Research in Contemporary World Literature
Year:2015 | Volume:20 | Issue:1|Papers Count:9

Almost three centuries after the publication of The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, J. M. Coetzee re-imagines the original story in two different versions, Foe (1986) and his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, He and His Man (2003). The recreation of one of the early novels of the Western literary canon from the viewpoint of a marginalized character, which is technically called postcolonial intertextuality, establishes a counter-discourse which aims at questioning ideological, Eurocentric and masculine supremacist discourses in the tradition of novel writing. In this article Coetzee’s two narratives are read as his attempts at transforming the monological discourse of the original narrative to a dialogical one and thus creating multiplicity of voices and in Mikail Bakhtin’s words, “polyphony”. However, this article argues that while in Foe polyphony is created through metafictional strategies such as ambivalence, He and His Man suggests that multiplicity of voice and polyphonic narratives are primarily the product of the writer’s development of, what Homi Bhabha calls, “hybridity” in his/her consciousness.

The purpose of this research is to study Postmodern elements in the Iranian movie “Close-up”(1990) by Abbas Kiarostami. The application of such strategies as intertextuality, the destruction of grand narratives, the death of the author, short circuit and some others have made the film a Postmodern production. The author would apply different theories by Kristeva, Lyotard, Lewis, Hutcheon and Lodge for this purpose. The movie is a kind of “movie-about-movie” and the story happens in a space between a film and a documentary. It raises some questions about the nature of “reality” and representation of reality. In other words, the movie is an example of the mingling of reality and imagination in a postmodern world. In this movie, the border between real life and cinema disapppears not only for the audience but also for the characters. One other important postmodern quality of the text is “the destruction of grand-narratives”. The movie lacks a coherent and well-defined plot and the audience faces a fragmented narrative.

Haruki Murakami is one of the most well-known authors in contemporary world literature. Kafke on the Shore is considered amongst his best novels. In this essay, this novel is analyzed from narratology perspective and in this regard, narratological and mythological approaches are used. To this end, after looking at Roland Barthes’ attitude towards narratology, the narrative of the novel is shown in a table. Besides, a passage rite pattern which leads the protagonist towards maturity is examined using Joseph Campbell’s theory in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the end, this article attempts at answering the question of how a narrative uses mythological pattern of passage and maturity in a contemporary novel and how this Universalist rite is presented in different cultures and various narratives.

An in-time vision of literary works in their widespread spectrum is what always leads to the enrichment of literature and is also what helps transform it from a static state to a dynamic one. In the meantime, since the myths evolve and proceed with the passage of time and are always present in the course of history, they cannot be held an exception to this fact. The myths, among the different topics addressed in comparative literature, which, in the most widespread meaning constitute an approach towards the universe, and are presented through different literary vehicles including allegories, anecdotes and narratives, should be not interpreted as ancient, fictional stories but studied with regard to the human being’s existential struggles throughout history. Hence, this article tries to analyze, in a new way and based on the contemporary mythological theories, two stories from the ancient Greek and Persian mythologies, Ikarus and Kavus, respectively, in terms of their high ambitions.

Where have gone the myths which had been the basis of thought and morality in past times? And now how and where can they be found again? This essay aims to reply these questions, specifically search for those ideas which have been theorized as the new and modern forms and functions of mythology. Then, after criticizing those ideas who concern the new forms of mythology in modern and industrial societies only in some concepts like: power, mode and media myths, it considers the other face of mythology which is not powerful, ideological and public but symbolic, dreamy, mysterious and unique. The human mind spends his eternal ability to create myths in literature and art where the myths can breathe and relive in an intimate and familiar atmosphere. This essay encourages discovering the new myths in new and modern literature rather than reflecting on old myths in modern literature. The new form of characters, places and events in literature can be considered new myths, which emerge from their abstract individuality and appear in mythological dimension that shine beyond time and place. So, they can function as mythological symbols to describe the situation and problems of modern man. The undiscovered and unknown layers of literature and art is full of symbols that have originated in unconsciousness and their deep meaning is not clear to any one even the creator. Thus their various interpretations may be found and revealed after many years and centuries.

The present research which falls in the field of comparative literature and is based on the French school aims to study and compare the social poetry of Ahmad Shamlou, a renowned contemporary Iranian poet, and Bertolt Brescht, a German poet, writer and theorist’s famous theater. The two poets looked at social issues through a human perspective and simple language which is reflected in their poetry. This research is fundamentally based on library research and seeking evidence and providing a comparative analysis of eight social concept of man, freedom, justice, patriotism, love, women, oppression and death with case examples in Shamlou’s and Brescht’s poetry and drama, respectively. It is concluded that their works ry express the pain and suffering of human society. The social content of Shamlou’s and Brecht’s works stimulates thought, feeling and the imagination, and wakes up the disillusioned community that is thirsty for concepts like freedom, love, justice, oppression, and similar themes.

Tolerance with the people with other beliefs is one of the ethical issues that are focused on in Enlightenment Europe. Since Lessing is known as a scout Enlightenment in German literature so this article studies the concept of tolerance by him in the dramas Minna von Barnhelm and The Jews. For this purpose, first the history of Enlightenment Europe from the beginning up to Lessingʼs time that is eighteenth century is considered, and afterwards, the theme of tolerance in these works is studied.Minna is at first glance only a comedy drama with no important issues to deal with, but with a little care, Lessingʼs views on tolerance and his stance against the war can be seen. In The Jews he has explicitly explained his opinions in this field and has stressed the necessity of tolerance with the followers of other religions and the avoidance of prejudice against them.

Howard Brenton as one of the controversial English dramatists of the May 1968 uprising attacks the power discourses in his plays. Demythologization and iconoclasm of the great figures and historical events are two dominant themes in his dramas. In this research, the researchers in light of historical studies attempt to depict how Brenton in his play Bloody Poetry (1984) and by dint of dramatization of the young Romantics-Shelley, Byron, Mary Shelley, and Claire Clairmont- draws a parallel between the degeneracy and disappointment of Romantic idealism and Brenton’s contemporaries and present intellectuals in order to scrutinize the deficiencies of intellectualism and its encounter with authoritarianism. In this respect, Brenton simply equates the authoritative government of Castlereagh of the early 19th century with the Neoconservative administration of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. Thus, this research, too, explores the ineffectuality of the intellectual labour and the extant rift between intellectuals and the people that Brenton attempts to depict with the purpose of reforming the intellectual resistance, including the use of media, and making new bonds with the people.

With the high rise of immigration in the world, Diaspora or presence of the immigrants’ communities in the countries of the first world has attracted significant attention from different scholars. The theoreticians of diaspora have considered several characteristics in defining diasporan communities the most important of which is the relationship to the homeland. With regards to such a relationship scholars have always focused on dependency upon the homeland and the desire to return to it. Avtar Brah putting forth the idea of “homing desire” argues that many people and diasporan communities have more an internal desire for “home” as a place of security and safety rather than a return to homeland. In this paper Brah’s views accompanied with the concept of Islamic Ummah are used to analyze Minaret by Leila Aboulela. It is argued that in Minaret a new path is suggested for the immigrant which is based on reliance on religion.