Literature (General) and PN1-6790

The article analyzes the concept of intensity promoted in late capitalism, and its difference from the teleological intensity of the countercultural sixties. Intensity is approached through psychoanalytic lenses as related to Freud’s drive theory, and to Lacan’s concept of jouissance. Counter-depressive intensity persists today devoid of any meaning, as it is a self-legitimating strategy of the most perfect and best conformed capitalist subject. The notion of the culture of intensity covers the natural privileging of late capitalism towards ‘the good intense.’ This paper analyzes its reverse: ‘the bad intense,’ and the tragedy of dysphoria. The movie Shame (2011), directed by Steve McQueen, is interpreted as an example of the transformation of the countercultural value of sexuality in the sixties to its mere reduction to both intense and numbing experience. Keywords: intensity, Eros, death drive, jouissance, euphoria, countercultureThis paper analyzes the concept of intensity promoted in late capitalism as the only life worthy of living. Immoderation, extreme experiences, intensity gone astray and energy gone awry, living your life to the full, transgressing the borders which previously separated life and death, have been inherited from the countercultural sixties. Yet, the moment in which the mainstream culture adopted intensity, it itself lost all of its revolutionary and countercultural potential. Counter-depression, the denial of depression, and (hypo)mania seem to be operating in the mainstream discourse as late capitalism defences. What is the main difference between the still teleological intensity of the sixties and the intensity in the 21st century? How does the famous trio “sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll” fare in the first decades of this millennium?

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

From Homer’s Odyssey and Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, the sea has always featured prominently in Western literature. Stories of voyages over (or under) boundless oceans, tales of mutiny and piracy, of treasure and adventure, have all become an integral part of our literary tradition. And while it was frequently admired, the sea’s capricious nature and fathomless depths have often led to it being feared in equal measure. Compiled and edited by Mike Ashley, From the Depths and Other Strange Tales of the Sea is an anthology comprising fifteen lesser known stories taken from other collections and pulp magazines dating back to the early 20th century, which ably illustrates that period’s fascination with the sea, especially with its more fantastical and uncanny aspects.The collection opens strongly with an invitingly horrific, if somewhat traditional ghost ship story. Albert A. Wetjen’s “The Ship of Silence” draws heavily both from legends like the Flying Dutchman and real-world mysteries like the Mary Celeste. An abandoned ship’s fate is revealed through the frenzied screeching of a parrot, the ship’s sole survivor, as it repeats the words of the doomed crew in their final moments. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to many of H. P. Lovecraft’s stories, the horror here lies not so much in what is shown, but in what is left to the reader’s imagination. Morgan Robertson’s “From the Darkness and the Depths” continues in the same vein and also features a ship assailed by invisible terrors. It is one of a number of stories from the period which emphasize, and often overestimate, the power of science and its ability to combat forces unfathomable to the human mind.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

In an age when social media dominate everyday lives of many people across the globe and with the rise of VR games, Netflix, fake news, and 3D printers, it is evident that (digital) technology has become an integral part of everyday life. Online games make new spaces of communication and cooperation that cross the seemingly established borders of nation-states, discussions about online and offline communities gain more prominence each year, and social networks have brought to the fore many scholarly works dealing with various questions about identity, culture, and identification. In this context, a comprehensive guide on or overview of how we could approach these issues in the academic context was scarce. Grant Bollmer’s book titled Theorizing Digital Cultures provides a way of approaching these, somewhat new issues, providing specific tools, i.e. terms and concepts that could help many future researchers of digital culture. What makes this work even more important is the fact that it is made and planned to be used primarily in the field of humanities and social sciences.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

One might perhaps feel that the question of the other has been extensively theorized, especially (though far from exclusively) within postcolonial and gender studies, and the processes of othering already illuminated from different perspectives. On the other hand, there are probably those who think that the question deserves constant attention and careful (re)considerations, and Igor Grbić’s book The Occidentocentric Fallacy: Turning Literature into a Province poses a provocative challenge to both stances. What if – the book’s underlying hypothesis seems to suggest – the entire notion of the other is nothing but, as the title states, a misconception narcissistically promulgated by what we commonly refer to as the West although it in effect counts not more than a couple of states, a mere province in any map of the world? What if, namely, numerous scholars and researchers who are concerned with the question of the other in the field of literary studies, criticism and theory only perpetuate, however unintentionally, the established misconception, simply by working within the norms of Western and neglecting all traditions of non-Western literary criticism? The occidentocentric fallacy is, according to the author of this book, particularly prominent and problematic when at work in literary arts, the humanities branch that is supposed to offer a holistic and universal evaluation of imaginative expressions. Therefore, while exposing different facets of the occidentocentric fallacy, this book engages, through its eight chapters, in offering a new description of the scope and idea of the elusive concept of world literature.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

This paper discusses the use of caves in Ovid’s works. It focuses on several passages from Ars Amatoria, Fasti, and Metamorphoses in which Ovid uses cave imagery as part of his Golden age discourse. Ovid’s use of cave as a motif in Golden age imagery is distinct from his Greek predecessors (Homer, Hesiod, and Callimachus) whose works he heavily drew on. Caves are sometimes dangerous, but most often they are presented as places of refuge, where one finds privacy from prying eyes including the gaze of Augustus, whose moral laws Ovid criticized.Keywords: Ovid, Augustus, adultery, caves, Roman literature, intertextuality, Hesiod, Homer, CallimachusOd prapovijesti špilje su bile mjesta osobitog vjerskog i kultnog značaja. Špilje su pružale sklonište čovjeku kad nije imao doma. Nije čudno da nam najraniji prikazi odnosa čovjeka s prirodom dolaze iz poznatih špilja Altamira i Lascaux, gdje nalazimo umjetnost velikog značaja za povijest čovječanstva.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

Radionica prevođenja poezije na Pašmanu(Punt rere punt, 2014.Tragom jednog eseja Drage Jančara(La disfressa dels arbres, 2008.)(Inventari de fronteres, 2006.)(Punt rere punt, 2014.)(Punt rere punt, 2014.)(La disfressa dels arbres, 2008.)Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen(Neobjavljena)Emily Dickinson(Punt rere punt, 2014.)(Inventari de fronteres, 2006.)(Inventari de fronteres, 2006.)

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

The latest tendencies in the modernization of teaching literature stress the development of students’ critical thinking as one of the main learning outcomes of the educational process. Based on this premise, the article demonstrates the applicability of the imagological approach which can, through guided critical reading of the canonical text, reveal another layer of the so-called non-canonical interpretation and point towards the deconstruction of cultural stereotypes embedded in the literary text. The teaching method will be demonstrated via close reading of the image of Roma people in the novella Tena by Josip Kozarac, where minority stereotyping takes on the form of discriminatory discourse in narration. Apart from developing critical thinking skills, a similar approach to a literary text in class offers the possibility of a comparative method, supported by the fact that the same mirage of Roma community drawn from a canonical work of Croatian Realism can be compared to the images (image) of Roma in contemporary Croatian literature: in the novel Ciganin, ali najljepši by Kristian Novak, in Oblak boje kože by Nebojša Lujanović, as well as in the short story Petica iz zadnje klupe by Barbara Matejčić. Finally, regarding the applicability of critical discourse analysis in class, the article's concluding remarks raise the question of whether literature describing the 19th-century society could, through guided interpretation, partake in shaping the views of today's society that has the tools to recognize its own heterostereotypes.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

Između gradskog centra i konačišta prostirala se velika močvara. Hladnoća pristigla s Atlantskog oceana u veljači ju je smrznula i pretvorila u veliko svjetlucavo polje. Žena je hodala prema konačištu. Bila je odjevena u krzneni kaput, nosila je visoke kožne čizme, a lice joj je izgledalo ljutito. Na nebu, između tamnoplavih oblaka, vijugavi trag mlaznog aviona. Pored grmlja žena je malo usporila. Nešto ju je žacnulo u srcu i ona se prisjetila nečeg vrlo davnog. Bilo je to sredinom ljeta, debeli, zeleni travnati tepih i cvilež svinje u rukama koljača. Žena je uspjela locirati sjećanje. To se dogodilo na drugom mjestu, u drugoj zemlji, i bilo je stvarno. Lice joj je postalo tužno. Gurnula je ruku duboko u džep kaputa i osjetila kako joj se hladnoća diže iz utrobe prema kosi.Čovjek u žbunju zaustavio je dah i čekao da žena stigne do točno određenog mjesta. U očima mu se zrcalio uplašen pogled, a žile su mu nabrekle na sljepoočnicama. U tišini je pričekao još trenutak-dva te je s leđa zaskočio ženu. Ona se srušila i udarila glavom o led. Čovjek je disao ubrzano i isprekidano. Usko, djetinje lice, svijetla, lepršava kosa i crne kožne rukavice. Udario ju je u lice i razgrnuo joj bundu, gurnuo joj ruku pod bluzu i pokušao joj strgnuti hlače. Žena nije vikala već ga je kritički promatrala. Činilo joj se da je nekako lijep. Pogledala je prema nebu. Bijela traka mlažnjaka nestala je. Vidjeli su se samo plavi oblaci i hladnoća koja joj je ukrutila bradavice.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

Proučavajući pojam neomita, kao suvremene inačice mitoloških koncepata u književnosti i kulturi, nametnula su se brojna pitanja. Zara Minc u svom je tekstu iz 1979. godine upozoravala na neomitološke romane ruskih simbolista, kada svijet umjetničkog teksta počinje sličiti mitu (Minc), a istaknuti proučavatelj mita Eleazar Meletinskij ukazao je na važnost novog mita u europskoj književnosti, misleći pritom na romane F. Kafke, J. Joycea, T. Manna i dr., jer proces mitologizacije nastaje kao posljedica razočaranja u ranije umjetničke, znanstvene i druge koncepte, ponajviše pozitivističke (Meletinskij). Vadim Rudnev u Rječniku kulture 20. stoljeća uvodi termin „neomitološke svijesti” kao glavne okosnice kulturnog mentaliteta novijeg doba. Neomitologizam je nastao kao reakcija na pozitivističku svijest 19. stoljeća, pa je gotovo sva književnost 20. stoljeća povezana s mitom, jer bježeći od racionalnog i znanstvenog (logos), stremi iracionalnom (mitos). Suvremena se književnost s jedne strane okreće izvorištu, početcima i postanku, a s druge je strane upućena na budućnost, na projiciranje kraja kao novog početka. Težište na kraju kao novom početku jedan je od osnovnih neomitoloških koncepata koji se obrađuju u ovom bloku i koji stoga i nosi naslov Pogled u budućnost. U suvremenoj kulturi, kako tvrdi Ahmetova, „mitološke predodžbe ne nestaju, nego se transformiraju i adaptiraju novoj kulturno-povijesnoj situaciji” (Ahmetova 10). Najvažniji koncept (neo)mita jest onaj o početku i kraju ili kozmogonijsko-eshatološki, koji podrazumijeva stvaranje (prijelaz iz kaos u kozmos) i razaranje (Strašni sud, Apokalipsa, prijelaz iz kozmosa u kaos). Kaos je univerzalno načelo i početak svakog mita i svake religije. Tek se iz kaosa kao polazne točke i ničega rađa kozmos koji teži uređenju i nekom obliku osmišljenog završetka, što ujedno znači da se svaka mitologija i religija u svojoj osnovi bave početkom i krajem. Dok je u mitovima središte interesa usmjereno na početak, na stvaranje svijeta, čime se tumači postojeći svijet, biblijska kozmogonija usredotočena je na kraj (vidi: Užarević). Središnji je fokus biblijskoga teksta stavljen na spasenje ljudskog roda. Svijet je stvoren prema određenim zakonitostima koje potvrđuje božanska instanca, posebice uz naglašavanje i ponavljanje „I vidje Bog da je dobro” (Biblija, Post. 1.1-1.31), što je legitimacija učinjenog. Biblijski tekst, gledajući u cjelini, nije usmjeren na prošlost, na samo stvaranje koje je pisano kao izvještaj (vidi: Biblija, Post. 1.1-2.4a) u Knjizi o postanku, nego na komunikaciju Boga s čovjekom i zapravo na Sudnji dan, čime se zapravo sumira pobjeda dobra nad zlom. Kraj se tako nameće kao težište religijske svijesti, upravo zato što je kraj ujedno i novi početak. Kraj stoga ne znači uništenje, on je nada u novi Kristov dolazak i zapravo svaki početak. Nije neobično da se koncept kraja održao i aktualizirao u suvremenoj kulturi koja vapi za nadom u mogući novi početak ili neku vrstu nove (utopijske) nade. Profaniranje, nerijetko ironiziranje i travestiranje sakralnog koncepta zapravo je u svojoj suštini blizak upravo apokaliptičnom težištu (u smislu nade u novi dolazak). Suvremeni (neomitološki) tekst koji je umnogome desakralizirao koncept kraja-početka ili smrti-uskrsnuća, kao možda najsnažniji mitologem postaje otkošten mit ili mitska struktura bez „mesa”, bez sakralnog uporišta, zadržavši pritom obilježje mitskog diskursa.

Literature (General) and PN1-6790

The active function of monuments is one of the numerous core beliefs of the Russian society both during and after the Soviet era. In the Russian urban space, several monuments keep on rising and still attract an inextinguishable attention towards their symbolic meaning. This situation could lead to a suffocating idea of culture. In a country, the “monumentalization” of its heroes from a past culture, with its characteristic plastic rhetoric, tends to oversimplify the models of the collective memory and opts for static postures, “frozen-up” in a cultural canon. Within this research field, Russian antiquity deserves specific attention, due to the fact that contemporary literature takes a considerable role in redefining its features. The paper will cover some of the most original works that stand out from this literary trend, such as Tatyana Tolstaya’s novel The Slynx, Boris Akunin’s Altyn-Tolobas, and Evgeny Vodolazkin’s Laurus.Keywords: monuments, monumentalization, ancient Russian culture, collective memory, national canon, Tatyana Tolstaya, Boris Akunin, Evgeny Vodolazkin