6,139 research outputs found
Polyphony and the anxiety of influence in the fiction of Henry James
No full textJames's fiction, especially in the Middle Phase, centres
on the figure of the artist and is characterized by, the two
interrelated aspects which previous criticism has largely
overlooked: the Bakhtinian 'polyphonic' -creation of
'author-thinkers'; and the conflict between ephebes and
precursors, for which Harold-Bloom's concept of 'the-anxiety of
influence' is the most illuminating model. Polyphony is the
narrative mode, and influence is the intra-artistic, theme.
These, as the Introduction to the thesis makes clear, are
rehearsed in James's inaugural novel, Roderick Hudson. Rowland
Mallet is an author-thinker, and his failure is caused by
authorial limitations. His monologism -is impaired by his
mistaking empathy for the authorial sympathy. Likewise,
Hudson's failure does not arise from a mercurial temperament,
but from a polyphonic shortcoming: not possessing the power of
fiction to contain the fiction of power in, his mentor. And the
relationships among the three artists - Gloriani, Hudson and
Singleton - perfectly exemplify the Bloomian-theme. It is these
two concepts, polyphony and influence, which are the major
preoccupation in the Middle Phase; as, the works chosen
demonstrate. These are a novella, a novel, and a number of
short stories all of which have been unjustifiably neglected.
Chapter One, on The Aspern Papers, argues that Tina Bordereau,
far from being, the artless victim seen by many critics,
actually challenges and defeats the narrator by the very form
of her narrative. Her 'realist' discourse undermines his
language of 'romance', and shows up its internal unstability.
Chapter Two is an extensive study of the critical reception of
The Tragic Muse. The most common areas of critical attention
have been its contemporary topicality, its relation to previous
novels on similar themes, and the possible genealogy of Gabriel
Nash. Those have all missed the core of the work. - Chapter Three
demonstrates how polyphony and the anxiety of influence make
the novel what it really is. Influence arises from the
juxtaposition of, and the wrestling between, artistic ephebes
and their precursors (Nick and Nash,, Miriam and Madame Carre).
The dialogic quality defined by Bakhtin is crucial to the
proper, and even-handed, characterization of all, the conflicts
in the novel. And since most of James's tales in the eighties
and nineties -are about 'masters - and acolytes, the anxiety of
influence remains central. Chapter Four is a study of 'The
Author of Beltraffiol' and 'The Lesson of the Master'. Again the
characters' manipulations are a crucial focus in a way that
G6rard Genette's terminology helps to illuminate. The fact that
the ephebe is the author-thinker emphasizes the inextricability
of the Bakhtinian and the Bloomian in James. Just as
polyphony offers a different focus for explicating the poetics
of James's fiction; so the ephebal conflict provides the basis
for a fresh perception of James's own artistic struggle
Award-winning historian of the American Southwest James F. Brooks discusses public history.
No full textJames F. Brooks is an award-winning historian of the American Southwest and former president of the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Listen to Dr. Brooks discuss his long and distinguished career as an author, professor, and head of a world-class research institute that bridges the gap between the public and the academy every day.
Interviewers Eric Zimmer and Katherine Massot
A critical comparison of William James and Søren Kierkegaard on religious belief
No full textThis thesis is a critical comparison of the accounts of religious belief proposed byWilliam James and Søren Kierkegaard. Both James and Kierkegaard greatly emphasizethe subjective aspects of religious belief. In view of this fact, surprisingly littlecomparative work has been done in this area. I contribute to this literature in two ways.Firstly, I make a brief assessment of what James knew of Kierkegaard’s work.Secondly, I draw four comparisons between Kierkegaard and James. In Chapter One Iexamine the claim that Kierkegaard proposes a pragmatist account of faith of the kindthat James sets out in his essay The Will To Believe. I argue that this claim rests on amisunderstanding of Kierkegaard’s argument that to have faith is to take a risk. In thefollowing chapter I discuss James’s and Kierkegaard’s views on formal proofs for theexistence of God. Both philosophers reject the notion that faith can be based on suchproofs. I distinguish between their positions, and argue in favour of Kierkegaard’s. Inthe third chapter I compare Kierkegaard’s and James’s accounts of religious experience.James views religious experiences as a special kind of evidence for the existence ofGod. For Kierkegaard it is a mistake to view religious experiences as evidence. Suchexperiences should be understood in relation to the concept of religious authority. In thefinal chapter I examine Kierkegaard’s conception of faith as a life-view. I argue that forKierkegaard a life-view is a fundamental perspective on one’s existence. I compare thisconception with James’s concept of philosophical temperament and in relation to hisdiscussion of the sick soul
Theology in suspense : how the detective fiction of P.D. James provokes theological thought
No full textElectronic redacted version excludes material for which permission has not been granted by the rights holderThe following dissertation argues that the detective fiction of P.D. James
provokes her readers to think theologically. I present evidence from the body of
James’s work, including her detective fiction that features the Detective Adam
Dalgliesh, as well as her other novels, autobiography, and non-fiction work. I also
present a brief history of detective fiction. This history provides the reader with a
better understanding of how P.D James is influenced by the detective genre as well as
how she stands apart from the genre’s traditions.
This dissertation relies on an interview that I conducted with P.D. James in
November, 2008. During the interview, I asked James how Christianity has
influenced her detective fiction and her responses greatly contribute to this
dissertation. However, James’s novels should be interpreted and explored in the
manner that they are received by the reader. How the reader receives and responds to
the novels, not only how James writes the novels, is what causes her stories to
provoke theological thinking.
By examining Christian symbolism that is present in setting, character, the
Detective Adam Dalgliesh, and plot, this dissertation seeks to assert that James
contributes to a theological conversation through her popular detective fiction
Checklist of health promotion environments at worksites (CHEW): Development and measurement characteristics
No full textPurpose. Health promotion policy frameworks, recent theorizing, and research all emphasize understanding and mobilizing environmental influences to change particular health-related behaviors in specific settings. The workplace is a key environmental setting. The Checklist of Health Promotion Environments at Worksites (CHEW) was designed as a direct observation instrument to assess characteristics of worksite environments that are known to influence health-related behaviors. Methods. The CHEW is a 112-item checklist of workplace environment features hypothesized to be associated, both positively and negatively, with physical activity, healthy eating, alcohol consumption, and smoking. The three environmental domains assessed are (1) physical characteristics of the worksite, (2) features of the information environment, and (3) characteristics of the immediate neighborhood around the workplace. The conceptual rationale and development studies for the CHEW are described, and data from observational studies of 20 worksites are reported. Results. The data on CHEW-derived environmental attributes showed generally good reliability and identified meaningful sets of variables that plausibly may influence health-related behaviors. With the exception of one information environment attribute, intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. Descriptive statistics on selected physical and information environment characteristics indicated that vending machines, showers, bulletin boards, and signs prohibiting smoking were common across worksites. Bicycle racks, visible stairways, and signs related to alcohol consumption, nutrition, and health. promotion were relatively uncommon. Conclusions. These findings illustrate the types of data on environmental attributes that can be derived, their relevance for program planning, and how they can characterize variability across worksites. The CHEW is a promising observational measure that has the potential to assess environmental influences on health behaviors and to evaluate workplace health promotion programs
Cold war theology: a controversial religious image of King James VI & I in England and on the Continent in 1603
No full textA former student of James Cameron’s, Ian Hazlett contributes a paper very much in the spirit of his teacher. It considers the afterlife of the King’s (or Negative) Confession, commissioned by James VI of Scotland in 1581 as a clear statement of his Calvinist credentials. By the time he gained the crown of England in 1603 however, his evolving religious views meant it had become a document he sought to distance himself from. Both Protestant and Catholic propagandists and publishers, keen to give a particular picture of the theological sympathies of the new English king, subsequently produced a surprisingly varied selection of versions of the Confession. These sources and what they can tell us about the theology and politics of the day are considered here for the first time in a scholarly study.Publisher PD
Romanian Nationalism: An Ideology of Integration and Mobilization
No full textThe article is one of eight studies on individual countries in a volume on nationalism in Eastern Europe edited by Peter F. Sugar. It traces the story from the beginning of the century to the first years of post-Communism. As stipulated by Sugar, the article consists of four chronological sections introduced by characteristic documents in English translation by leading Romanian nationalists: Nicolae Iorga, Nichifor Crainic, Nicolae Ceauşescu, and the Greater Romania Party. Special attention is given to territorial issues and Romania’s relations with its neighbors.Eastern European Nationalism in the Twentieth Century, ed. Peter F. Sugar, 273-304. American University Press, 1995
Recommended from our members
Ecological Moderators of the Relation Between Neighborhood Safety and Physical Activity
No full textObjective: Targeting neighborhood characteristics (e.g., pedestrian infrastructure) is a promising mechanism to increase physical activity (PA). However, the association with neighborhood safety and PA is unclear. An ecological approach, which considers multiple levels of influence, may help clarify the association. The current dissertation bridged the PA and injury prevention fields by assessing multilevel moderators of the association between neighborhood safety and PA.Methods: The three samples were overweight/obese adults from San Diego, CA (Study 1, n=298), adolescents from Seattle, WA and Baltimore, MD (Study 2, n=878) and older adults from Seattle, WA (Study 3, n=367). The PA outcomes were self-reported active transport and leisure-time PA, and objective moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Study 1 assessed perceived neighborhood safety (e.g., safety from crime, pedestrian safety). Studies 2 and 3 assessed objectively-measured pedestrian streetscape safety. Moderators were from individual/demographic, psychosocial, home and neighborhood environment levels. Results: Fifteen of the 17 significant (p<.10) moderators found across studies were from individual/demographic or psychosocial levels. Though some moderators were shared across outcomes within the same study (e.g., sex and BMI in Study 1 or barriers in Study 2), race/ethnicity was the only significant moderator across studies (Studies 1 & 2). White non-Hispanic participants benefitted most in safe vs. unsafe neighborhoods, but there were few benefits among minorities. In Studies 2 & 3, the utility of the new objective streetscape safety measure was demonstrated. It was significantly positively associated with neighborhood-based PA among older adults, but negatively associated among adolescents. Conclusion: The association of neighborhood safety with PA was complex and varied by subgroup. The findings demonstrate the utility of an ecological approach to better understand PA, particularly exploring cross-level interactions. Both perceived and objectively-assessed neighborhood safety had subgroup-specific effects, suggesting each age-group should be targeted separately (e.g., targeting pedestrian safety for older adults). More research is needed that incorporates objectively-assessed pedestrian safety, and interventions should tailor based on individual/demographic and psychosocial characteristics. Interventions can modify safety-related streetscape characteristics to reduce or eliminate traffic-related fatalities and injuries among pedestrians, and may have a dual benefit of facilitating greater physical activity in neighborhoods
The political economy of trade and growth: an analytical interpretation of sir James Steuart's inquiry
No full textSir James Steuart (1713-80) has been unduly neglected by the majority of historians of economic thought. This study aims at casting a new light upon his original thought to provide a basis for the revaluation of his contribution to the development of economic discipline. The present interpretation of his Inquiry (1767) reveals that his political economy contains not only fresh new ideas and path-breaking thinking for his time but also most major ingredients of modem economics. Firmly based on the recognition of the interdependence of economic sectors and social classes, he clearly grasped the circular system of production, distribution and consumption in the exchange economy. He discerned between the 'profit upon alienation' and the 'real value' of commodities in their current price' determined in the markets. He emphasized the 'balance of work and demand', secured by the 'double competition' among the sellers and buyers of commodities, for the efficient allocation of economic resources. On these foundations, Steuart established his theory of output, employment and population in terms of the notion of 'effectual demand'. His economic analysis culminates in his discussions of economic growth and foreign trade. He linked the limitations of the former to the benefits of the latter. Meanwhile, refuting his predecessors' quantity theory, Steuart presented what might be called the production-consumption theory of money, according to which money is not neutral to the determination of the level of output in an exchange economy. His theory of international money also takes on modernity, as it adopts an absorption approach to the balance of payments. Steuart's monetary analysis comes complete with his argument for government's active finance. The state interventionism underlying the whole of Steuart's political economy is seen as its logical conclusion, rather than a mere assumption. Thus, it is suggested that the ultimate message of his Inquiry is neither laissez faire nor centa-al planning
Reading and Remembering the Anthropologist James F. Weiner
No full textInternational audienceThis retrospective addresses the anthropological writings-both academic and applied-of James F. Weiner (1950-2020). Weiner would take the name Jaimie Pearl Bloom and begin living openly as a transgender woman in 2016. Jaimie was proudly transgender and worked in Melbourne (where she had moved in 2018) to support LGBTIQ rights and transgender issues. She co-founded the Bent Twig Alliance to address the needs of elderly members of the community. We are informed by several people who knew her in her last years that Jaimie accepted being referred to as 'James' or 'Jimmy' in commentary on her anthropological work. Largely because the contributors to this retrospective engage with James F. Weiner, the author of multiple anthropological texts dating from 1984 to 2017, many (but not all) have chosen to write about and refer to her as 'Jimmy'. No disrespect is shown or intended to Jaimie Pearl Bloom, whom most of us did not have the opportunity to meet. And so it is to 'Jimmy' that we now turn. James F. Weiner-author, teacher, researcher, and consultant-earned his master's degree in anthropology at Northwestern University, where he was influenced by Roy Wagner (see Leach's contribution). He went on, briefly, to the University of Chicago but finished his doctoral degree at the Australian National University (1984). His dissertation on the Foi of Papua New Guinea (see Young's contribution) would be published as The Heart of the Pearl Shell (1988), a year that also saw the publication of his edited collection Mountain Papuans. The Empty Place (1991), The Lost Drum (1995), and Tree Leaf Talk (2001) would soon follow. Weiner's contribution to Songs of the Empty Place (co-authored with Don Niles) was written by 1995 but would not be published until 2015. A raft of peer-reviewed articles on a wide range of topics, several of which were reprinted in important anthologies, cemented Weiner's reputation. During these early years he would teach at ANU, the University of Manchester (1990-1994), and the University of Adelaide (1994-1999). A mere thirteen years after receiving his doctorate, Weiner, an American, would be named Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. From the commencement of his career, Weiner's topics of choice, explored largely with reference to the Foi, were myth, poetry, music, space and topography, and philosophy and aesthetics, contributions to which several authors here, students and colleagues of his at the University of Manchester (Ingold, Strathern, Crook and Leach), discuss. Yet over the course of Weiner's career, this repertoire of interests and expertise would widen significantly. Although a Melanesianist by training, Weiner was also interested in Indigenous Australia. Alan Rumsey, Weiner's colleague at ANU, shared Weiner's fascination with both cultural contexts and collaborated with him first to organize an international conference at ANU in 1997, and then to co-author and co-edit two well-received conference volumes
- …
