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The tremendous interest in multimodality within the field of literacy education has challenged the verbocentric literacy landscape of schools. Research on multimodality in classroom spaces has suggested that combining and juxtaposing multiple sign systems is a generative act of transforming meanings. Yet, attention to entanglements of pedagogy and power has been rare in the research on students' engagement with multimodality. In this article, we complicate the research on the generative potential of children's multimodal sign‐making in school by tracing the ways this process is saturated with power. Using a theoretical mash‐up, performative semiotics, we read a classroom event, situated in a computer lab, in which two kindergartners regarded as successful literacy learners designed digital texts about a bunny that some children reported seeing on a field trip. The multiple meanings of bunny that the children negotiated are theorized as chains of contested sign‐making that are performative. In tracing both sign‐making and performativity, the analysis makes visible the politics of schooled literacy and the way children's performances appear fixed yet are destabilized in their interactions, thus complicating the assumption that multimodality is a generative process that can transform schooled literacy. This analytic mash‐up also focuses attention on the instability of classroom interactions and shows how this provides openings for performing literacy differently even as they remain bound to normalized and naturalized ways of being literate in school. Thus, we argue that claims about multimodality require attention to the way both fixity and instability produces school literacy performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laclos never commissioned illustrations for Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782). Nevertheless, a set of prints destined to be framed and four series of illustrations to accompany editions of the book came out during his lifetime. The artists - not all of whom can be identified - vary in the choice of scenes they represent. There are also two allegorical frontispieces which show that the text can be interpreted as a tragic moral tale. The engravings range from the libertine to the demure, from crudely sketched small plates to exquisitely delineated large prints. They offer precious insights into the contemporary reception of the novel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reads Ingeborg Bachmann's short story 'Ein Schritt nach Gomorrha' (1961), about the encounter between two women, in the light of recent theory concerning temporality, futurity, and failure, especially the work of Lee Edelman and Judith Halberstam. Such a queer reading supplements and extends existing readings of the story as documenting a failed attempt to break free of patriarchal power relations. Seeing the text as either 'positive' or 'negative' in its depiction of lesbian desire and in its assessment of the possibilities of escape or transformation means overlooking the significance of the failure itself, and the ways in which such failure might be instructively perverse. The very failure of the text to lend itself to easy or unproblematic readings is also noteworthy. This analysis suggests that the text is not only 'literary' but itself 'theoretical'. Bachmann's story charts the ambivalences and oscillations inherent in a female subject's negotiation with the Symbolic Order, and bears comparison with Bracha L. Ettinger's theorisation of the 'matrixial'. In particular, the text highlights the failure of the matrixial to emerge, combining a queer challenge to ideals of success and normality with a materialist-feminist emphasis on the female body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In diesem Essay versuche ich, Fontanes oft kommentierte, feinfühlige Handhabung des sozialen Gesprächs als Medium für die Analyse gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse und Tendenzen mit einer unauffälligen aber ganz eindringlichen Bildlichkeit zu verknüpfen, welche seine Romane und besonders den Stechlin immer wieder unterbricht. Gerade das unverhoffte Erfahren von Bildlichkeit und ein hieraus resultierendes, spezifisches 'Bildbewusstsein' wird im Stechlin oft als Ort der Zuflucht vor der banalen Diesseitigkeit und insistenten Relativität des sozialen Gesprächs ('Causerie') erfahren. Allerdings sind Fontanes Bilder weder als verbale Faksimiles einer rein gegenständlichen Welt noch als ekphrastische Varianten des späten Realismus zu verstehen. Vielmehr deutet sich in der Bilderfahrung seiner Romanfiguren eine von jeglichen religiösen (geschweige denn konfessionellen) Inhalten unberührte Rezeptivität für transzendente, zumindest zeitlose Bedeutungen. Besonders im Stechlin kristallisiert sich in der stets unerwarteten Bilderfahrung eine unterschwellige, quasi-säkuläre Mystik heraus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of the book "We" by Evgenii Zamiatin is presented and the utilization of elements of the Order of Freemasonry in the story. It talks about allusions to Masonic symbolism including the depiction of the Benefactor both to a "new Jehovah" and a "white wise Spider" and talks about the place the biblical Tetragrammaton YHWH and spiders have in Masonic beliefs. It presents information on the history, traditions and doctrines of Freemasonry and Zamiatin's use of these elements.

The article discusses the views of Louis-Marie Chauvet on postmodern theology. The views of Chauvet are valuable for both the Catholic and Protestant theologian. The adaption of symbolic exchange of Chauvet to language allows to consider what it means for subjects to have a meaningful exchange with one another in the realm of the sign. According to Chauvet, language is the light that mediates the truth of the word.

This article discuses the interpretation of "Gumms of Glutenous Heat," a line from the poem "Mask" written by John Milton. It states that about sixteen authors have given their interpretations on the line that referred to some secretion or fluid. It also states that the line 917 had brought no critical attention for the first 335 years until author John Carey in 1969 wrote that the line brings to mind the sexual expression of the poet.

The article presents a translation of the essay "Conquering Cities and 'Conquering' Women: A Contribution to the Understanding of Symbolism in Poetry" by Otto Rank, as well as an introduction by the translator. The essay cites references from poetry and folklore to show the use of sexual conquest metaphors in writing of war. It cites examples from antiquity showing an actual association of rape of women with conquest of cities. The introduction notes that Rank meant to illustrate the importance of symbolism and the existence of a sadistic or mastery drive as part of libido. It notes that sexual metaphors for war are used to make war seem sexy. It further notes that men who are taught to fight but not to love import aggression into erotic relationships, which destroys mutuality.

The article is the first study of its kind to analyze the mythical strata in the early verse of Stefan George (1868–1933) in the context of French and international Symbolism. Parallels are drawn primarily with the work of Moréas and Heredia, whose inspiration was vital for George in his pioneering adaptation of the French Symbolist credo to German poetry. A close comparison of George's verse with that of the two French poets is further illuminated by references to the painting of Moreau and Böcklin. The article innovatively employs such conceptual tools as syncretism and mytheme to shed light on the inner workings of George's poetic procedure, uncovering a dialectical struggle between chaos and harmony that underlies his verse and shapes his Symbolist method. In a broader context, the article helps to understand the ways in which George's work re-defined German poetry at the dawn of the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Francis Drake's return from his circumnavigation in 1580 left surprisingly few marks in the writings of his contemporaries, but an early and generally overlooked religious allegory, the Wandering Knight (1581), contains a dedication to Drake. The dedication assimilates Drake to the questing knight who is the main character of the allegory, but also imagines him as the protagonist of a classical heroic epic and as a Christian pilgrim. However, for the translator of the work and the author of the preface, respectively a merchant and instrument-maker, Drake's spiritual-chivalric quest also becomes an emblem of a social climb. Drake's knighting by the Queen acts as a consecration of the aspirations of a newly emergent social group of merchant-adventurers, and his voyage becomes a symbol for the possibilities for social, economic as well as spiritual transformation offered by the voyages of exploration. The richly significant interdependence of spiritual and socio-economic factors constructed by the dedication anticipates later arguments advanced by the likes of Hakluyt and Purchas. Thus, the Wandering Knight becomes a revealing and important work not only for assessing contemporary popular reception of Drake's achievements, but may be seen as introducing a number of conceptions and images that were to shape England's later experience of exploration and colonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the nightingale and its artistic role in the poetry of John Milton. It states that the nightingale became Milton's self-portrait as an artist. It notes that his representation of the nightingale in his literary pieces was labeled by imaginative freedom, emotional strength, and identification of being informal. Milton works that represented by the nightingale include "Carmina Elegia," "Il Penseroso," and "A Maske."

This article focuses on mouse and their prolific reproduction apparent in classical and modern description of mice, anxiety manifested and theories on how they reproduce. It notes how mouse, mice, rats and other vermin creatures function as intensifiers to a story in literature. It features several authors which include Aristotle, Thomas Coryate, and John Milton that used mouse as description on their works.

This article reflects on the beliefs and symbolism of the lamb. The lamb's role in some literary works are associated to Christian symbolism. Although the term "Sacrificial Lamb" is commonly used in some religious articles, the animal has various meanings according to its liturgical tradition. The metaphoric lamb symbolizes divine omnipotence.

This article proposes an interpretation of Friedrich Schlegel's critical essay ‘Über Goethes Meister’ (1798). Conspicuously subjecting Goethe's classical Bildungsroman to what we may term a ‘deconstructive’ reading ante terminem, Schlegel's famous review may be interpreted as an underplayed Romantic refutation of Goethe's Classicist aesthetics. Advancing a daring allegorical interpretation of the novel's central concept of Bildung– not just referring to ‘formation’ in the delimited social and educational sense, but also to ‘formation’ as the infinite principle of aesthetic creation, the inexhaustible source of art – Schlegel claims the literary text's deviation from the author's official aesthetic programme, the organic aesthetics of the symbol, and provocatively inserts it into a transcendental allegorical aesthetics. He thereby ultimately turns Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, the emblem of the secular bourgeois novel, into a paradigm of the Romantic work of art as progressive Universalpoesie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mystery play "Jour du Jugement," dating from the XIVth century deals with the Apocalypse, therefore with the arriving of the Antichrist and the Last Judgement. It is a text of 2800 lines (2438 lines preserved), but which must be played by no fewer than 94 characters or groups of characters. The chosen setting must have been that of a round theater, with six mansions or places. In the middle of this "magic circle" is located the Cemetery, this is illustrative of the importance of the theme of death. The article examines several traits which could be interpreted as signs revealing a conscience – or an allegorical imagination. It is the strange character of the "bad bishop" that encourages above all an allegorical interpretation of seeing the mystery of Psychomachia, that is to say a battle between Good and Evil for the soul of Man at the moment of death. The other text of the codex, the Testimony of Jean de Meun, is presented and commented on, and the conclusion establishes a possible relationship between the mystery play "Jour du Jugement" and the allegorical play "Plait de l'Evesque et de Droit" by Jean le Court dit Brisebare. [TRANSLATION]

This article focuses on the representation of the ant in the poetry of John Milton. Milton signifies the ant with the virtue of parsimony and magnanimity and likens it to the frugality and self-government of the state. The ant is also associated with wisdom, industriousness, productivity and security.

This article focuses on the representation of the bear in the poetry of John Milton. The bear in Milton's works signifies rather not the cruelty and ferocity of rebels but that of the rapaciousness of the state in executing justice. In his juxtaposition "Kids: Bears," Milton also represents the bear as not having carnivorous instincts.

This article focuses on the representation of the crane in the poetry of John Milton. Milton associates the crane with admirable prudence, discipline and vigilance. His poetry also attributes the bird's quality of intelligence and cooperation. He ignores the symbolic use often associated with its neck, which, accordingly is an emblem for gluttony.

Sieben gegen Thebennearly became the most controversial production in the Berliner Ensemble's history when Manfred Karge and Matthias Langhoff transformed it into an allegory of the Warsaw Pact's suppression of the Prague Spring. Their adaptation exploited the many fortuitous parallels between Aeschylus's play and recent international events, and culminated in a new ending in which the chorus castigated its failure to speak out against‘rechtlose Herrschaft’ and foreign invasion. The protracted conflict over the script and staging– waged both outside and inside the company– illuminates reactions to the Prague Spring and reveals how theatre censorship actually operated: as a curious mixture of the personal and the bureaucratic, as a system that was formidable but not invincible. Indeed, the very means by whichSieben gegen Thebenwas censored suggest how GDR theatre may, on occasion, have been able to function as an ersatz political forum: if directors proceeded more tactically, used more challenging forms to evade the censors, created a stronger relationship with their spectators and, crucially, had the support of all their colleagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines Russian writer Anton Chekhov's repeated use of the archetypal motif of the hero's descent or katabasis in his writings. Texts in which the descent motif is both manifest and central; Surfacings of the katabatic subtext in Chekhov's writings on Sakhalin Island; Demonic underworld of Slavic folklore in some of Chekhov's works; Descent of Theseus and his slaying of the Minotaur in `Ariadne'.

In adapting Theodor Fontane's novel Effi Briest to the screen, Rainer Werner Fassbinder introduced symbols to suggest the unspoken thoughts and feelings of the characters, underlying conflicts, and later developments. Sets, props, clothing, even a musical theme, are enlisted in the story-telling process. Many of the symbols appear repeatedly in the film, always conveying the same basic meaning as in their first appearance. Thus the physical world presented on the screen becomes an articulate companion to the verbal dialogue and the narration by means of voice-overs and intertitles. The symbolism, engaging both the eye and the ear, adds interest and depth to the film and attests to the meticulous care that Fassbinder took in bringing the novel to the screen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article critiques the novel "The Twyborn Affair," by Patrick White, which reflects the author's involvement with the profundities of human existence and with metaphysical values. Topics addressed include the theme of a transvestite's search for emotional identity, examination of the plot construction, and its allusions to the medieval Greek epic of "Digenes Akrites."

The article critiques the later novels of Ronald Firbank, focusing on "Inclinations." Topics addressed include the revelation of "Inclinations" of total independence from virtually all previously-established techniques of narrative rhetoric, the symbolic implications of the work, and Firbank's intense aestheticism and overtly homosexual thematic features.

Explores the novel "The Secret Agent," by Joseph Conrad. Symbolism of the piano in the story; Representation of the symbols of identity in the novel; Illustration of the character of parody of the conventional detective thriller in the story.

Explores the works of poet John Montague. Publication of the book "The Rough Field"; Illustration of symbolism in his works; Themes used in his poetry.

Focuses on the characters in the novel "Lord Jim." Transformations made by the German Captain of Patna; Symbolisms represented in the book; Details of the fictional images illustrated in the story that appears through the reflector of character Marlow's imagination.

Discusses literary symbolisms in the novel "Death in Venice." Encounter of the immediate ambiguities of freedom; Imagery of disease; Combination of life and death in alternating visions of swamp and tiger.

Explores the use of symbolic writing in the novel "Dr. Zhivago." by Function of symbolist writing; Embodiment of human consciousness in all its facets; Comparison of the novel with the activist doctrine resembling official Marxist and Communist attitudes.

Discusses the topics of analogy and intention as they apply to the symbolic exegeses of James Joyce's book "Dubliners,". Possibility of making generalizations about the various interpretations of the book without being too misleading; Examination of the role and construction of analogies in symbolic exegeses to throw light on their role in the symbolism of other works.

Discusses the symbolism in the works of Henry James. Understanding of most of the titles written after 1900 on the symbolic level; Different levels and types of symbols revealed by the titles of James' later works; Comparison with the symbolism of Nathaniel Hawthorne; Intensity of James' exploration of the human mind; Influence of the novels of Gabriele D'Annunzio.

The distinction between allegory and some other mode, usually seen as more authentic and more reputable, has attained the status of a dogma from the Romantic age on. The term opposed to allegory is not always Nonesuch Blake's vision. Symbol or symbolism is the opposite most employed by later criticism. C. S. Lewis in his book "The Allegory of Love," draws a similar contrast between allegory on the one hand, and symbolism or sacramentalism on the other. Ultimately, symbolism as generally described is compatible only with some kind of belief in the supernatural, or at least some kind of idealism. For the materialist there is no invisible or eternal world that the object could be a symbol of.

The article discusses the symbol of the naked new-born babe in literature and art. Topics addressed include contemplation of the image in William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth," the depiction of such images in religious paintings of the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries; and the subject as uniquely associated with compassion or pity.

This article focuses on the characterization of the brain-worm in the literature according to John Milton. Brain-worm, for Milton, is associated with the ignorance with the rules of the argument. By labeling his opponent of being a brain-worm, Milton is implying that the opponent is a mad whim who easily sets off uncontrollably in an argument.

This article focuses on the representation of canker-worm in the poetry of John Milton. Milton associates the canker-worm with poisonous corruption. By that he characterizes the worm as a devourer and destroyer. As usual, Milton levels the bishops and monks to that of a canker-worm who gnaw secretly and fatally the commandments of God.

Presents the poem "Mandala for the New Year," by Robert Kusch.

This article focuses on the use of the term mouse-hunt, as condemnation of misguided scholarship compounded by laziness and hypocrisy. It is based on the Mustela nivalis, the Least or European common weasel that is a hunter that can alter the ecology of the region. It notes that Caxton and Milton use the term "mouse-hunt" first and last respectively.