Search Results (143)

This study examines non-standard comparative and superlative adjective forms in Ukrainian and English, emphasizing their evaluative meanings and grammatical deviations. While prescriptive grammar dictates conventional comparison patterns, modern discourse—particularly in advertising, informal communication, and literary texts—exhibits an increasing prevalence of innovative comparative structures. Using a corpus-based approach, this research identifies patterns of positive and negative evaluative meanings, revealing that positive evaluations dominate non-standard comparatives in both languages, particularly in advertising (English: 78.5%, Ukrainian: 80.2%). However, English exhibits a higher tolerance for grammatical flexibility, while Ukrainian maintains a more restricted use, primarily in commercial and expressive discourse. The findings highlight the pragmatic and evaluative functions of such constructions, including hyperbolic emphasis, rhetorical contrast, and branding strategies. These insights contribute to research on comparative grammar, sentiment analysis, and natural language processing, particularly in modeling evaluative structures in computational linguistics. Full article

Ne Zha 2 (Ne Zha: Mo Tong Nao Hai, 哪吒之魔童闹海, 2025) is a prime example of the modernization of traditional literary intellectual property (IP). It has achieved the highest box office gross in Chinese cinematic history and ranks among the top five highest-grossing films globally. This article uses a case study approach to examine the adaptation strategies of Ne Zha 2 (2025), offering strategic insights for future film adaptations. The analysis focuses on four key dimensions—character, plot, theme, and esthetics—to explore how these elements contribute to the film’s adaptation. The findings reveal that the film strikes a balance between intertextuality and innovation, achieved through multidimensional character development, narrative subversion, contemporary thematic reinterpretation, and sophisticated esthetic techniques. By maintaining the emotional connection to the classical IP, the adaptation not only delivers stunning visual spectacles but also provides a culturally immersive experience, revitalizing traditional mythology with contemporary relevance. Full article

In Turkish literature, hajj travelogues have been written since the 13th century, conveying Muslims’ experiences during the pilgrimage and explaining how to perform hajj. With the development and widespread use of the modern means of transportation in Türkiye from the 1940s onward, the pilgrims increasingly started to travel by air to avoid the hardships and duration of long journeys. However, this shift led to a decrease in visits to historical places along the traditional pilgrimage route from Türkiye to Mecca and Medina, consequently changing the content and nature of Hajj narratives. In spite of these changes, Mehmet Barut, a mufti (cleric), offered a unique response through his travelogue Hicaz Yolları [Hijaz Roads], which can be seen as a reaction to the rise in modern means of transportation. In 1965, Barut began his hajj journey from Tokat, within the border of the Republic of Türkiye, and travelled to Mecca and Medina by bus. Along the way, he visited Ankara, Konya, Tarsus, Iskenderun, Reyhanlı, Aleppo, Damascus, Jerusalem, Halilurrahman, Amman, Tabuk, Khaybar, and Medina before finally reaching Mecca. Barut’s travelogue is a contemporary non-fiction work, yet it was written in classical Turkish. In choosing to follow the historical pilgrimage route—established during the Ottoman period and beginning in Anatolia—Barut sought to revive and preserve the spiritual and cultural destinations and hajj journeys. His travelogue not only demonstrates his own travel experiences, but also reflects examples from the travelogue menazil-i hajj, offering insights into the historical significance of the cities and stopovers along the route. This study examines Hicaz Yolları from two key perspectives. First, it compares Barut’s chosen route with the historical Ottoman hajj route, highlighting key service areas and stopovers. Second, it explores the literary value of Barut’s work and its significance in contemporary Turkish literature. Ultimately, this study reveals that Barut’s travelogue not only kept the memory of traditional hajj pilgrimages alive, but also revived a fading tradition in an era dominated by modern means of transportation. Full article

This chapter will focus on the presence of musical notation in literary texts, their aesthetic, (inter-)medial presence and potentialities, in paradigmatic Modern short stories such as Katherine Mansfield’s “The Wind Blows” (1915), Virginia Woolf’s “The String Quartet” (1921) and Vladimir Nabokov’s “Music” (1932). What these stories share is a perception of music as sonorous moving forms, symbolic imagery or seemingly ‘dancing’ musical notation on the page. In introducing the term notational ekphrasis, I wish to differentiate these phenomena as overt and covert for the larger theory of intermediality. In doing so, I will show how these narratives negotiate musical notation, writing and iconicity. Full article

Turfgrass has evolved from a fundamental element of natural landscapes to a key component of ornamental, recreational, and ecological systems. This review examines its historical trajectory, from ancient civilizations and medieval monastic gardens to modern urban green spaces, highlighting cultural, technological, and environmental influences. The study integrates historical analysis with agronomic and ecological research to assess turfgrass’s role in soil conservation, carbon sequestration, water management, and biodiversity enhancement. The methodological approach combines a historical–literary review with an analysis of scientific advancements in turfgrass management, focusing on low-input species, precision irrigation, and climate-adaptive strategies. The findings indicate that while turfgrass contributes to urban resilience and ecosystem services, conventional high-maintenance practices pose sustainability challenges. The review underscores the need for multifunctional turfgrass systems that balance aesthetics with ecological benefits. A shift toward eco-friendly management practices will be essential for the long-term sustainability of turfgrass in modern landscapes. Full article

In 1802, Friedrich Hölderlin experienced his first mental breakdown, which was followed by a second one in 1805. On 15th September 1806, he was admitted to the clinic of Johann Heinrich Ferdinand von Autenrieth in Tübingen who addressed Hölderlin’s illness as “madness” (“Wahnsinn”). On 3rd May 1807, the poet was discharged as “incurable” (“unheilbar”). Until his death on 7th June 1843, he was cared for by the carpenter Ernst Zimmer. From the period between 1807 and 1843, 50 poems by Hölderlin have been preserved, in German studies known as the “Turmdichtung” (“tower poetry”). These poems have long been relegated to the margins of scholarly research. In my essay, I will discuss the modern and contemporary diagnoses, as well as Hölderlin’s literary (self-) therapy of his illness. I am suggesting that Hölderlin’s tower poetry contains a thera-peutic–poetic concept that is intended to serve the treatment of his illness. Full article

Literary works of contemporary Australian Aboriginal writers are widely read for their engagement with expressions of resilience and resistance against colonial supremacy. But these works have a greater significance in modern times, as they carry forward the Aboriginal cultural traditions of caring for the country (an Aboriginal concept that comprises people, their culture, and all living and non-living entities in a place, including the land) and in vocalising the concerns that arise from grief for the loss of the natural environment. This paper investigates how Alexis Wright, in her postmillennial novels Carpentaria (2006) and The Swan Book (2013), redefines dominant ethical and aesthetic frameworks and tries to delineate ecoethics in these novels through a critical analysis of the representation of relationality and interconnectedness between Aboriginal people and their natural environment. By exploring the Aboriginal belief system as represented in the texts and its role in shaping Aboriginal environmental values, this paper argues that Carpentaria and The Swan Book embody ecoethics and offer a reimagining of deep ecological perspectives in contemporary literature. Full article

This study provides an analysis, text, and translation of satire III.1 from Thomas Naogeorgus’s Satyrarum libri quinque priores (1555), which offers a vivid neo-Latin poetic depiction of the fall of Satan and his followers. It situates Naogeorgus’s work within the tradition of early modern satire and epic, exploring its alignment with theological discourse and its engagement with classical and Biblical motifs. Through a close reading of the text, this article identifies significant thematic and stylistic parallels with John Milton’s Paradise Lost. While acknowledging the limitations of asserting direct literary influence, it highlights Naogeorgus’s unique contributions to the broader literary tradition of Christian epic poetry. The paper calls for greater scholarly attention to Naogeorgus’s oeuvre, emphasizing its value beyond mere comparative analyses, as a distinctive voice in Reformation humanist verse. By providing a translation and commentary, this work aims to promote further studies of neo-Latin literature and its complex interplay with theological and literary traditions. Full article

The interdisciplinary study of Daoism and literature can be broadly categorized into three main approaches: analyzing literary works as sources of Daoist material, examining Daoist scriptures as literary texts, and exploring the influence of Daoist beliefs on writers. This paper proposes a new perspective that complements these existing frameworks: by examining Daoist scriptures, we can better assess whether certain literary expressions or rhetorical devices were innovative or simply widespread conventions among writers of a particular period. Using the works of Lu Xiujing 陸修靜 (406–477 CE) as a case study, this paper builds on Haun Saussy’s argument that the use of “fragrance” as a rhetorical device to modify virtue—often surprising to modern scholars—was, in fact, a familiar trope for ancient Chinese writers. However, the paper critiques Saussy’s reliance on the works of the famous poet Qu Yuan 屈原 (c. 342–278 BCE) as evidence. Unlike Qu Yuan, who was primarily a literary figure, Lu Xiujing, as a Daoist scholar, frequently employed metaphors related to smell and taste to express abstract moral or doctrinal concepts. For Lu and his contemporaries, such expressions were not regarded as remarkable literary techniques but rather as conventional modes of discourse. This suggests that, at least in early medieval China, such rhetorical usage among writers was not seen as novel but as commonplace. Full article

In this essay, we examine how the polyvalence of meaning in Kafka’s texts is engineered both semantically (on the narrative level) and syntactically (on the linguistic level), and we ask whether a computational approach can shed new light on the long-standing debate about the major characteristics of Kafka’s literary style. A mixed-method approach means that we seek out points of connection that interlink traditional humanist (i.e., interpretative) and computational (i.e., quantitative) methods of investigation. Following the introduction, the second section of our article provides a critical overview of the existing scholarship from both a humanist and a computational perspective. We argue that the main methodological difference between traditional humanist and AI-enhanced computational studies of Kafka’s literary style lies not in the use of statistics but in the new interpretative possibilities enabled by AI methods to explore stylistic features beyond the scope of human comprehension. In the third and fourth sections of our article, we will introduce our own stylometric approach to Kafka, detail our methods, and interpret our findings. Rather than focusing on training an AI model capable of accurately attributing authorship to Kafka, we examine whether AI could help us detect significant stylistic differences between the writing Kafka himself published during his lifetime (Kafka Core) and his posthumous writings edited and published by Max Brod. Full article

The concept of intertextuality often remains a catchphrase for many different phenomena, but it is really a crucially important concept involving all narrative processes from the past to the present. What writer would not borrow from a plethora of sources, whether s/he does it deliberately or unconsciously? In fact, we could identify literature as an infinite fabric of narrative threads, and the more closely we examine a literary work, and the denser its composition, the more we can recognize the essential weave it is composed of. This can be powerfully illustrated in the case of the many different narratives involving the water nixie Undine (or Melusine), who was already popular in the Middle Ages, then was discussed in the sixteenth century, subsequently entered the fantasy of Romantic writers, and has most recently become the subject of a major modern movie. The cultural-historical arc from the past to the present powerfully demonstrates the fundamental working of intertextuality on both the vertical and horizontal axes. Writing, whether creative or factual, constantly operates within a web of narrative exchanges. On this basis, we are on firm ground when we claim that ancient or medieval literature is just as important for us today as nineteenth- or twentieth-century literature as a source of inspiration and influence, shaping both our worldview and value system and this through an intertextual chain of narratives. Of course, we move (hopefully) forward in our own time, but many of the analytic tools available to us are historically grounded. Full article

Bridging the horrors of the Black American experience with the literary legacies of the postfeminist Gothic, Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country comments on the deformation of time and space for Black women. Reflecting the historic preoccupation of the Gothic with the social anxieties of gender and sexuality, many of Lovecraft Country’s chapters center on economically or socially mobile Black women and respond to the contemporary conditions of the postfeminist Gothic and intersectional discourses of race, class, and gender. In the end, Lovecraft Country signals White patriarchal colonial geography as weird and represents its Black women characters as figuratively undead modern subjects due to intersectional oppression. Full article

Jason Allen-Paisant in Self-Portrait as Othello moves unflinchingly through complex histories and genealogies that widen to include Jamaica, Venice, Italy, France, and elsewhere and to locate the duppy manifestations of an unburied past in the pervasive precariousness of Black life. Across his poems, he tracks the chaotic reverberations of intergenerational traumas that persist across time, space and collective memory. This paper contends that the poet, through his use of allusion evident in his grafting and borrowings of other stories, literary syncretism, the symbolism of foreignness and its mysterious power, back and forth journeys through Europe and into homelands (Jamaica), procures an integrated circuit of Black meaning and kindred relations. This interconnectedness lays bare the sociohistorical conditions that have and continue to circumscribe and assault Black lives and deconstructs the perpetuity of anti-Black systems in the modern Western world. For all his worldly travels, the poet-narrator situates himself in an interstitial zone where each crossroad leads to new possibilities and affirmative energy. Allen-Paisant thus offers a way to reconcile a vicious history of Black xenophobia while procuring moments and processes to make peace with rupturous spaces, which necessitates a return to his homeland. However, homecoming complicates the search for self and the idea of return draws him into a dialogue with the fragmented inheritances of his past. He ultimately achieves coherence and fresh understandings through images of sterility and barrenness which he re-purposes as a foundation to make bold leaps of faith across uncertain chasms. This paper thus argues that for the poet of the African diaspora, who aspires to recover a long and complex spiritual history, the interface between domestic and international dramas highlights the luminous transcendence embodied in the journey along complicated routes and the steadfast pursuit of ideas that illuminate the deepest insights about identity, culture and the Black experience. Full article

To understand the topic of old age in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, we can draw much information from relevant literary texts among other sources because the poets operated with general notions commonly subscribed to by their audiences. Old people appear in many different roles already in the pre-modern world, but here the focus will rest mostly on worthy, dignified, mighty, and even ferocious old warriors in heroic poetry. Those stand out because of their strength, their knowledge, their resolve, their wisdom, and their extensive and varied abilities, but this does not automatically mean that they were flawless. To round off this entry, the attention will finally turn to remarkable examples of old but highly respected people in the verse narratives by the German poet Heinrich Kaufringer, in Boccaccio’s Decameron, a harbinger of the Italian Renaissance, in Christine de Pizan’s didactic writings, and in the Old Norse Njál’s Saga. Full article

Rudolf Fuchs (1890–1942) was an influential figure in Prague’s early 20th-century literary scene as well as an intermediary between German and Czech literature at a time of intense social and political transformation. This study places Fuchs’ work within the broader context of his period, underscoring his significant, yet often overlooked, contributions to cultural mediation. The methods employed in this study include a detailed examination of Fuchs’ literary output and translations, alongside an analysis of his correspondence with contemporaries, to trace the evolution of his thinking from an initial alignment with Expressionism to a strong commitment to socialism. The results highlight Fuchs’ role in enhancing intercultural understanding, revealing how his translations and personal ideologies shaped the literary landscape of German–Czech relations. The study asserts the enduring relevance of Fuchs’ endeavors, particularly in the modern European sociopolitical climate. It also yields insights into the management of cultural diversity and ideological conflicts, as well as the upholding of social values amidst political volatility. Full article