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The Pilate of the York Mystery Plays
Full text linkThe characterization of Pilate, one of the most complex figures in the Passion sequence of the Corpus Christi plays, has inspired few studies. Apart from Arnold Williams' book of 1950 on the Towneley Pilate and Robert Brawer's 1972 article on the York Pilate, this pivotal character is usually given perfunctory treatment by scholars of the English cycle plays. Of the four cycles, York has generally been considered to have the least consistent Pilate figure. This may, however, not be the case. A close study shows that he always attempts to be fair and just to Christ despite the constant haranguing of the Jewish priests. When he exhibits anger it is usually directed at them because of their blatant lies and deceit. He is, on the other hand, also shown to have recognizably human failings which lead him, in the end, to resign authority to the Jews and, thereby, become a party to a deed against which his own instinct warns him. As its dire consequences unfold, his fear impels him to encourage the suppression of the truth. Thus his earlier, token agreement with the Jews is consolidated, and he is forced to become at one with them in responsibility for the Crucifixion. Though he shows a desire to see Jesus treated fairly, he is also proud, sensual, and self-seeking, and it is these latter qualities that lead him into error
A new species of Trichoglottis (Orchidaceae) from eastern Kalimantan, Indonesia
Full text linkTrichoglottis najibii Yudistira & Mustaqim is described here as a species new to science based on a specimencollected from eastern Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. The most unique characteristics of this species are thethe labellum’s lateral lobes adnate to the column and the 8–9 mm long cylindric and slightly curving spur. Adetailed description, distribution, habitat and ecology, notes, illustrations, and photographs are provided forthe new species
Santiago’s Leadership Quest and Adherence to the EH-PC Code in The Old Man and the Sea and The Alchemist
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Politics as a Life-Changing Power in Society: Ashwin Sanghi’s Chanakya’s Chant (2010)
Full text link Politics is quite a prominent as well as dominant force in an individual’s life. Its ultimate aim is to acquire power whether its price is morality or the interests of a group of individuals. From ancient times power games have been a subject of utmost interest for all ranks of society. Ever since the emergence of humanity, the core element is centered on survival; the one who survives in the end becomes the winner and the leader, the one who can set new trends. Social identity, as Michel Foucault says, gets constructed on this very notion. Ashwin Sanghi’s novel Chanakya’s Chant (2010) makes that notion much more comprehensible. The great sage Chanakya and his present day equivalent Pandit Gangasagar Mishra decide the fate of rest of the characters by controlling all the vital decisions and competences in their lives. This article accesses literature as an arbitrator between the true identity and the conjectured identity. It also shows the political maneuverings of both masterminds of the novel in two different eras. It sheds light on the concept of identity formation and the factors responsible for forming and shaping identities of individuals under social and political influences. The entire novel is a supreme example of the merger of power and politics in an evil nexus which shape the fate of common people without their consent. To support the argument, Michel Foucault’s theory of Normalizing Power will be referred to. 
Hypertext Narrative and Globalisation: Studying the Cultural Intersection of Carnivalesque and Altermodernism in Michael Joyce’s Twelve Blue
Full text linkGlobalisation has brought the world together and technology has helped it do so efficiently. It has eliminated the idea of distance by proposing virtual proximity so much that everything seems almost the same. Although this cultural homogenisation leads the path towards wider accessibility, it has also resulted in a lack of originality and uniqueness. This article aims to explore the structure of Michael Joyce’s work Twelve Blue to understand the contemporary cultural significance of hypertext narrative construction in this globalised context. By drawing from the notion of carnivalesque by Mikhail Bakhtin and altermodernism by Nicolas Bourriaud, it seeks to present the function of hypertext as that of creating singularities within a totalization of heterogeneous values. The nodal standpoint of this kind of narrative, where the chaos of the carnival and altermodernist individuality converge, represents the inherent complication of our cultural ethos faced by all individuals. The article argues that hypertexts like Twelve Blue address this complexity and writers like Joyce make sure that their work structurally replicates the dilemma of this age. Moreover, it is posited that instead of mourning the loss of a traditional reading process which had stability, Twelve Blue celebrates the newfound authority of choice with readers of a literary work. The article is thus an attempt to reconcile the hypertext narratology of Twelve Blue with our present cultural sensibility in terms of its disconnection within connection, singularity within standardisation, and chaos within stability. 
Ecological Memory Consciousness: A Sense of Place Attachment in Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Story of Noble Rot
Full text link In recent years, ecological memory studies have experienced a turning towards place attachment as a significant concern of human consciousness. This growing field of eco-memory studies has notably enriched “our understanding of how memories of ecological change promote a stronger sense of connectedness”1 with place attachment. This attachment functions as the basis for place-based narratives, but these narratives comprise eco-consciousness with nature attachment. Ecological memory refers to a community’s collective knowledge and experiences about its environment, including the natural and cultural elements. Moreover, it highlights significant nomadic cultural practices that uphold cultural unity and produce rural images of places to preserve a shared sense of place value despite being settled far from it. This memory is essential in maintaining the ecological balance of an area and preserving its cultural heritage. In this article we apply ecological memory as a theoretical framework to examine Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Story of Noble Rot (2009), using an ecocritical lens. We affirm that the novel’s progressive moments endorse biodiversity conservation, environmental sustainability, and present a novel depiction of the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan as a place of eco-memory, eco-nostalgia, and eco-trauma, illustrating this canopy location. 
Omega Chronicles: Mapping the Landscape of Violence in Japanese Manga
Full text linkInfluenced by the traditional Edo culture where homosexuality was prevalent, Japanese manga artists do not shy away from portraying different gender relationships explicitly through art. Among the contemporary homosexual genres of Yaoi, Yuri, Shounen-ai, and Shoujo-ai found in Japanese manga, the concept of Omegaverse, a subgenre of erotic slash fiction, has been gaining popularity. The term “omegaverse” is a combination of the words “omega” and “universe”. The omegaverse is an alternate universe where, apart from the primary gender of male and female, three other secondary genders of alpha (α), beta (β), and omega (Ω), also exists. This results in six genders in total, with each primary gender further classified into three secondary genders. The societal structure is usually based on the “wolf’s hierarchy” where alphas possess the features of alpha wolves and are considered superior. On the other hand, omegas are considered inferior and possess the ability to reproduce, irrespective of being male or female. Though there are also heterosexual and lesbian omegaverses, the term is most widely used for boys’ love genres like Yaoi and Shounen-ai, and is often referred to as a world where men can get pregnant, creating a new subgenre called Mpreg. This article focuses on understanding the dehumanizing factors of omegaverse, which strip humans of the most basic value of reason (which differentiates them from animals), using three manga, namely Kiraide Isasete, The Alpha’s Bride and Remnant Kemonohito, which cater to omegaverse boys’ love. 
