1,720,978 research outputs found
Playing it fashionably queer: Mae West's performing sexuality
No full text“Marriage is a fine institution, but I’m not ready for an institution”. With this challenging innuendo, the American actress and author Mae West offers an insight into gender performativity and heteronormativity through marriage in a period, the “Roaring Twenties”, in which sexual and gender politics could not be put into scrutiny. Her vamp persona and the elaborated iconography that she crafted on her character gave birth to a meticulous semiotics of the body that eventually undermined the American social context of the time fostering on the one hand, an image of heterosexual desire, and on the other hand an appealing icon to a gay market. This article ventures a queer-oriented perspective on West’s charismatic character and on the intertwined effects that tie semiotics to body language, especially focussing on the plays Sex (1926) and The Drag (1927)
Male Perspectives in Atwood’s “Bluebeard’s Egg” and Hazzard’s The Transit of Venus
No full textLe revisioni postmoderne delle favole hanno influenzato vari studi e discipline in particolare nella seconda metà del ventesimo secolo. Alla base degli approcci speculativi e ideologici dell’interpretazione delle fiabe si trovano principalmente implicazioni di gender, che sono servite a decifrare e interpretare le molteplici metamorfosi che questo genere letterario ha subito attraverso i secoli. In modo particolare, durante il postmodernismo, le riscritture delle favole hanno contribuito a sovvertire le loro strutture stereotipe, azzardando in tal modo riletture alternative. Questo lavoro propone un’analisi del discorso sul genere in due riscritture postmoderne di Barbablù, nello specifico l’opera di Margaret Atwood “Bluebeard’s Egg” e il romanzo di Shirley Hazzard The Transit of Venus, focalizzandosi in modo particolare sulle prospettive maschili/queer che, fino ad oggi, non sono state prese in considerazione. Partendo da una panoramica sulle diverse concettualizzazioni dei termini “genere” e “sessualità” nei tempi moderni e contemporanei, questa ricerca analizza la nascita e l’evoluzione dei male studies e, conseguentemente, esplora le modalità attraverso le quali questi studi hanno influenzato l’interpretazione delle fiabe classiche. Inoltre, prendendo in considerazione la struttura teoretica citata sopra, il presente lavoro offre possibili interpretazioni intertestuali delle sempre diverse dinamiche sottese al discorso sul genere e guida il lettore alla scoperta delle identità degli personaggi delle opere esaminate. Attraverso un processo interrelato e altalenante che dà la possibilità ai personaggi di queste riscritture contemporanee di “camuffare” le loro identità all’interno delle pagine e al di là dei testi, la figura di Barbablù risulta essere il modello “di mezzo” delle concettualizzazioni contemporanee sul genere.Postmodern revisions of fairy tales have influenced several discourses and disciplines especially during the second half of the twentieth century. At the basis of the speculative and ideological approach to postmodern fairy tales lies primarily gendered-based implications, which have helped decipher and interpret the multiple metamorphoses that this literary genre has undergone throughout the centuries. In particular, in the course of postmodernism, the rewriting of classic fairy tales has contributed to the subversion of their stereotypal structures, thus advancing alternative re-readings. This work proposes an investigation into the gender discourse in two postmodern re-writings of Bluebeard, i.e. Margaret Atwood’s “Bluebeard’s Egg” and Shirley Hazzard’s The Transit of Venus, especially focussing on male/queer perspectives that, to present time, have not been taken into consideration. Starting from an overview on the diverse conceptualisations of the terms “gender” and “sexuality” in modern and contemporary times, this research analyses the birth and evolution of male studies and, subsequently, it explores the ways in which they have influenced the interpretation of classical tales. Furthermore, by taking into account the theoretical structure mentioned above, this work fosters possible intertextual interpretations of the ever-changing dynamics that the gender discourse entails and guides the reader along the discovery of the characters’ identities as examined in the works. By means of an intertwined and shifting process, which enables the characters of these contemporary revisions to “disguise” their identities within the pages and beyond their texts, the figure of Bluebeard reveals himself as the “in-between” pattern for contemporary gender conceptualisations
The Postmodern Feminine Beauty Ideal in Shrek
No full textThis analysis deals with the postmodern feminine beauty ideal in the computer-animated film Shrek, and considers the impact this has had on the resultant change of the feminine representation in contemporary film productions and fairy tales. More specifically, the analysis will focus on the representational value of female characters in classic fairy tales, compared with the postmodern revision carried out by gender studies. This approach aims at offering some observations on the changes occurred in the classic framing of feminine roles, considering Fiona, Shrek’s wife, as an example of “contemporary princess”
Recensione a Allyna E. Ward, Women and Tudor Tragedy, Feminizing Counsel and Representing Gender (Madison, Fairleigh Dickinson, 2013)
No full textDurante il periodo Tudor lo sviluppo delle idee riguardanti il genere ed il ruolo della donna all’interno della società, nello specifico la donna come scrittrice o personaggio letterario e politico, rappresenta il punto centrale della revisione sul gender che caratterizzò la nascente Europa moderna. L’opera di Ward descrive il processo attraverso il quale, durante il regno dei Tudor, l’attenzione verso la cultura e la politica passa da una male-oriented structure tanto agognata da Enrico VIII a una che, paradossalmente, viene governata da donne: prima da Maria Tudor e poi da Elisabetta Tudor
Memoria Semantica e Memoria Episodica: Walter Pater ed il Ritratto
No full textWalter Pater rappresenta il punto di arrivo della scrittura tipicamente decadente del ritratto immaginario. Le origini del genere del ritratto possono essere rintracciate nelle Eroidi di Ovidio in cui si trovava già quella nota elegiaca che sarà poi tipica in Pater. Il carattere misto delle sue opere, intrise di critica e fantasia, cariche di presentimenti e testimoni di una pesante eredità della memoria, lasciano intravedere il tentativo di instillare in persone ed opere del passato una rilettura moderna, come nel caso della rapsodia sulla Gioconda di Leonardo, ma che troviamo anche negli Imaginary Portraits. Nel ritratto “Il Fanciullo nella Casa”, il protagonista, Florian Deleal, diventa portavoce e testimone della distinzione dei concetti contemporanei di memoria semantica, intesa come conoscenza/coscienza del passato e memoria episodica, rintracciabile nel senso dell’auto-riconoscimento mentale di avvenimenti precedenti dell’esistenza, tipica di ogni essere umano
LGBT and Queer Research in ESP: Theoretical Reflections
No full textGender discrimination and inequalities in higher education are rooted phenomena. The overall structure of Western society shows that diversity of human sexual orientations has not been given sufficient attention and, as a reflection, scholarship on LGBT and queer individuals and organisations in higher education have claimed a deeper theoretical concern. The presence of several approaches in research on gender issues is the outcome of a limited application of queer theory on academic education. Indeed, as Renn (132) suggests, “[l]esbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), and queer research in higher education is embedded in a central paradox: although colleges and universities are the source of much queer theory, they have remained substantially untouched by the queer agenda”, thus highlighting the need of including in academic programs more inclusive gender-oriented curricula.
This article ventures to suggest that, notwithstanding the effort to recognise the value of queer theory, universities have not surrendered on the queering of higher education itself and strive to assure that every single person of the academic community is respected and valued regardless of his/her sexual orientation and/or gender identity. A respectful atmosphere would guarantee each member of the community a positive sense of self and a fruitful educational and personal growth. It also proposes reflections and theoretical implications on the interrelation between ESP and the new directions in LGBT and queer research to enhance and improve educational practise and expertise within both queer and non-queer academic organisations
La Grande Famiglia - Un Romanzo di 12 Autori
No full textThe Whole Family (La Grande Famiglia), nato da una idea di William Dean Howells, esce in dodici puntate su Harper’s Bazar, nota rivista femminile della casa editrice Harper & Brothers, dal dicembre del 1907 al novembre 1908. Il romanzo, scritto da dodici autori diversi, narra la storia di una famiglia della piccola borghesia del New England del primo Novecento impegnata nei preparativi per l’imminente fidanzamento della figlia appena tornata dal college. A livello romanzesco, questo importante avvenimento sociale è osservato e raccontato dai vari componenti della grande famiglia, i quali, attraverso un gioco di ruoli e prospettive, mettono in discussione modelli comportamentali, aspettative e consuetudini che caratterizzano la società americana all’inizio del ventesimo secolo
Mocking the queer stereotype in the TV series Little Britain
No full textThis paper will analyze the sitcom Little Britain as one of the TV series which mocks and subverts the traditional British queer stereotype. The perspective of this paper is twofold. The primary purpose is to shed light on how the recurring character appearing in Little Britain’s1 episodes, Emily Howard, the transvestite, enacts a series of situations that satirize and spoof the British society, through a humour originating from the queer stereotype presented in the sketches. This will be better appreciated focusing on the concept of gender identity, in that it represents the central issue of this sitcom
Televised Undead: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Conceptualization of Vampires in Contemporary TV Shows
Full text linkDrawing on a rich literary tradition, Gothic novels display strange and unreal places
such as castles and secret passages where dramatic and amazing events occur and whose
effects feeds on an appealing sort of terror. This literary genre expresses an appreciation of
extreme passions and emotions and a “longing for” supernatural atmospheres and desolated
settings often peopled by monsters, ghosts and vampires. The Gothic fiction has received
much fortune throughout the years and, in the contemporary context, it has also been adapted
to visual and audiovisual products as a consequence of the people’s need to combine the real
with the fantastic and transgressions with rules. The word transgression contains in itself a
clear reference to the concept of “breaking the boundaries” (trans), going beyond the ordinary
life. Seen through this perspective, vampires possess an evocative strength that aptly
expresses men’s contemporary quest for “life after death”; indeed, as Bruhm (2002) points
out, “the Gothic provides us a guarantee of life even in the face of so much death” (274). As a
matter of fact, in twentieth century films and TV shows vampires and blood-sucking creatures
undergo a process of humanization that makes them more “accessible”. This article aims at
analyzing the relationship between the Gothic genre and audiovisual products through an
interdisciplinary approach that, on the one hand, tracks back the features of this literary genre
and accommodates them to present-day necessities and, on the other hand, analyzes the main
changes it has encompassed
English for Nursing: The Importance of Developing Communicative Competences
No full textThe role that English plays in the Italian academic setting has considerably changed during the last decades: in fact, it is not only considered just a language to be learnt by those who are studying linguistics and literature in the Departments of Foreign Languages anymore, but it is seen as an important means of communication for all those who are attending university. Given the fact that English has spread throughout Europe as a Lingua Franca, indeed, the ability to use it and to interact with people not sharing the same mother tongue has become of central importance. The present article aims at explaining the relevance that the English language has in medicine and, specifically, in courses addressed to future nurses, who are supposed to be the caregivers having the most intimate relationship with patients. After a brief but detailed explanation of the reasons why students are asked to devote their attention to English, a more practical approach to the teaching of the language and to the development of communicative competences will be offered
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