Literature

11 pages, 266 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Lisa Hopkins

Literature 2022, 2(3), 189-199; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030016 - 6 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1430

This essay considers various ways in which St George, an important figure in mummers’ plays before the Protestant Reformation, remained a presence in drama and popular entertainment long after one would have expected him to have disappeared. It notes his importance in the [...] Read more.

This essay considers various ways in which St George, an important figure in mummers’ plays before the Protestant Reformation, remained a presence in drama and popular entertainment long after one would have expected him to have disappeared. It notes his importance in the agricultural calendar, his strong association with fireworks, his popular designation as a specifically English saint, and some of the customs traditionally observed on his feast day of 23 April. It then moves on to consider some of the plays in which he is mentioned or alluded to, including works by Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Beaumont, and John Fletcher, as well as a romance by Richard Johnson that was later dramatized, and culminates with references in three plays produced by members of the Cavendish family of Bolsover and Welbeck. It argues that referring to St George offered a way of talking about Englishness even when (perhaps especially when) that concept was contested, and also suggests that the legendary folk hero Guy of Warwick, presented in some texts as the son of St George, could sometimes act as a dramatic proxy for the saint. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Times They Are A-changin’: Temporal Shifts in Early Modern Drama)

10 pages, 245 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Women and Nature: An Ecofeminist Reading of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus

by Nigus Michael Gebreyohannes and Abiye Daniel David

Literature 2022, 2(3), 179-188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030015 - 1 Sep 2022

Viewed by 7378

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore ecofeminist issues in Chimamanda Nagozi Adichie’s novel Purple Hibiscus. It examines the connections between women and nature as well as how unjustified patriarchal domination and Christianity impact these groups as well as indigenous people. [...] Read more.

The purpose of this research is to explore ecofeminist issues in Chimamanda Nagozi Adichie’s novel Purple Hibiscus. It examines the connections between women and nature as well as how unjustified patriarchal domination and Christianity impact these groups as well as indigenous people. A close reading of the novel was conducted in order to select extracts that demonstrate ecofeminist issues. Then, textual analysis was adopted to analyze the selected extracts. Thus, based on the analysis made, the novel shows strong interaction between women and the natural environment. The main character, Kambili, perceives nature as a symbol of hope, freedom, and impressiveness. In contrast, she represents nature as a foreshadowing of chaos and loss of life. The other issue stated in the novel is the women’s skill in nurturing plants and flowers. The novel claims that Aunty Ifeoma is knowledgeable and skillful when it comes to gardening. Additionally, Kambili’s mother is characterized as an excellent gardener who enjoys caring for the plants and flowers in her garden. Moreover, women are portrayed in the novel as the ones who harvest and produce agricultural goods. Finally, Purple Hibiscus illustrates how the patriarchal system and Christianity have led to an unjustified domination of nature and humans based on gender, religion, class, and tradition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Literature, Climate Crises, and Pandemics)

10 pages, 255 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Marginalization of Sundarbans’ Marichjhapi: Ecocriticism Approaches in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide and Deep Halder’s Blood Island

by Camellia Biswas and Sharada Channarayapatna

Literature 2022, 2(3), 169-178; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030014 - 12 Aug 2022

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Abstract

The article identifies the Sundarbans landscape as a ‘marginal scape’ in the context of the Marichjhapi Massacre of 1979. It applies the conservationist vs. environmental (in)justice approach of ecocriticism to Amitava Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide and Deep Halder’s Blood Island: An Oral History [...] Read more.

The article identifies the Sundarbans landscape as a ‘marginal scape’ in the context of the Marichjhapi Massacre of 1979. It applies the conservationist vs. environmental (in)justice approach of ecocriticism to Amitava Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide and Deep Halder’s Blood Island: An Oral History of Marichjhapi Massacre. It relates the idea of environmental discrimination and injustice based on caste to the misallocation of the ‘Commons’. For the Marichjhapi Dalit Refugees, the Sundarbans landscape and its ecological attributes become an essential medium in reconstructing their layered identity after migrating from Bangladesh to Sundarbans, which becomes marginalized. The paper argues that the management of environmental resources/landscapes has always been in the hands of the rich, entwined with Brahminical hegemony, who try to impose political geography over ecological systems to suppress the dispossessed. It concludes by comprehending that any justice-based approach (here, social and environmental) still favours non-human beings and ends up causing a multi-layered crisis for marginalized human populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Literature, Climate Crises, and Pandemics)

15 pages, 273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Ongoing Womanist Buddhist Project: Reading between the Times

by Chera Jo Watts

Literature 2022, 2(3), 154-168; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030013 - 3 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1948

Abstract

This article challenges the dominant Christian-centered approach to Black religious life by exploring contemporary Womanist Buddhist and Black Buddhist practice, writing, and thought alongside writings of early East Asian Buddhist nuns, noting similarities, differences, and the intersections among and between these written accounts. [...] Read more.

This article challenges the dominant Christian-centered approach to Black religious life by exploring contemporary Womanist Buddhist and Black Buddhist practice, writing, and thought alongside writings of early East Asian Buddhist nuns, noting similarities, differences, and the intersections among and between these written accounts. “Reading Between the Times” signals the ongoing nature of this project, and this particular paper draws heavily upon Kathryn Ann Tsai’s 1994 translation Lives of the Nuns: Biographies of Chinese Buddhist Nuns from the Fourth to Sixth Centuries along with several Womanist and/or Black Buddhist voices, such as Faith Adiele, Melanie Harris, bell hooks, Layli Maparyan, Carolyn Jones Medine, Alice Walker, reverend angel Kyodo williams, Jan Willis, and Pamela Ayo Yetunde. Rather than make definitive claims, this paper becomes curious with initial observations surrounding authorial voice, intersections of race/gender/class within a particular temporal space, “legitimacy” questions, and others—and, of course, invites more work in the future. Deploying an engaged Buddhist pedagogy to inform mindful scholarship, this paper reminds us that we have more commonalities than oppressive systems often admit or acknowledge, and it concludes with a call to action. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality, Identity and Resistance in African American Literature)

8 pages, 246 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Telling the Story of the (Female) Body: Metaphorical Narratives of the Thyroid Gland

by Amy Lee

Literature 2022, 2(3), 146-153; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030012 - 18 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1684

Abstract

One of the mysteries of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the metaphorical language it uses in describing conditions of the body. The human body is seen as an integrated system operating within the larger context of the natural system. Illnesses are therefore the [...] Read more.

One of the mysteries of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the metaphorical language it uses in describing conditions of the body. The human body is seen as an integrated system operating within the larger context of the natural system. Illnesses are therefore the results of imbalance within the individual system, and/or an imbalance between the individual system and the external natural system, which is very different from western medicine’s more localized and focused attention given to specific organs. This article looks at the TCM’s narrative of the thyroid (gland) and how this presents a different imagination as well as treatment of the related illnesses. Although western medicine relies on figures for indicating thyroid health, and surgery (or thyroid-targeted medication) as main measures of treatment, TCM refers to a holistic picture of the patient’s wellness to diagnose and treat thyroid conditions. This article is a first-person narrative of a middle-aged female who found herself in the extraordinary position of having visible thyroid swellings, and yet all of the vital signs were within healthy parameters. Visits to TCM clinics empowered the narrator with an alternative framework to understand and experience the body, and a refocus on life habits and emotional practices. Full article

6 pages, 913 KiB

Open AccessBook Review

Climate Change, PTSD, and Cultural Studies. Book Review: Robinson (2020). The Ministry for the Future: A Novel. London: Orbit. ISBN: 978-0316300162

by Jerome F. A. Bump

Literature 2022, 2(3), 140-145; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030011 - 12 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1635

Abstract

This novel demonstrates how we can face our current crises avoiding both denial and despair. A plausible, positive ending makes this not only a very unusual book in this genre, but probably the most important book you should read on this subject. While [...] Read more.

This novel demonstrates how we can face our current crises avoiding both denial and despair. A plausible, positive ending makes this not only a very unusual book in this genre, but probably the most important book you should read on this subject. While there are many interludes and side plots, the focus is on Frank, an American aid worker suffering from heat-wave PTSD, and Mary, the director of the Ministry for the Future, an organization created by the Paris Agreement to advocate for future generations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Literature, Climate Crises, and Pandemics)

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16 pages, 264 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Thornton Wilder and Arthur Miller: A Brief History of Time, Space, and Matter

by Salvatore Talluto

Literature 2022, 2(3), 124-139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030010 - 11 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1897

Abstract

While many literary theories focus on materialistic concerns, less frequently have these theories focused on the spiritual matters arising from such concerns. A cosmological interpretive strategy focuses on such spiritual and cosmic themes rather than ignoring them. This essay’s analysis will focus on [...] Read more.

While many literary theories focus on materialistic concerns, less frequently have these theories focused on the spiritual matters arising from such concerns. A cosmological interpretive strategy focuses on such spiritual and cosmic themes rather than ignoring them. This essay’s analysis will focus on using a cosmological interpretive strategy to analyze Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Arthur Miller’s The Man Who Had All the Luck. This strategy will reveal that, rather than merely being focused on spatial and material concerns, these texts also demonstrate a concern with our relationships with nature and the wider cosmos. Through their narratives, both Wilder and Miller address the passage of time and the questions of agency which occur when thinking about time. This analysis will demonstrate how these stories deny economic and historical determinism in favor of an interdependency between humans and the wider cosmos. These texts help reveal reality as a set of interconnected narratives and histories that include each individual, the societies around that individual, nature around those societies, and the wider cosmos within which everything exists. Full article

18 pages, 9493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aeschylus at the Origin of Philosophy: Emanuele Severino’s Interpretation of the Aeschylean Tragedies

by Paolo Pitari

Literature 2022, 2(3), 106-123; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/literature2030009 - 4 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2761

Abstract

The late Emanuele Severino (1929–2020) was an Italian philosopher whose work on Aeschylus has not yet been made available in English. In Il giogo: alle origini della ragione: Eschilo (The Yoke: At the Origins of Reason: Aeschylus, 1989), Severino seeks to [...] Read more.

The late Emanuele Severino (1929–2020) was an Italian philosopher whose work on Aeschylus has not yet been made available in English. In Il giogo: alle origini della ragione: Eschilo (The Yoke: At the Origins of Reason: Aeschylus, 1989), Severino seeks to demonstrate that Aeschylus belongs amongst the founders of philosophy, i.e., that Aeschylus was the first to set down some of philosophy’s most fundamental principles, including that ontological becoming produces unbearable suffering and that the only remedy to suffering is knowledge of the truth. Thus, by introducing readers to Severino’s interpretation, and by translating various passages of his work, this article aims to enlarge Severino’s readership and spread his argument for the philosophical stature of Aeschylus. Full article

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Literature, Volume 2, Issue 3 (September 2022) – 8 articles

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