Search

The widely renowned and exhaustively researched Kashmiri-American diasporic poet, Agha Shahid Ali, has received acclaim for his portrayal of themes such as loss, longing for the homeland, nostalgia, hyphenated identity, hybridity, and dislocation, among others. However, within the purview of new historicism, this paper intends to examine the interplay of literature, culture, and history. Using Clifford Geertz's framework of "thick description," the paper analyzes Agha's poetry as a cultural artifact with ethnographic value. Through a semiotic analysis of select poems based on Bakhtin's notion of chronotopes, the paper aims to unravel themes of fragmented identity, cultural memorialization, and the preservation of imaginary homelands. The paper also attempts to explore that Agha Shahid Ali, actively engaged with the socio-political turmoil in his homeland. He sought to reconcile the tensions between different traditions and religious communities, envisioning a personal utopia rooted in his privileged position. His poetry reflects his historical context, facilitating a symbolic exchange between the fragments of Kashmiri culture. Through intertextual references, religious symbols, and social emblems, Ali constructs a significant and experimental narrative about Kashmir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of animals in literature has long been dominated by anthropocentric perspectives that prioritize human experiences and values. Animals were relegated to metaphors and narrative accessories, neglecting their inherent rights and treating them primarily as reflections of human qualities. This paper examines the works of contemporary American poets Louise Glück and Mary Oliver, focusing on how their selected poems reconsider conventional anthropocentric patterns of animal representations in poetry. The analysis centers on the poets' strategies to blur rigid boundaries between the human-animal divide by challenging conventional depictions where animals are frequently assigned peripheral roles. The study explores how these poems cultivate powerful connections with the natural world, fostering a sense of communion and interconnectedness with nature. Additionally, the research highlights the deliberate efforts by the poets to reconfigure hierarchies, challenge value dualisms, and question anthropocentric narratives that sanction oppression. Lastly, the paper contributes to the broader discourse on ecocritical thought, enriching discussions on literature and environmental activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folklore is one of the core cultural values in traditional societies and writers who are conscious of its aesthetic relevance deploy it in their creative works. Folktale elicits imagery which underscores the relationship of humanity with nature and mythical elements. Writers exploit this relationship to establish traditionalism and pursue revolutionary vision in their works. Anyidoho uses his affiliation to, and understanding of, the Ewe cultural (one of the traditional societies in Ghana) milieu to comment on issues that are germane to the existence of the people in A Harvest of Our Dreams: With Elegy for the Revolution. The is paper, through examination of some of the poems in the collection with Raymond Williams's Cultural Materialism revealed that the poet, with poetic devices, uses folklore and traditional images to advocate for revolution in his society. The paper comes to the conclusion that the poems in the collection are replete with folklore and traditional imagery, which the poet deploys with poetic essence to satirise failings in his society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the assertion of gender difference and gender identity in contemporary Romanian feminist poetry, taking the works of Medeea Iancu, Iuliana Lungu, Mădălina Oprea, and Nóra Ugron as its starting point. This study will underline recurring thematic patterns, highlighting the priority awarded, within these poetry collections, to matters pertaining to textuality, as well as to the peripheral position of women writers within the literary field. As a result of the uneven development of Eastern Europe's women's movement(s) during the postcommunist transition, Romanian feminism can be described as a synthesis between Second- and Third Wave feminist themes (Miroiu), namely as having haphazardly imported both issues pertaining to "difference-" and to intersectional feminism. The emphasis local feminist poets place on positing difference, as well as on embracing a fluid identity, has motivated the usage of a theoretical framework based on the concepts of "sexual/gender difference", and justified the attempt of linking these literary projects to the tradition of so-called "French post-structuralist feminism". Lastly, this study proposes an overview of the possible political relevance that "neomaterialist" (Braidotti) strands of feminism may hold today, as well as an outline of some of the limitations that they pose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Born and bred in the Western lands in the context of ecological crisis and feminist movement in the 1970s, ecofeminism views men's rule over women and human's rule over nature as two aspects of the same issue, and believes that there is an inherent connection between them. By criticizing the oppressive status of women and nature, and eliminating the dualism rooted in western patriarchy, ecofeminism aims to promote equality and harmony among all things. Taoism, an ancient Eastern philosophy with a history of thousands of years, also places great emphasis on harmony among individuals, nature, society, and the universe. Its principles of "the unity of man and nature", and balance between "Yin" and "Yang" provide philosophical support for ecofeminism which rejects dualisms and encourages wholeness and harmony. As society and economy develop rapidly, humanity faces a series of crisis, and this paper just intends to combine ecofeminism with Taoism to make an analysis on Louise Glück's poem collection of A Village Life to explore her ecofeminist consciousness and how she advocates the establishment of a diverse but harmonious world without hierarchical differences in her poems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mária Jančová (1908 -- 2003) has been primarily known as the author of children's books. This paper, however, aims to focus on her -- largely overlooked -- poetry. After an initial mapping of the theme of motherhood in Slovak women poets from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, the article takes a look at the phase of Jančová's writing career when she authored poems. Some of these were published in her only collection of poetry, Blahoslavení ([Blessed] 1940, 1968). The article provides a close reading of several poems and comments on the flowing of energy between the movements of the body (external movements and internal processes) and nature, with reference to the notion of "lyrical gestures" as defined by the French literary scholar Dominique Rabaté. It also discusses the image of the bodily connection between the mother and her sick little son and the transmigration of the human element into meteorological phenomena and flowers. The poet's inclination towards the country life connected to the elements and rhythms of life (in this collection) or her confessional-referential poetry of sentiment (present in other poems) may resonate with contemporary readers or inspire theory of the lyric. The essay's theoretical framework is based on the conceptualisation of motherhood in literary studies, philosophy, and art theory, and on theories that connect aesthetics with bodily processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Impossibilia: Revista Internacional de Estudios Literarios is the property of Impossibilia: Revista Internacional de Estudios Literarios and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Recial is the property of Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Centro de Investigaciones, Facultad de Filosofia y Humanidades and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper I test major analytic theories of interpretation, including anti-intentionalism, the value-maximizing theory, actual intentionalism, and hypothetical intentionalism, against Li Shang-yin's poem 'The Ornamented Zither'. I argue that, based on the results of the test, all of these theories face grave difficulties. If their supporters want their accounts to be sustained in the debate over interpretation, they need to address the worries I raise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Literatura Mexicana is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones Filologicas - UNAM and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study focuses on the principal stylistic characteristics of metrical formation and rhyme in the poetry collection of Taysīr Subūl Aḥzān Ṣaḥrāwiyyah ‘Desert Sorrows’. It explores the impact of traditional Arabic metrical forms on articulating the poet's real-life and psychological experiences. The research also delves into the importance of rhyme in fostering a unified emotional flow, maintaining the continuity of events, and culminating the poet's conceptual thoughts. The study concludes that Subūl's selection of classical Arabic meters (Buhur) and their metrical variations significantly contribute to the freedom and fluidity of his expression, enriching the rhythmic and semantic depth of his poetry. The varied application of softened rhyme schemes emerges as a prominent stylistic feature, encouraging readers to ponder over the implications and meanings of his poetic lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Words Like Daggers: The Political Poetry of the Negev Bedouin" is a curated collection of Negev Bedouin poetry that expresses dissent, resilience, and resistance to occupation, forced settlement, and exile. The editor, Kobi Peled, explores the political and historical context of the Bedouin society in the Negev, highlighting the impact of systematic colonial settlement. The collection provides valuable insights into daily life, settler practices, and colonial influences in the region. However, it acknowledges the limitations of the collection, including biases in the selection process and the exclusion of women's poetry. The book is divided into five parts, covering different periods and themes, and includes detailed annotations and interpretations of the poems. It is a valuable resource for researchers interested in war studies, poetry, territorial history, social memory, and refugee studies. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of eHumanista is the property of Professor Antonio Cortijo-Ocana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The First World War blurred the lines between "ordinary" and "literary" writing practices. Many sources corroborate this: necrologies written about poets who died in the act of writing not a poem but rather a letter, or introductions to poetry collections where bereaved families and friends admit they had no knowledge of their loved one's writing practices until they found a journal full of poems after the author's death, which they only published as a posthumous tribute. This article uses examples of French poetry of the Great War to explore this permeability between what is considered war poetry and what is considered war ephemera. The main question it addresses is what changes when we look at the war poems that were initially ephemera or ordinary writing. Whose stories get told when poetry is studied not as literature to be judged as accomplished or failed art but as a way of writing to make sense of the world? It argues that when we choose to read poems as ephemera and from the point of view of a larger anthropology of writing practices, diverse histories emerge and communities who write poetry not only as an artistic pursuit but also as a means of organizing experience and leaving traces behind reclaim ownership over their own narratives. This can challenge the false equivalence between the cultural history of warfare and an intellectual history of the elites at war and includes poetry within paradigmatic shifts that place objects at the centre of mediations of the experience of war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the prominent linguistic features in the poetry collection I Feel Different by the poet Ismail Al-Saudi. It seeks to highlight the role of language and grammar in constructing literary texts and uncovering their aesthetic and intended meanings. The study is divided into four main themes: the empty exception and its significance in the poetry collection, prohibition and command and their significance in the poetry collection, interrogation and its significance in the poetry collection, and justification and its significance in the poetry collection. The introduction provides an overview of the importance of language and its role in literary text interpretation. The study employs both descriptive and analytical approaches to explore the linguistic features. It begins by presenting an overview of the linguistic features as mentioned in language and grammar books. Subsequently, the analytical study reveals the purposes and full meanings of these linguistic features in the poetic verses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay provides a new reading of the debut collection of poems by the experimental poet and conceptual artist Nóra Ružičková (b. 1977). After outlining the way the feminist thought entered Slovak academic and literary discourse in the 1990s, the article conducts a Lacanian reading of chosen elements of the poet's first collection of poems Mikronauti ([Micronauts] 1998). The essay starts from a reading of several of Ružičková's poems published in the Slovak (and Czech) feminist periodical Aspekt (1993 -- 2004) in 1997 and then moves on to discussing the way the collection was read through the prism of feminist theory (Hélène Cixous and her concept of écriture féminine). The article then provides a close reading of a poem addressing the issue of women's writing. The last section of the essay discusses the research of the body and the subject with regards to interiority and exteriority and the visual means of expression in Lacan (topology) and Ružičková who also illustrated her collection of poems. In its concluding remarks, the essay proposes to conceptualise Ružičková's writing as research-based poetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents a critical analysis of the use of paradox in Fadwa Touqan's collection "July and the Other Thing" (tˈamuz walʃɑiʔ alˈʔɑxar). It reveals that the poet willfully employs paradoxes in the collection, including the paradox in the title, which reflects her unique vision. Most of the poems in the collection incorporate various forms of paradox, such as verbal, romantic, dramatic, and motor behaviour paradoxes. The study explores the relationship between the paradox in the title and the other poems, focusing on the dialectic relationship between life and death. The study contributes to the limited body of Arab critical literature dedicated to the theory and practice of paradox in poetry, mainly in the context of Fadwa Touqan's works. Touqan, a prominent Arab poet, constantly used irony as a distinct stylistic feature in her poetry, particularly in "July and the Other Thing". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why does anyone write poetry? Lisel Mueller (1924-2020) was a poet, author, and translator with a long and much-decorated career. She and her family fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and emigrated to the United States, where she would establish herself as a writer. The poem "When I Am Asked" describes the beginning of her journey into poetry, undertaken during a period of grief after the death of her mother. Her writing would come to include nine collections of poetry and myriad accolades, including the 1981 National Book Award and the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Though her ouvre is filled with evocative works, this piece stands out as particularly relevant to physicians and other writers who find solace by expressing themselves through the art of poetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al-Farabi, a prominent Muslim philosopher and thinker of the 4th century Hijri, made significant contributions to the philosophy of art, particularly in the realm of poetry. Al-Farabi's perspective on poetry echoes Aristotle's concept of "Mimesis," which emphasizes the re-creation of observed phenomena rather than mere imitation, resulting in the enjoyment of a new artistic creation. This viewpoint positions literary works as independent phenomena. This article sought to investigate the extent to which Al-Farabi's ideas aligned with formalism, given his influence by Aristotle. Employing a descriptive method and content analysis, the study drew on the insights of Russian Formalists, particularly regarding Mimesis (re-creation), to analyze Al-Farabi's artistic views on poetry. The examination encompassed several works of Al-Farabi, including "An Essay on the Rules of Poetry", "Poetry Collections", "A Treatise on Proportion and Composition", as well as poetic speeches from "Iihsa’ Aleulum", "Ara’ Ahl Almadinat Alfadhila", and "Fusul al-Montazaea". By scrutinizing the perspectives of experts, who considered ancient Greek critics, such as Aristotle, as formalists, alongside the views of Al-Farabi, a prominent figure in Arabic literary criticism, and by delving into Al-Farabi's own works and opinions, it became evident that formalism strongly influenced Al-Farabi's notions regarding the poetry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I focus on Gabeba Baderoon's engagement with nature and the ecological nuances in her poetry. Baderoon is an accomplished South African poet with four poetry collections to date: The Dream in the Next Body (2005), The Museum of Ordinary Life (2005), A hundred silences (2006), and The History of Intimacy (2018). These poetry collections sustain Baderoon's ecofeminist sensibility as she engages with South Africa's ecoenvironmental challenges. In expanding the scope of how ecology impacts on poetry, I strive to illustrate how Baderoon's poetry is intimately bound up with the tropes of environmental humanities, ecofeminism, ecocriticism, and aquapoetics. I interrogate Baderoon's engagement with ecological concerns in South Africa. Previous critical works about her poetry often discount how her poetry creatively harnesses ecopoetic tropes to illustrate the problematics of ecological concerns, climate change, and environmental crises. Rather, they often fixate on the portrayal of racial politics of apartheid as it culminated in the poverty of black people in her poetry. Interestingly, Baderoon does not enforce a strict and total division between these thematic concerns in her poetry collections. I argue in this article that, within the framework of commitment to ecological values, Baderoon explores the relationship between human and non-human agencies in her poetry. Arguably, the conception of human relations with the environment enables Baderoon to advocate for the protection of plants, animals, and water resources for a sustainable ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a poetry collection titled "Lai mi ka si (I am Lai mi)" by Thang C. Lian. The poems reflect on the author's experiences growing up in Burma and their connection to their grandparents. The author explores themes of home, family, and the impact of political turmoil on their homeland. The poems express a sense of loss, grief, and resilience in the face of adversity. The author's personal experiences and emotions are conveyed through vivid imagery and heartfelt language. [Extracted from the article]