. Jak dziś znaczą wiersze, poetki i poeci

Author(s): Tomasz Kunz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 32/2017

This article is a review of Anna Kałuża’s book Pod grą. Jak dziś znaczą wiersze, poetki i poeci. Kałuża observes that the processes of transformation of art associated with global cultural, social and economic changes have stripped poetry of its autonomy and made the traditional aesthetic criteria no longer useful for the evaluation and description of poetic works. The book tries to go beyond the alternative of either sheer continuation or annihilation of the aesthetic concept of modern poetry and discusses new possibilities for poems to participate in the globalised world of social communication. In a set of brilliant interpretations Kałuża shows how the poems of some contemporary Polish poets manage to break the social isolation and effectively take part in the processes of social distribution and circulation of signs.

Stulecie Jakuba Wołodymyra Łysa jako literackie świadectwo ukraińskiej posttotalitarnej traumy

Author(s): Agnieszka Matusiak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 163/2018

The presented article is an attempt to determine the main memorial traces in the literary and cultural studies of Ukrainian post-totalitarian trauma after the World War II. The author of the article constructs her own concept around the generational transmission of trauma as well as the role and importance of this trauma for the processes of shaping the common Ukrainian identity.