Showing papers in "Modern Language Review in 2008"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss grounds for comparison and the space of comparison in the context of post-colonization and post-imperiality, and the end of comparison.
Abstract: Table of Contents Acknowledgements Preface CHAPTER 1 Grounds for Comparison Comparative Reaches Unimagined The Time of Comparison The Space of Comparison Incommensurability : Postcoloniality and the Ends of Comparison CHAPTER 2 Ungrounding Comparison: Conrad and Colonial Narration Imperial Comparison Marlow and The Rhetoric of Dissimilation Foiled Communities CHAPTER 3 The Empire's Loose Ends: Dissimilated Readings Dissimilation Dissimilation and Com-paraison Relation CHAPTER 4 Ruined Comparatives: Epic Similitude and the Pedagogy of Poetic Space in Derek Walcott's Omeros History and The Place Without People: Amnesia and Analogy Forgettable Vacations and Metaphor in Ruins Homeric Similes and Omeric Similitudes: A Contingent Excursus Pedagogy of Poetic Space ("Our Last Resort As Much As Yours, Omeros") Envoi CHAPTER 5 The Gift of Belittling All Things: Catastrophic Miniaturization in Aim' C'saire and Simone Schwarz-Bart Geometries of Blood The Plenitude of Smallness Irreducibility Catastrophe and Finitude The Horizon's Hero: Monocosm to Microcosm REFERENCE LIST Index
93 citations
67 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive history of the North Germanic languages from the oldest times up to the present day is presented in this paper, where Nordic languages are described both individually and in their mutual dependence as well as in relation to the neighboring non-Nordic languages.
Abstract: This handbook is conceived as a comprehensive history of the North Germanic languages from the oldest times up to the present day Whereas most of the traditional presentations of Nordic language history are confined to individual languages and often concentrate on purely linguistic data, the present work covers the history of all Nordic languages in its totality, embedded in a broad culture-historical context The Nordic languages are described both individually and in their mutual dependence as well as in relation to the neighboring non-Nordic languages The handbook is not tied to a particular methodology, but keeps in principle to a pronounced methodological pluralism, encompassing all aspects of actual methodology Moreover it combines diachronic with synchronic-systematic aspects, longitudinal sections with cross-sections (periods such as Old Norse, transition from Old Norse to Early Modern Nordic, Early Modern Nordic 1550-1800 and so on) The description of Nordic language history is built upon a comprehensive collection of linguistic data; it consists of more than 200 articles, written by a multitude of authors from Scandinavian and German and English speaking countries The organization of the handbook combines a central part on the detailed chronological developments and some chapters of a more general character: chapters on theory and methodology in the beginning, and on overlapping spatio-temporal topics in the end
66 citations
TL;DR: In this article, sport played a vital role within the social and cultural life of the former Soviet Union and sportmen and women made frequent appearances in literature, film and popular song; on stamps, plates and teapots; and on the badges and medals of various societies.
Abstract: Sport played a vital role within the social and cultural life of the former Soviet Union. From its very foundation to its final demise the Soviet state sponsored countless programmes promoting a whole gamut of sporting activities, and even generated a new term, fizkultura, derived from the Russian word for physical culture. The popular image of fizkultura, however, was as dependent upon its presentation in the cultural arena as it was upon its actual practice. Soviet sportsmen and women made frequent appearance in literature, film and popular song; on stamps, plates and teapots; and on the badges and medals of various societies. Further, sport became a central feature in the pageantry of the Soviet parade. Public exhibitions and popular journals were crowded with photographs, paintings and prints representing youthful Soviet sportsmen and women, whilst sculptural monuments to the Soviet passion for sport adorned sports centres and public parks. Several major artists even forged entire careers based upon representations of sport. Sport in the USSR looks at physical culture within a wide range of Soviet cultural practices, paying special attention to visual culture. In particular it explores the role that physical culture played in the formulation of the Soviet New Person. Here, visual culture was deployed not only to promote the existence of this notional new being, but also to articulate the very process of transformation that brought him or her into existence. Images of sportsmen and women were also widely produced to conflate the leisurely nature of sports practice with the civic duty of voluntary labour, especially during the industrialization drives, and the military defence of the nation. Also examined are such issues as sports spectatorship and participation; the development of the sports parade; the role of fizkultura during military conflict; the deployment of fizkultura as a weapon during the Cold War; and the collapse of the Soviet sports machine.
50 citations
TL;DR: The Bakhtin Circle as discussed by the authors was a group of scholars who were interested in a "third way" for Soviet aesthetics: Eurasianism, Marxism, Formalism, and formalism.
Abstract: Re-introducing the Bakhtin Circle - David Shepherd Part One: About the Bakhtin Circle 1. The scholarly legacy of Pavel Medvedev in the light of his dialogue with Bakhtin - Iurii Medvedev and Dar'ia Medvedeva 2. Seeking a 'third way' for Soviet aesthetics: Eurasianism, Marxism, Formalism - Galin Tihanov 3. The Bakhtin Circle and problems in linguistics - Vladimir Alpatov 4. Voloshinov's dilemma: On the philosophical roots of the dialogic theory of the utterance - Craig Brandist 5. Lev Pumpianskii and the Nevel School of philosophy - Nikolai Nikolaev 6. Kanaev, vitalism and the Bakhtin Circle - Ben Taylor 7. Sollertinskii and dialogical symphonism - Pauline Fairclough Part Two: Selected works by members of the Bakhtin Circle 8. Tolstoi's 'Diary' by P. N. Medvedev 9. Hermann Cohen (4 July 1842-4 April 1918) by M.I. Kagan 10. [On Marxism] by L.V. Pumpianskii 11. Archival materials (I. The problem of the transmission of alien discourse: An essay in sociolinguistic research II. Report on work as a postgraduate student, 1927/28: Plan and some guiding thoughts for the work 'Marxism and the Philosophy of Language') by V. N. Voloshinov Appendix - The Bakhtin Circle: A timeline -- .
32 citations
TL;DR: In this article, Abelard and Heloise discuss the importance of the plain girls in the development of literature and their role in the creation of the first line of the Book of Odes (Shih-Ching).
Abstract: Sample Contents (A-B): Abelard and Heloise. Abu Nuwas, al-Hasan. Acker, Kathy. Admirable Discourses of the Plain Girl. African Languages: Algeria (Mahgrib). African Languages: Tunisia (Mahgrib). Agustini, Delmira. Alas, Leopoldo. Albert-Birot, Pierre. Alcripe, Philippe d'. Amaru. Amis, Martin. Andreev, Leonid. Angel, Albalucia. Anti-Clericalism. Aphrodisiacs. Apollinaire, Guillaume. Apuleius. Arabic: Middle Ages to 19th Century. Arcan, Nelly. Aretinists. Aretino, Pietro. Argens, Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'. Art of the Bedchamber Literature. Artaud, Antonin. Artsybashev, Mikhail. Ashbee, Henry Spencer. Auden, W.H.. Autobiography of a Flea. Aventures Satyriques de Florinde, Les. Babel, Isaac. Bai, Xingjian. Balzac, Honore de. Ban, Jieyu. Barbey d'Aurevilly, Jules-Amedee. Bataille, Georges. Baudelaire, Charles. Bealu, Marcel, Passage de la Bete. Beauvoir, Simone de. Beckford, William. Belen (Nelly Kaplan). Belot, Adolphe. Beranger, Pierre Jean de. Berg, Jean[ne] de. Bestiality. Bi Yu Lou (The Jades Pavilion). Blasons du Corps. Blessebois, Pierre Corneille. Boccaccio. Bonaventure des Periers. Bonnetain, Paul. Book of Odes (Shih-Ching). Borel, Petrus. Boullosa, Carmen. Bourgeade, Pierre. Bousquet, Joe. Brantome, Pierre de Bourdeille Seigneur de. Brazil. Breast. Bright, Susie. Bukowski, Charles. Burroughs, William S.. Burton, Sir Richard F.. Byrd II, William
26 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors trace the international performance history of Aristophanes' quest drama and its implication in aesthetic and political controversies, from antiquity to the twenty-first century, including censorship scandals in France, Greece and South Africa, Brechtian experiments in East Berlin and musical theatre from Gilbert and Sullivan to Stephen Sondheim.
Abstract: Flying to Heaven to demand an end to war, building Cloudcuckooland in the sky, descending to Hades to retrieve a dead tragedian - such were the cosmic missions on which Aristophanes, the father of comedy, sent his heroes of the classical Athenian stage. The wit, intellectual bravura, political clout and sheer imaginative power of Aristophanes' quest dramas have profoundly influenced humorous literature and satire, but this volume is the first interdisciplinary study of their seminal contribution to the evolution of comic performance. Interdisciplinary essays by specialists in Classics, Theatre, and Modern Literatures trace the international performance history of Aristophanic comedy, and its implication in aesthetic and political controversies, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. The story encompasses Jonson's satire, Cromwell's Ireland, German classicism, British Imperial India, censorship scandals in France, Greece and South Africa, Brechtian experiments in East Berlin, and musical theatre from Gilbert and Sullivan to Stephen Sondheim.
23 citations
TL;DR: Fuchs and Grote as mentioned in this paper argue that all forms of memory, public or private, can be understood as ongoing processes of negotiating identity in the present and capture the intergenerational dynamic of the ongoing confrontation with memory in Germany today.
Abstract: Since unification in 1990, and particularly since the late 90s, Germany has seen a boom in the confrontation with memory, evident in the sharp increase in novels, films, autobiographies, and other forms of public discourse that engage with the long-term effects of National Socialism across generations. Taking issue with the concept of "Vergangenheitsbewaltigung," or coming to terms with the National Socialist past, which after 1945 guided nearly all debate on the topic, the contributors to this volume view contemporary German culture through the more dynamic concept of "memory contests," which provides a circumspect view of German debates on the past, departing, as have recent German debates, from the tone of censorship that has so often accompanied these discussions. Instead, the idea of memory contests posits that all forms of memory, public or private, can be understood as ongoing processes of negotiating identity in the present. The idea also captures the intergenerational dynamic of the ongoing confrontation with memory in Germany today.Touching on gender, generations, memory and postmemory, trauma theory, ethnicity, historiography, and family narrative alongside many other topics, the contributions provide a comprehensive picture of current German memory debates, in so doing shedding light on the struggle to construct a German identity mindful of but not wholly defined by the horrors of National Socialism and the Holocaust. The volume will appeal to readers with a wide variety of academic interests, including cultural history, gender studies, film, and contemporary German literature. Anne Fuchs is professor of Modern German Literature and Georg Grote is lecturer in German History, both at University College Dublin. Mary Cosgrove is lecturer in German at the University of Edinburgh.
21 citations
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an overview of literary persuasions in literature: 1. Byron's Hearing 2. An Audience with Dickens 3. Tennyson and Sound Judgement 4. Joyce's Breathing Space Coda: An Eyed Ear
Abstract: Introduction: Literary Persuasions 1. Byron's Hearing 2. An Audience with Dickens 3. Tennyson and Sound Judgement 4. Joyce's Breathing Space Coda: An Eyed Ear
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present sixteen essays by renowned international experts on German society, culture, and politics that, together, provide a comprehensive study of contemporary Germany's postunification process of "normalization."
Abstract: This volume features sixteen thought-provoking essays by renowned international experts on German society, culture, and politics that, together, provide a comprehensive study of contemporary Germany's postunification process of "normalization." Essays ranging across a variety of disciplines including politics, foreign policy, economics, literature, architecture, and film examine how, since 1990, and especially from the mid-1990s on, the often contested concept of normalization has become crucial to the self-understanding of the Berlin Republic. Although a "new" Germany would seem to have finally emerged, the essays in this volume demonstrate that in many ways normalization is still in question, and that perennial concerns -- notably the Nazi past and the legacy of the GDR -- remain central to public political and cultural discourses and now also inflect the country's efforts to deal with the new challenges of globalization, global instability, migration, and the polarization of the world around religious, cultural, and ideological conflicts. This is the first major study in English or German of the impact of the normalization debate across the range of cultural, political, economic, intellectual, and historical discourses. ~~~~~~~ CONTRIBUTORS: STEPHEN BROCKMANN, JEREMY LEAMAN, SEBASTIAN HARNISCH AND KERRY LONGHURST, LOTHAR PROBST, SIMON WARD, ANNA SAUNDERS, ANNETTE SEIDEL ARPACI, CHRIS HOMEWOOD, ANDREW PLOWMAN, HELMUT SCHMITZ, KAROLINE VON OPPEN, WILLIAM COLLINS DONAHUE, KATHRIN SCHA-DEL, STUART TABERNER, PAUL COOKE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ VOLUME EDITORS: STUART TABERNER is Professor of Contemporary German Literature, Culture, and Society and PAUL COOKE is Senior Lecturer in German studies, both at the University of Leeds.
TL;DR: In his Philosophical Letters, Voltaire provides a pungent and often satirical assessment of the religion, politics, science, and arts of the England he observed during his nearly three-year exile as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In his Philosophical Letters, Voltaire provides a pungent and often satirical assessment of the religion, politics, science, and arts of the England he observed during his nearly three-year exile. In addition to the Letters, this edition provides a translation of Voltaire's Proposal for a Letter about the English, a general Introduction, chronology, notes, and bibliography.
TL;DR: The rise of the novel, the death of the author, and the Lydia Clerke letters The letters, the letter writers, and their worl(l)ds Overview John Cclerke Thomas Winstanley Susannah Dobson Ann Ccleke One Charles Cleck One Charles CclEck Two Ann Ceck Two Charlotte Lennox Ann Cleke Three Ann Cseke Four Sylvia Brathwaite Sylvia Thornton Sylvia Parkhurst Sarah Clece as mentioned in this paper
Abstract: Preamble Foreword: The rise of the novel, the death of the author, and the Lydia Clerke letters The letters, the letter writers, and their wor(l)ds Overview John Clerke Thomas Winstanley Susannah Dobson Ann Clerke One Charles Clerke One Charles Clerke Two Ann Clerke Two Charlotte Lennox Ann Clerke Three Ann Clerke Four Sylvia Brathwaite Sylvia Thornton Sylvia Parkhurst Sarah Clerke Post/crypt: closing the circle... Appendixes Bibliography Index.
TL;DR: In this paper, a discussion of Semprun's representation of exile will be explored, namely his relationship to language and writing, with reference to three recent autobiographical texts: L’ ‹ Ecriture ou la vie (1994), Adieu, vive clart‹ e... (1998), and Le Mort qu’il faut (2001).
Abstract: In L’ ‹ Ecriture du d‹ esastre (1980), Maurice Blanchot writes: ‘qui ‹ ecrit est en exil de l’‹ ecriture: l› a est sa patrie o› u il n’est pas proph› ete’. Here, the writer does not inhabit writing but exists in an impersonal relationship of deathly exile to the text. In Jorge Semprun’s writing, exile is explored on multiple levels: linguistic, geographical, political, and ethical. In this discussion, one aspect of Semprun’s representation of exile will be explored, namely his relationship to language and writing, with reference to three recent autobiographical texts: L’ ‹ Ecriture ou la vie (1994), Adieu, vive clart‹ e . . . (1998), and Le Mort qu’il faut (2001). Two of these, L’ ‹ Ecriture ou la vie and Le Mort qu’il faut, are literary testimonies which focus on Semprun’s experiences in Buchenwald concentration camp, where he was imprisoned from 1944 to 1945 after his arrest in late 1943 for his work in the Communist Resistance. Adieu, vive clart‹ e . . ., however, is a highly literary memoir of his early life and arrival in Paris in 1939 as an exile from Franco’s Spain and, according to Semprun, is unrelated to his Buchenwald experiences:
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a fresh look at the major literary figures, works, and cultural developments from around 1700 up to the late Enlightenment, tracing the 18th-century literary revival in German-speaking countries: from occasional and learned literature under the influence of French Neoclassicism to the establishment of a new German drama, religious epic and secular poetry, and the sentimentalist novel of self-fashioning.
Abstract: The Enlightenment was based on the use of reason, common sense, and "natural law," and was paralleled by an emphasis on feelings and the emotions in religious, especially Pietist circles. Progressive thinkers in England, France, and later in Germany began to assail the absolutism of the state and the orthodoxy of the Church; in Germany the line led from Leibniz, Thomasius, and Wolff to Lessing and Kant, and eventually to the rise of an educated upper middle class. Literary developments encompassed the emergence of a national theater, literature, and a common literary language. This became possible in part because of advances in literacy and education, especially among bourgeois women, and the reorganization of book production and the book market.This major new reference work provides a fresh look at the major literary figures, works, and cultural developments from around 1700 up to the late Enlightenment. They trace the 18th-century literary revival in German-speaking countries: from occasional and learned literature under the influence of French Neoclassicism to the establishment of a new German drama, religious epic and secular poetry, and the sentimentalist novel of self-fashioning.The volume includes the new, stimulating works of women, a chapter on music and literature, chapters on literary developments in Switzerland and in Austria, and a chapter on reactions to the Enlightenment from the 19th century to the present. The recent revaluing of cultural and social phenomena affecting literary texts informs the presentations in the individual chapters and allows for the inclusion of hitherto neglected but important texts such as essays, travelogues, philosophical texts, and letters. Contributors include: Kai Hammermeister, Katherine Goodman, Helga Brandes, Rosmarie Zeller, Kevin Hilliard, Francis Lamport, Sarah Colvin, Anna Richards, Franz M. Eybl, W. Daniel Wilson, Robert Holub. Barbara Becker-Cantarino is Research Professor in German at the Ohio State University.
TL;DR: The impact of designers, actors, directors and impresarios as well as playwrights in the collaborative process of theatre-making is discussed in this paper, while individual chapters examine the changes in technology and shifts in the cultural climate which have influenced theatre.
Abstract: With the aim of providing a comprehensive history of Italian drama from its origins to the present day, this book treats theatre in its widest sense, discussing the impact of all the elements and figures integral to the collaborative process of theatre-making. The impact of designers, actors, directors and impresarios as well as of playwrights is subjected to critical scrutiny, while individual chapters examine the changes in technology and shifts in the cultural climate which have influenced theatre.