3,368 research outputs found
Food and eating in fiction since 1950 with particular reference to the writing of Angela Carter, Doris Lessing, Michele Roberts and Alice Thomas Ellis.
No full textPhDEating is a fundamental activity. What people eat, how and with whom, what
they feel about food, what they do or do not want to eat and why - even who
they eat - are of crucial significance in any reading of human behaviour.
In this thesis, I consider the diverse and complex uses of food and eating
in fiction since 1950, especially that written by women. I argue both that food
and eating carry much of the meaning of a novel or story and that the acts of
cooking, feeding and eating depicted are inseparable from issues of power and
control: individually, interpersonally, culturally, politically.
My discussion centres on the writing of Angela Carter, Doris Lessing,
Michele Roberts and Alice Thomas Ellis. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory,
sociology, anthropology, Foucault, Bakhtin and others, the thesis aims to
construct an interdisciplinary perspective which both resists reductive
interpretations and emphasises the centrality, complexity and diversity of food
and eating in literature in our culture.
I begin with an examination of the ambiguities of maternal feeding and
nurturing, moving on to explore the links between appetite, eating and sexuality.
I explore cannibalism and vampirism as manifestations of oppression, but also as
indicating insatiable emptiness and transgressive appetite. The body itself is
crucial, and my argument considers the paradox of not eating as
control/enslavement, also tracing self-starvation as a positive route towards
wholeness and connection. The last part of my argument focuses on social
eating, examining conventions, rituals and food itself in connection with power
relations, and finally considers how we might truly speak of food and eating in
the context of society as a whole
Dark angels : a study of Anne Rice's Vampire chronicles
No full textThe international success of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, and the release
of the film Interview with the Vampire (based on her novel of the same name) has
fueled an explosion of interest in the vampire genre, resulting in further
incarnations of the vampire story in fiction and film. This study attempts to
analyse Rice's development of the vampire narrative in relation to a body of
novels and short stories which comprise a recognizable genre.
The first chapter has three sections: an Introduction comprising a comparison
between the Chronicles and Bram Stoker's Dracula,- a study of the Chronicles as a
metaphor for homoeroticism and AIDS; and a study of the psychoanalytic aspects
of vampirism linked with the concept of Rice's vampire as a Sadean hero. The
second chapter has two sections: an analysis of Rice's representations of
femininiiy; and a study of the myths of womanhood employed in the novels,
together with the origins of these myths. The third chapter has two sections: a
focus on the complex self-conscious and moral life of Rice's vampires in relation
to contemporary consciousness and subjectivity; and a comparison of Rice's
treatment of genre, historical romance and erotica with the vampire narratives of
her contemporaries. The fourth and concluding chapter is a summary of Rice's
treatment of genre, gender and religion in relation to evolving feminist, cultural
and psychoanalytic debates, including reference to material from her other
novels.
In her self-conscious appropriation of the vampire tradition, Rice introduces a
wider scope to the formulaic elements of the gothic genre, interweaving different
genres with the gothic horror story. Her innovative approach to the vampire
novel, with its complexity of intermingling issues, leaves many unanswered
questions. It is the unresolved nature of the contradictions and paradoxes intrinsic
to Rice's work that disturb and generate further debate
'The cracked mirror': Anne Sexton's poetics of self-representation
No full textThis thesis re-evaluates the work of the poet Anne Sexton (1928-1974), concentrating, in particular, on the indeterminacies, contradictions and aporia which it finds to be characteristic of her ostensibly frank and self-revelatory writing. The study is based on a close textual
analysis of Sexton's writing, is informed by oststructuralist theories, and is sustained by an
examination and discussion of archive collections of her previously unpublished papers. In seeking an understanding of Sexton's poetics, the thesis identifies and interrogates the strategies of denial and obfuscation apparent in her own explication of her work - principally, by scrutiny of the unpublished, and previously unresearched, drafts of a series of lectures
which she delivered in 1972. Chapters One and Two consider the origins of `confessional' or - Sexton's preferred term - 'personal' poetry and reassess her place within contemporary poetry. They suggest that
Sexton's writing is engaged in a process of negotiation and contestation, both with the boundaries and expectations of confessionalism, and with the strictures of T. S. Eliot's theory of `impersonality'. In support of these arguments, Chapter Two offer a reading of Sexton's
little-known poem, `Hurry Up Please It's Time', alongside its intertext, Eliot's The Waste Land. Chapter Three reassesses received views of the supposedly beneficial interrelationship between confessional speaker and reader. It examines Sexton's appropriation of dramatic
masks and personae and her use of metaphors of striptease and prostitution, and suggests that these are employed simultaneously to appease and to repel an intrusive audience. Similarly, Chapters Four and Five trace Sexton's problematisation of two previously-accepted tenets of confessional poetry: its status as autobiography and its truthfulness, drawing attention to the techniques employed in order to give the impression of both. Chapter Six considers Sexton's
problematic engagement with a language which is not malleable, transparent, and referential but, rather, is experienced as uncooperative and occlusive. Finally, the thesis recuperates Sexton from the common charge of narcissism, arguing that it is the writing, rather than the poet, which is self-reflexive and self-conscious. In this respect, it concludes that her work - perhaps unexpectedly - anticipates many of the tendencies of postmodernist writing
Interview: Anne-Marie Fortier
No full textThis paper is an edited version of an email interview conducted by Debra Ferreday and Adi Kuntsman with Anne-Marie Fortier, the author of Multicultural Horizons: Diversity and the Limits of the Civil Nation (Routledge, 2008). Fortier’s work has been informative in the development of some of the arguments explored in this special issue; in their conversation Ferreday and Kuntsman asked her to comment on the ideas of haunting, racial imaginaries, nostalgia, national anxieties, political feelings and hopes for the future
The importance of movement for people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
No full textChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease that gives rise to symptoms of breathlessness, chronic fatigue, and cough. The impact of COPD on people’s activity has been widely acknowledged, yet it appears that we know little about how individuals experience activity. We employed a grounded theory study with 18 participants with COPD to explore their dimensions of activity. We identified two core concepts that captured participants’ experience of activity; these were stagnation and movement. We found fresh air to be the single most important aspect affecting participants’ experience of stagnation and movement; this was linked to a changed perception of symptoms. We identified the environment as an important context influencing the experience of COPD and activity. Our stagnation–movement theory explains the experience of activity within its environmental context, and how this experience might be affected on physical, social, and psychological levels
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What really matters to patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? An exploratory study
No full textThere is limited published research into what really matters to people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Most previous research in this area focuses on the impact of the symptoms of COPD, rather than on the issues defined as important by patients themselves. This paper
describes an exploratory study investigating what is most important to people living with COPD. A qualitative approach employing in-depth interviews with COPD patients was chosen. Thematic analysis was used to code and categorize data.
Six patients with ‘moderate’ to ‘very severe’ COPD were recruited. They considered engagement in specific activities to be very important (walking, household maintenance and driving), even though these activities were mainly centred around the home environment, or within confined spaces, due to their physical limitations. This restriction led to feelings of social isolation that these patients tried to overcome through social participation (holidays, social interaction). People with COPD often experience physical restrictions, which can lead to reduced community mobility and social isolation. In this study, despite their physical limitations, these patients had a
strong desire to participate and be engaged in various activities. The importance of enabling patients to ‘participate’ rather than just ‘do’ should be considered when planning and delivering patientcentred interventions across the whole spectrum of severity of COPD
When King Arthur met the Venus : Romantic Antiquarianism and the Illustration of Anne Bannerman’s “The Prophecy of Merlin”
No full textThe first edition of Bannerman’s Tales of Superstition and Chivalry (1802) contained an erotic engraving of a naked Venus figure, which was declared ‘offensive to decency’ by Scottish audiences in the poet’s native Edinburgh. Garner’s account investigates the controversy surrounding the engraving and the puzzling disparity between it and the ballad it illustrated: the Arthurian-themed ‘Prophecy of Merlin’. Using evidence from Bannerman’s correspondence with noted Scottish male publishers and antiquarians, this essay argues that decision to include the dangerous engraving was symptomatic of current anxieties surrounding a female-authored text which threatened to encroach on antiquarian and Arthurian enquiry.Peer reviewe
Understanding Consumer Interest in Organics: Production Values vs. Purchasing Behavior
No full textExtensive research exists on who does or might purchase organic food products, however little research has addressed either who values organic production methods when deciding what to eat, and correspondingly, who does not purchase organics regularly. This paper reports that values about organic farming often do not translate into corresponding stated preferences about organic food consumption behavior. The paradox is examined within the context of the consumers’ sociodemographic characteristics as well as through opinions and preferences related to food in their lives.
Results show that consumer claims of buying organics and placing importance on organic production systems when deciding what to eat are highly correlated (.472 at 1% significance level; p<. 001). Organic consumers, however, comprise only slightly more than one quarter (27%) of the highly enthusiastic proponents of organic production methods. Our results corroborate existing research that well-educated persons and those who are primary household shoppers purchase organics most frequently. Additionally, women and those who are older, have higher incomes, and are more liberal, as well as respondents who claim food production knowledge also tend to buy organic food regularly.
Regression and factor analysis show that those who value organic production systems when deciding what to eat may be ranked in the following order: the religiously observant, older and female respondents, persons of color, and those who claim food production knowledge. Results show that many of these organic system proponents are under-represented as buyers, in particular: the religiously observant, those for whom food plays an integral role in their lives, the less educated, and lower income and older respondents. More attention should be directed to people who value organic production systems yet do not purchase organics. This will enhance understanding of the transaction barriers that impede consumer participation in the organic market. How this population values organic production systems also has implications for the development of public policy related to sustainable and organic agriculture.Peer reviewe
Consumption Growth and Agricultural Shocks in Rural Madagascar
No full textThe aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of rainfall and agricultural shocks on consumption growth in Madagascar. We are also interested in the impact of local endowments in infrastructures and social services on consumption growth. To achieve this goal, a micro model of household consumption growth is estimated thanks to household panel data collected by the Reseau des Observatoires Ruraux (ROR) between 1999 and 2004. Additional data sources include the 2001 communes census organized by the Ilo program of Cornell University. Altogether these different data sources make an unusually rich data set, at least when considered with developing country standards. We use panel data fixed effect estimation technique to remove unobserved household and community level time invariant heterogeneity. We find that production shocks have a substantial impact on consumption growth and we find sign of persistence of rainfall shocks. Roads and education seems to improve household’s consumption growth and remotness decreases it.risks, growth, poverty, Food Security and Poverty,
Open access self-archiving: An author study
No full textThis, our second author international, cross-disciplinary study on open access had 1296 respondents. Its focus was on self-archiving. Almost half (49%) of the respondent population have self-archived at least one article during the last three years. Use of institutional repositories for this purpose has doubled and usage has increased by almost 60% for subject-based repositories. Self-archiving activity is greatest amongst those who publish the largest number of papers. There is still a substantial proportion of authors unaware of the possibility of providing open access to their work by self-archiving. Of the authors who have not yet self-archived any articles, 71% remain unaware of the option. With 49% of the author population having self-archived in some way, this means that 36% of the total author population (71% of the remaining 51%), has not yet been appraised of this way of providing open access. Authors have frequently expressed reluctance to self-archive because of the perceived time required and possible technical difficulties in carrying out this activity, yet findings here show that only 20% of authors found some degree of difficulty with the first act of depositing an article in a repository, and that this dropped to 9% for subsequent deposits. Another author worry is about infringing agreed copyright agreements with publishers, yet only 10% of authors currently know of the SHERPA/RoMEO list of publisher permissions policies with respect to self-archiving, where clear guidance as to what a publisher permits is provided. Where it is not known if permission is required, however, authors are not seeking it and are self-archiving without it. Communicating their results to peers remains the primary reason for scholars publishing their work; in other words,
researchers publish to have an impact on their field. The vast majority of authors (81%) would willingly comply with a mandate from their employer or research funder to deposit copies of their articles in an institutional or subject-based repository. A further 13% would comply reluctantly; 5% would not comply with such a mandate
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