Modern Allegory: Reading Nightwood through the Forms of the Baroque Trauerspiel

Author(s):  
Kate Armond

The opening section of this chapter contains 2,500 words from my published Textual Practice article as the definitions of allegory from Benjamin’s The Origin of German Tragic Drama are crucial to my discussion of allegory and to the Trauerspiel as a critical framework for my monograph as a whole. I do, however, apply Benjamin’s theory to a very different argument here, moving away from the traditional use of allegory as it appears in the journal essay and towards a modern reinterpretation of the baroque original and its peculiar relevance to a modern commodified society. The connection between allegory and commodification is also a significant one for Barnes in her novel Nightwood, and I will argue that this relationship can be used to explain many of the text’s difficult references to value, price and its most puzzling character, Jenny Petherbridge. The objects within the modern court of allegory are degraded, forgotten, and the context in which they vie for attention is above all destructive, connected to the baroque through the Trauerspiel’s instruments of torture and murder. This section will also examine Nightwood’s character Dr. O’Connor as a modern incarnation of the baroque allegorist in his den.

Author(s):  
John C. Russ

Three-dimensional (3D) images consisting of arrays of voxels can now be routinely obtained from several different types of microscopes. These include both the transmission and emission modes of the confocal scanning laser microscope (but not its most common reflection mode), the secondary ion mass spectrometer, and computed tomography using electrons, X-rays or other signals. Compared to the traditional use of serial sectioning (which includes sequential polishing of hard materials), these newer techniques eliminate difficulties of alignment of slices, and maintain uniform resolution in the depth direction. However, the resolution in the z-direction may be different from that within each image plane, which makes the voxels non-cubic and creates some difficulties for subsequent analysis.


Planta Medica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Schäfer ◽  
S Broschk ◽  
S Kurras ◽  
S Schwaiger ◽  
H Stuppner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Henrietta Bannerman

John Cranko's dramatic and theatrically powerful Antigone (1959) disappeared from the ballet repertory in 1966 and this essay calls for a reappraisal and restaging of the work for 21st century audiences. Created in a post-World War II environment, and in the wake of appearances in London by the Martha Graham Company and Jerome Robbins’ Ballets USA, I point to American influences in Cranko's choreography. However, the discussion of the Greek-themed Antigone involves detailed consideration of the relationship between the ballet and the ancient dramas which inspired it, especially as the programme notes accompanying performances emphasised its Sophoclean source but failed to recognise that Cranko mainly based his ballet on an early play by Jean Racine. As Antigone derives from tragic drama, the essay investigates catharsis, one of the many principles that Aristotle delineated in the Poetics. This well-known effect is produced by Greek tragedies but the critics of the era complained about its lack in Cranko's ballet – views which I challenge. There is also an investigation of the role of Antigone, both in the play and in the ballet, and since Cranko created the role for Svetlana Beriosova, I reflect on memories of Beriosova's interpretation supported by more recent viewings of Edmée Wood's 1959 film.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (S1) ◽  
pp. S191-S196
Author(s):  
A. Mouhaddach ◽  
A. El-hadi ◽  
K. Taghzouti ◽  
M. Bendaou ◽  
R. Hassikou

Opuntia ficus-indica(the cactus or prickly pear) is a cactus belonging to the Opuntiae family. Several Opuntiae plant parts have been used in traditional Moroccan medicine. In this study, we investigated its most common use as an analgesic. An ethnobotanical study ofOpuntia ficus-indicawas first conducted in 10 areas in Morocco. Extracts fromOpuntia ficus-indicacladodes were obtained using a decoction method and its analgesic activity in mice was investigated by the hot plate and tail flick methods. Cladode extracts had significant (p<0.05) analgesic activity at intraperitoneal doses of 300, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight. Both methods revealed significantly increased latency at all three doses (p<0.05) compared to controls. These data suggest that the traditional use of this plant as an analgesic is valid; in fact, perhaps it may be a centrally-acting analgesic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (S1) ◽  
pp. S119-S129
Author(s):  
I. Namoune ◽  
B. Khettal ◽  
A.M. Assaf ◽  
S. Elhayek ◽  
L. Arrar

Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae) is frequently used in traditional medicine to treat many illnesses from ancient times. Its beneficial effects include antibacterial, antioedematogenic, and analgesic activities. This study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of organic and aqueous extracts of the leaves, the flowers, the stems, and the roots of Marrubium vulgare. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory effects of methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts have been investigated by using different in-vitro methods. It was found that the ethyl acetate extract from Marrubium vulgare stems had the highest total phenolic content, while the ethyl acetate extract from the leaves yielded a high concentration of flavonoids. The ethyl acetate extract from the stems exhibited the highest activity in scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), as well as in protecting erythrocytes. The leaves aqueous extract exhibited the highest ferrous chelating activity and its methanolic extract was found to be the strongest inhibitor of lipid peroxidation in β-carotene bleaching assay. The leaves chloroform extracts as well as the flowers methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts were found to decrease the pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) cytokine levels in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, the flowers methanolic extract and the leaves methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts decreased the interleukin-1 beta (IL- 1β) release. It was also found that the methanol extract from the flowers and the chloroform extract from the stems of Marrubium vulgare inhibited interleukin-8 (IL-8) release. This study provides a scientific basis for the traditional use of Marrubium vulgare as an anti-inflammatory agent and for the plant to be considered as an important resource of natural antioxidants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (41) ◽  
pp. 5261-5277
Author(s):  
Peter J. Wilkin ◽  
Minnatallah Al-Yozbaki ◽  
Alex George ◽  
Girish K. Gupta ◽  
Cornelia M. Wilson

On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a pandemic caused by a novel beta-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, designated COVID-19. The virus emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has spread across the world as a global pandemic. The traditional use of medicines from plants can be traced back to 60,000 years. Global interest in the development of drugs from natural products has increased greatly during the last few decades. Essential oils (EOs) have been studied through the centuries and are known to possess various pharmaceutical properties. In the present review, we have highlighted the current biology, epidemiology, various clinical aspects, different diagnostic techniques, clinical symptoms, and management of COVID-19. An overview of the antiviral action of EOs, along with their proposed mechanism of action and in silico studies conducted, is described. The reported studies of EOs&#039; antiviral activity highlight the baseline data about the additive and/or synergistic effects among primary or secondary phytoconstituents found in individual oils, combinations or blends of oils and between EOs and antiviral drugs. It is hoped that further research will provide better insights into EOs&#039; potential to limit viral infection and aid in providing solutions through natural, therapeutically active agents.


Author(s):  
Roohi Mohi-ud-din ◽  
Reyaz Hassan Mir ◽  
Prince Ahad Mir ◽  
Saeema Farooq ◽  
Syed Naiem Raza ◽  
...  

Background: Genus Berberis (family Berberidaceae), which contains about 650 species and 17 genera worldwide, has been used in folklore and various traditional medicine systems. Berberis Linn. is the most established group among genera with around 450-500 species across the world. This comprehensive review will not only help researchers for further evaluation but also provide substantial information for future exploitation of species to develop novel herbal formulations. Objective: The present review is focussed to summarize and collect the updated review of information of Genus Berberis species reported to date regarding their ethnomedicinal information, chemical constituents, traditional/folklore use, and reported pharmacological activities on more than 40 species of Berberis. Conclusion: A comprehensive survey of the literature reveals that various species of the genus possess various phytoconstituents mainly alkaloids, flavonoid based compounds isolated from different parts of a plant with a wide range of pharmacological activities. So far, many pharmacological activities like anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory both in vitro & in vivo and clinical study of different extracts/isolated compounds of different species of Berberis have been reported, proving their importance as a medicinal plant and claiming their traditional use.


Author(s):  
Fadwa El-ouady ◽  
Fatima Bachir ◽  
Mohamed Eddouks

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects of Asteriscus graveolens. Background: Asteriscus graveolens (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant widely used by the Moroccan population to treat various diseases including diabetes. Objective: This work aimed to assess the capacity of flavonoids extracted from Asteriscus graveolens (FEE) to improve diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia in normal and STZ-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Flavonoids were extracted from A. graveolens using the Soxhlet apparatus and using different organic solvents. Normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated orally by the extract of A. graveolens at a dose of 10 mg/kg. The oral treatment during 15 days was used to evaluate the effect of the flavonoids extracted from A. graveolens on blood glucose level and lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats. The oral glucose tolerance test as well as the analysis of histopathological examination of liver was performed. The antioxidant activity of FEE was also assessed by the method of trapping of free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), in order to estimate the mechanisms of action involved by FEE to improve hyperglycemia and lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats. Results: FEE reduced serum glucose concentrations in both normal and diabetic rats and exhibited in the last group lowering total cholesterol and triglycerides effects as well as improvement of the HDL-cholesterol serum level. In addition, a remarkable influence on glucose tolerance was also noticed after FEE treatment. Moreover, FEE was able to improve histopathological status of liver and possess a potential antioxidant effect in vitro. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the hypoglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of FEE in rats supporting then its traditional use for the management of diabetes.


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