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Tolkien’s _Beowulf_-poet and His Dantean Tower
Get PDFJ.R.R. Tolkien’s tower metaphor in “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” shows significant affinities with views of the sea presented in Dante’s Purgatorio. These affinities combine with relevant similarities between Dante and Tolkien’s view of the Beowulf-poet to show an underlying preoccupation Tolkien has about the purgation of source material and the sanctification of authors. Ultimately in Tolkien’s perspective, the Beowulf-poet’s view from the top of his tower looks ahead to the hope of eternal life promised to the Chrisitan elect
Tolkien, The Battle of Maldon, and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth : Poetic Allusions and the Experience of Time
Get PDFJ.R.R. Tolkien’s alliterative verse play, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’ s Son,” is his critical and creative response to the Old English poem “The Battle of Maldon.” Tracing his influence on “Maldon” criticism through his “Ofermod” essay, which posits a continuum of alliterative poems dealing with the nature of heroism, from Beowulf to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the discussion then turns to how Tolkien can claim a place in that tradition and how critics have applied his ideas about war and heroism to some of his other works, especially The Lord of the Rings. An analysis of the play itself illustrates some of Tolkien’s scholarly ideas about alliterative verse and examines allusions to Beowulf, “The Battle of Brunanburh,” and “The Battle of Maldon” as well as revisions to some Middle English verses attributed to Canute, and a concluding Latin dirge. These allusions to medieval poetry within “The Homecoming” elicit an awareness of times past, present, and future, positioning readers or audiences in multi-level time frames through their experience of poetry
“‘And Númenor went down into the Sea’: Tolkien, Beowulf, and the Masochistic Jouissance of Westernesse”
No full textIn Tolkien, Enchantment and Loss, John Rosegrant avers that Tolkien wrote of the downfall and destruction of Númenor in order to release a personal emotional complex (John Rosegrant, Tolkien, Enchantment, and Loss, 118-20). In this essay, I examine in greater detail the emotional power of this story and relate it to the psychological notion of primary masochism (Freud, Deleuze, Bersani) and the pleasures connected to the dissolution of the self. The Beowulf poem renders conspicuous the dependency of heroic Anglo-Saxon male subjectivity on experiences of masochistic desire and the Death Drive, the desire to be unburdened of great expectation and responsibility. The attraction to psychic annihilation is both heroic and Christian. I will make the case that Tolkien’s close relationship to the Beowulf poem primed the pump of his literary artistry when it came to stories of erotico-spiritual submission such as the Fall of Númenor, allowing for the author and readers alike to experience the erotic thrill of the All-Father’s punishments.
The destruction of Numenor is described in The Lord of the Rings by Faramir; however, Tolkien first wrote of it in the 1936 “Fall of Numenor, in The Lost Road (1937), the “Notion Club Papers” (1945), in the “Drowning of Andûnë” (1946), and in the “Akallabeth” (1948). Tolkien addresses his reoccurring personal dream in his 1955 letter to W.H. Auden, among others, where he describes the Great Wave and his surrender to it. The event is spiritual and highly emotional. Iluvatar himself is brought to wrath and in his anger he rends apart the world, condemning the Numenoreans and submerging the land and people under the sea. Of course, the biblical echoes are here to discuss as well. Readers think of Noah and the Flood (the post-deluvian world) or perhaps Sodom and Gomorrah.
I argue here that -as with Beowulf- the diegesis around the downfall of Numenor evinces not only a sorrow and a fear of God pace Kierkegaard, but also a trembling and a queer pleasure one could accurately label masochistic
Assessment of psycho-emotional symptoms in cancer patients in an Oncology-Palliative Care Department from Romania
Get PDFIntroduction. Anxiety and depression have an increased prevalence in cancer patients, especially in those in an advanced stage of the disease. These disorders have a major impact on the social life, existential concerns and quality of life of cancer patients. Materials and Methods. A number of 114 consecutive patients were included in the study (in a period of 2 weeks) who were screened for anxiety, depression and for other common symptoms, using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Results. Regarding the age - the abnormal level of anxiety and depression: the percentage of patients over 65 years was higher than the percentage of patients under 64 years, both in terms of anxiety and depression. Regarding the Performance status ECOG - abnormal level of anxiety and depression: the percentage of patients with ECOG = 3-4 is higher than that of patients with ECOG = 0-2. Results. The increased prevalence of anxiety and depression requires psychological counseling and treatment. It is important for these symptoms to be identified as soon as possible, in order to provide a good quality of life. Conclusions. The model we propose is for the HADS to be a screening tool on admission to a palliative care ward, for certain categories of patients
Infertility as a possible multifactorial condition; the experience of a single center
Get PDFObjectives. Infertility is a topic of great interest around the world because it affects many couples at young ages. It can be caused by genetic background, associated with pathologies and/or external factors. The purpose of our study was to identify the causes of infertility of women presented in our clinic with this pathology. Materials and Methods. This retrospective study was performed on women with primary or secondary infertility. The analyzed data were age, weight, hereditary and personal pathological history, medication, menstrual cycle characteristics, standard blood tests, ultrasound, hysterosalpingography and hysteroscopy. Results. The study included 204 women with average age 35 years. The main diagnosis was primary infertility in 68.63% and secondary infertility in 31.37% cases. One of the most common diagnosed findings in ultrasound were uterine fibroids with an incidence of 6.86%, the incidence being higher among women with primary infertility than in women with secondary infertility. Regarding endometrial polyps, 96.15% of cases were observed ultrasonographical and the incidence of endometrial polyps was higher among women with primary infertility than in women with secondary infertility. Conclusions. This study identified that infertility is a multifactorial pathology, which requires multidisciplinary addressability. Gynecological pathology (such as tubal pathologies, uterine malformations, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, endometrial polyps, etc.) was very common among these patients, finding and treating the condition being the main objective of the study
The Mariner (and his wife): Queering Aldarion\u27s (A)sexuality
Get PDF“Aldarion and Erendis” (Unfinished Tales) is a rare example in Tolkien’s work of a marriage gone severely awry. Many readings of the tale apportion blame to Aldarion, who is seen as “unwilling” to make the marriage work (Fitzsimmons, 2015), cruel and unfeeling towards Erendis, who herself is characterised as resentful and unaccepting (Rosenthal, 2004). However, these readings rely on an assumption of a cisheteronormative and, more importantly, allosexual relationship between the couple.
This paper proposes an alternate view of Aldarion and his role in the story, suggesting the possibility that he is asexual and/or aromantic (i.e., he does not experience sexual and/or romantic attraction in ways considered societally normative), and is therefore constrained by a system of marriage and duty that is anathema to him and to which he does not connect in any personal way.
By queering Aldarion’s (a)sexuality, this paper seeks a reading more compassionate towards both him and Erendis, understanding them as people wronged by societal expectation and ‘normality’ as characterised by the couple’s “failure” to reach a balance between their gendered characteristics (Rawls, 2014). While Aldarion may not be exonerated from the harm his decisions have caused, this view shifts the blame from him personally to an amatonormative system that makes a villain of him, as well as Erendis and those around them
The Effect of Using a Meal Tracking Smartphone Application in Overweight and Obese Adolescents with Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes to Improve BMI and HbA1c
Get PDFObesity has become one of the most common chronic pediatric illnesses worldwide and is closely linked to the onset of prediabetes and subsequent Type 2 Diabetes (T2D); therefore, preventing and treating childhood obesity has become a high priority (Hampl et al., 2023). The purpose of this Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) project is to lower Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in overweight and obese youth with prediabetes and T2D using a meal tracking smartphone application. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model (JHNEBP) was utilized to pilot this project between two pediatric endocrinology offices located in Southeast Wisconsin. Upon organizational approval of this EBP project, adolescents, aged 10 to 18, were recruited based on strict inclusion criteria including a diagnosis of prediabetes or T2D, obesity defined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) (2022c) BMI percentile calculator specific to children and prior nonuse of a meal tracking smartphone application. A total of 10 adolescents were recruited in 10–15-minute educational encounters. To achieve a reduction in both BMI and HbA1c in these participants, a smartphone application for meal tracking called Nourishly© was utilized to track dietary intake and provide individualized, diet specific education and feedback over a 12-week period. Seven educational handouts were also provided and utilized to help guide app usage as well as provide diabetes specific, dietary education to participants and their families. A paired t test was utilized to analyze the primary outcomes of the project including pre- and post- intervention BMI and HbA1c measures. Results for BMI showed no statistical evidence of a decrease (t =- 0.655(9), p=0.264). Similar results were seen for HbA1c and there was no statistical evidence of a decrease (V=39, p=0.890). This EBP project highlights the need for further research to assess the use of dietary specific smartphone applications and their impact on HbA1c and BMI in overweight and obese youth with prediabetes and T2D in light of the digital era
Improving Quality of Life in Menopausal Women Through a Best Practice Protocol: the Use of Hormone Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Module and Exercise
Get PDFMenopause is a normal process of aging, but many of the symptoms negatively impact women’s day-to-day quality of life (QOL), as well as activities of daily living, physical and mental health (ACOG, 2014). Generally, systemic estrogen hormone therapy is indicated for menopause-related vasomotor symptoms, but there is no research further addressing QOL issues or lifestyle management in addition to hormone therapy. The purpose of this evidence-base practice (EBP) project was to implement a menopause protocol to address QOL issues in menopausal women with the use of hormone replacement therapy, education through an online mindfulness module, and the use of exercise. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from eligible patients at scheduled appointments. Ten women aged 46-58 years old from an outpatient private women’s health clinic in Wisconsin participated in this project. Once recruited, participants completed a demographic form, a menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) survey and were given educational handouts (Appendix A). The intervention included the application of UCLA Mindful creation of an individual exercise program for the patient, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT was prescribed by the providers, based on patient eligibility and preference. Participants were monitored for a total of ten weeks, which included a check-in at five weeks. Post intervention, participants were readministered the MENQOL to determine effectiveness of the intervention. Pre and post intervention scores were evaluated using a paired sample t test. Overall, results of the MENQOL scores showed a significant large difference between pre intervention scores (M= 4.5, SD = 1) and post intervention scores (M= 3.8, SD = 0.8), t (9) = 2.9, p = 0.17. Findings from this project can inform future development of guidelines for provider use in the management of menopausal women and their symptoms
From Imagination to Faërie: Tolkien’s Thomist Fantasy (2022) by Yannick Imbert
No full textBook review, by John Wm. Houghton, of From Imagination to Faërie: Tolkien’s Thomist Fantasy (2022) by Yannick Imber