The Reasons for the “Non-meeting” of F.M. Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy

The well-known historical and literary paradox is considered again: the contemporaries F.M. Dostoevsky and L.N. Tolstoy were not personally acquainted, although they had the opportunity to do so more than once. The assumption is substantiated that the main reason for such a non-meeting was not only a combination of random circumstances, but also the incredible intuition of both writers: constantly reading each other, feeling the deepest spiritual closeness and understanding the mutual significance for literature and society, both avoided everyday meetings even on literary occasions, because they were afraid that a possible verbal discussion would lead to an involuntary, even temporary profanation of their views.

Athens to Aotearoa: Greece and Rome in New Zealand Literature and Society, Diana Burton, Simon Perris and Jeff Tatum (eds) (2017)

Review of: Athens to Aotearoa: Greece and Rome in New Zealand Literature and Society, Diana Burton, Simon Perris and Jeff Tatum (eds) (2017) Wellington: Victoria University Press, 361 pp., ISBN 978 1 77656 176 6 (pbk), NZ$40

Literary Serial Killer Fiction: The Evolution of a Genre

<p>This study examines the dynamics of post-war American serial killer fiction as it relates to social and literary contexts. In the context of history and development, this study considers the impact and origins of particular works and how they have influenced the stylistic and thematic evolution of a particular subgenre I have called literary serial killer fiction. Emphasis is placed on select narratives that directly (or indirectly) transform, challenge and critique the genre conventions in which they are written. Of interest is the evolution of general serial killer fiction as a postmodern phenomenon, in terms of its popularity with the reading public, and in line with the growth of media interest in representations of serial killers. I draw on literary theory (in particular, ‘new historicism’) to demonstrate that the appeal and tropes of serial killer fiction reflect socio-political interests indicative of the era from where they were produced, and to show how the subgenre of literary serial killer fiction can be categorized using its own particular set of defining features. I examine these aspects in detail in relation to the following selection of fictional serial-killer narratives: Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me, James Ellroy’s Killer on the Road, and Brett Easton Ellis’s American Psycho. For brevity’s sake, I have selected American narrative works that employ first-person narration and are transgressive in the way they focus on characters who defy convention and push boundaries, as do the narratives within larger genre traditions and protocols. In my view, these works are the purest examples of literary serial killer fiction in that they are characteristically unlike other examples that can easily be categorised under other literary genres. The appeal and popularity of the genre, alongside the functional aspects of the trope, leads me to conclude that it is an ideal form to interact with popular cultural narratives, while also allowing subversive interplay between both real and fictional concerns. The appeal of the genre to those authors who usually write outside of it, particularly in regard to its transgressive and allegorical qualities, is also of particular interest to this study. Because of the hybrid nature of the genre and the ease with which the central trope of the fictional serial killer transcends genres, the resulting possibilities provide a transgressive outlet for authors who wish to test boundaries, in both a literary and an ontological sense, in regard to the commentary serial killer fiction allows on the state of contemporary American literature and society.</p>

Literary Serial Killer Fiction: The Evolution of a Genre

<p>This study examines the dynamics of post-war American serial killer fiction as it relates to social and literary contexts. In the context of history and development, this study considers the impact and origins of particular works and how they have influenced the stylistic and thematic evolution of a particular subgenre I have called literary serial killer fiction. Emphasis is placed on select narratives that directly (or indirectly) transform, challenge and critique the genre conventions in which they are written. Of interest is the evolution of general serial killer fiction as a postmodern phenomenon, in terms of its popularity with the reading public, and in line with the growth of media interest in representations of serial killers. I draw on literary theory (in particular, ‘new historicism’) to demonstrate that the appeal and tropes of serial killer fiction reflect socio-political interests indicative of the era from where they were produced, and to show how the subgenre of literary serial killer fiction can be categorized using its own particular set of defining features. I examine these aspects in detail in relation to the following selection of fictional serial-killer narratives: Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me, James Ellroy’s Killer on the Road, and Brett Easton Ellis’s American Psycho. For brevity’s sake, I have selected American narrative works that employ first-person narration and are transgressive in the way they focus on characters who defy convention and push boundaries, as do the narratives within larger genre traditions and protocols. In my view, these works are the purest examples of literary serial killer fiction in that they are characteristically unlike other examples that can easily be categorised under other literary genres. The appeal and popularity of the genre, alongside the functional aspects of the trope, leads me to conclude that it is an ideal form to interact with popular cultural narratives, while also allowing subversive interplay between both real and fictional concerns. The appeal of the genre to those authors who usually write outside of it, particularly in regard to its transgressive and allegorical qualities, is also of particular interest to this study. Because of the hybrid nature of the genre and the ease with which the central trope of the fictional serial killer transcends genres, the resulting possibilities provide a transgressive outlet for authors who wish to test boundaries, in both a literary and an ontological sense, in regard to the commentary serial killer fiction allows on the state of contemporary American literature and society.</p>

Terror Narrative: Representing State Violence in Modern Indonesian Literature

Literature and society are a way of looking at problems in society. Literature not only functions as entertainment, but it may also represent socio-political problems. Some literary works even carry more roles as both a reflection of such issues and a means of protest against them, including human rights violations. This paper examines how Indonesian literature has reflected human rights breaches, such as oppression in Indonesia during the New Order era. This qualitative research was conducted through direct documentation. The research revealed that the regime punished any individuals, groups, or institutions which tried to challenge its policy by the name of national stability. Some writers, such as Putu Wijaya, used anecdotes to protest against such oppression. He was a prolific Indonesian writer whose works often expose socio-political issues, such as human rights violations in Indonesia. His writings suggest his disagreement with such abuses. The three short stories investigated here "Sket," "Mulut," and "Rakyat" represent Putu Wijaya's dissent with the violence performed by the apparatus of the regime. Playing his role as a literary activist, Putu uses these stories to remind rights perpetrators that such cases as seen in the stories have taken place and might take place somewhere in Indonesia.

Convention and Creation in Czech Language and Literature / Scientific Editing by prof. dr hab. Mieczyslaw Balowski. Poznań: Institute of Slavic Philology, PRO Publishing House, 2020. 403 p. – (Bohemica Posnaniensia, fasc. 24).

The collection of articles “Convention and Creation in Czech Language and Literature” continues the series published by the Polish Bohemians at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, edited by prof. M. Balowski. The collection is of interest not only for Slavists, but also for a wider range of linguists, literary critics and translation specialists as it offers a new look at the problem of linguistic and literary convention and creation, which go beyond the usual “traditions” and “innovation”. The authors of the articles included in the collection introduce new terminology into scientific use and offer its theoretical and practical justification based on the research of Czech literature, folklore, grammatical system, vocabulary and phraseology, translation studies and socially oriented discourse. The articles consistently suggest that the development of language, literature, and society as a whole is a continuous evolutionary process of interaction between the conventional and creative approaches.

Motherhood and Mother Nature: A Study of Myth and Magic through Amitav Ghosh’s and Wayétu Moore’s Selected Works

Contemporary thoughts in the fields of literature and science lead to an interdisciplinary effort to bring along the issues common to both disciplines involved. The post-colonial and post-modern era of literature see literature and society along and literary exponents stamp their responsibilities to take up the serious societal crises and bring the awareness arousing a socio-consciousness in the reading public. This paper tight spots magical realism as one of the experiential tools employed by authors, Amitav Gosh, an Indian writer and winner of the 54th Jnanpith award and Wayétu Moore, a Liberian-American author and entrepreneur, to discuss the contemporary issues such as immigration, climate change, enslavement, etc through the employment of myth and magic. Environmental Humanities is best explained with the advocacy of magic realism. Of all the important supernatural elements, (which is the formula of magic realism) presented in both of the selected novels, Gun Island (2019) and She Would Be King (2018), this paper in detail, deals with only two components that are common in both the texts. They are i) the omnipotent natural force, wind and ii) the most powerful and dangerous species, snake. Both of these components are presented as commanding aid of the two literary texts to progress towards the solution to the catastrophic environmental complications. Both novels employ characters bitten by poisonous snakes, attaining extraordinary powers and also one can witness the power of wind, as omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent natural force. This paper is comparison of collective unconsciousness of two authors and their artful works irrespective of their genders, age and geography.