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Review of: Moktefi, Amirouche & Abeles, Francine F., eds. (2016), ‘What the Tortoise Said to Achilles’. Lewis Carroll’s Paradox of Inference, special double issue of The Carrollian, The Lewis Carroll Journal, no. 28 (November 2016), 136pp, ISSN 1462 6519
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Marcus Caelius Rufus was born in 82 BC, probably in Interamnia. He was descended from equestrian family. Since his early youth he lived in Rome. His educators were Crassus and Cicero. Young man was very talented and promising orator. The characteristic element of his speeches was asperitas (malice). On the other hand he was very ambitious, arrogant and self-confident fast liver. This connection of skills and negative traits of character caused that roman writer Velleius Paterculus called Caelius "ingeniose nequam" (ingenious scawalag). Young Marcus was Cicero's pupil, but this fact did not inhibit him from showing sympathy to the Catilinarians. However, Caelius was not an active member of the conspiracy. He belonged to the roman guilded youth and had many friends in this group. Cicero called these young people barbatuli iuvenes. Informal leader of barbatuli iuvenes was Curio the Younger. Caelius was his friend and it is possible, that Caelius was one of these young people, who demonstrated kindness to Clodius during his famous trial in 61 BC. Later he probably was one of Clodius' allies during his tribunate in 58 BC. As a homo novus Caelius did not have famous antestors, so he had to show his own skills in public. In 59 B.C. he accused C. Antonius (probably de maiestate). Antonius's conviction in this trial was first Caelius's success in his political career. Later he accused L. Calpurnius Bestia, but unsuccessfully. Bestia's son, L. Sempronius Atratinus, accused Caelius de vi publica (public violence) specifically for murdering philosopher Dio. Atratinus was supported by Herennius Balbus and P. Clodius. During the trial young defendant demonstrated disrespect for his opponents by using malicious jokes and indecent gestures. He was successfully defended by Crassus and Cicero. Marcus Tullius tried to present his student as a skillful, brilliant adolescent, but he could not deny Celius's connections with Catilinarians and his luxurious life. In 52 B.C. Caelius was tribune of the plebs and supported his friend Milo, accused for killing Clodius. Milo, however, was exiled. In 50 B.C. Caelius was curule edile. Frontinus, writer from 2nd century lauded his activities in this office, which were useful for citizenry of Rome. Since 51 B.C. when Cicero departed as a proconsul to Cilicia, until his death in 48 B.C. Caelius was corresponding with his teacher. His letters are very informative and show his political intelligence. Young Marcus could make good provisions for political facts. Political rules were not important for Celius. In politics young Marcus searched for his own career and benefits. During the civil war he supported Caesar, whose cause was in his opinion worse, but stronger. His decision was also caused by friendship with Curio and antagonism with Appius Claudius. In 48 B.C. his new protector rewarded Caelius with office of praetor peregrinus. Young equestrian, however, feel underestimated. When his program of debt relief was opposed, Caelius decided to organise a new uprising against Caesar together with his friend Milo, who came back from exile. Rebelion was crushed quickly and Caelius was killed near Thurii. There is no doubt, that Caelius was very talented, intelligent young man, who could be also faithful friend and civil servant. On the other hand he was not only fast liver, but also arrogant, priggish careerist and disrespecting rules political trouble-maker. In the light of this facts it seems that Paterculus's words "ingeniose nequam" are brief, but very pertinent description of this young equestrian.
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Anne Lepper is a German playwright born in 1978 in Essen. Seymour, her drama, can be read in Eszter Biró’s translation in our issue: the world premiere of the text was in 2012 at Schauspiel Hannover, and in 2016 Balázs Bodolai directed a reading performance of the text at the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj. Seymour tells the story of five obese children who participate in a special diet-cure in a high-mountain sanatorium following the precise rules of Dr. Bärfuss. They keep hoping that the doctor will finally appear to certify the success of the cure and they can go home. But this never happens, and when they get stuck forever on the mountain-top of their desired transformation, they get a message from their parents that they have been replaced by slimmer children. Lepper’s grotesque morality targets the perception of the individual in a consumer society, through the ideal of the acceptable, tolerable and useful body. Although the characters are children, their words and problems reflect the world of adults: the endless and fruitless struggle for the ideal, the desire to meet expectations, the basic emotions of lovelessness and exchangeability.
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This paper deals with a question of existentialism (or non-existentialism) in the novel Družné letá (Companionable Summers) written by Dominik Tatarka. The study directly refers to the monograph Dominik Tatarka in the Context of Existentialism (M. Antošová), where we focused on the significant “diapason” of Tatarka ́s works through the optics of existentialism. We are not dealing with the texts which Dominik Tatarka wrote in the spirit of socialist realist method and would require a special approach for logical and system reasons.This study has an ambition to cover this gap at least from one side and exactly for these reasons the interpretation analysis (in correlation with a comparison aspect) of the socialist realist work Družné letá (Companionable Summers) through existentialist sight becomes its subject.
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This article is devoted to “Zalataya zhrytsa Asvynov”, the novel written by Olga Ipatova. Strategies of reconstructing the past used by the Belarusian novelist as well as the poetics and aesthetics of her work are in the focus of attention. History in the novel is fragmentary. It is interpreted through the prism of consciously activated mythological mechanisms. Although their significance is fixed in collective consciousness, they need to be updated and interpreted anew.
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The author of the article discusses communicative-pragmatic and cultural information in the poem “Dauno nezhyvy batska polem idze” by Jan Chykvin. The following problems are analyzed: types of antinomy, style-forming devices, textual structure and meaning, organic link with the Parable of the Sower, Old Ruthenian art and synergic image of the world in Christian anthropology.
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The article discusses “experimental” poem by Jan Chykvin “Razmova susvietau”. The meaning of the non-traditional approach and its sources appear in the theory of communicative nature of art. The ideational content of the poem is represented by the belief that aesthetic harmony of poetry is a potential to solve ethical problems of human existence.
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The article discusses semantic complexity and fundamental structural importance of the leitmotif of home in Yanka Bryl’s lyrical novel “Birds and nests”. The searching of home and homeland is the most important factor in the evolution of Andrey Runevich, the main character of the novel. It also defines the content and the structure of the novel. Topos of home becomes one of the most principal leitmotifs which appears between sense poles of foreign land and homeland, captivity and freedom.
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“The House with an Attic” – a short story published in 1896 – took its place in the philosophical and historical discourse at the turn of the 19th century. It is a story of the decline of the “nest of gentlefolk” ideal, the ultimate destruction of the nobility. It is a psychological study of a painter who is a vain man, not interested in physical work. His views change when he meets Zhenya. His new ideals and views, however, turn out to be a mere fantasy, as they are confronted with Zhenya’s independent sister, Lydia. The main character realizes that grand ideas will not persist in the Russian reality. Lydia Volchaninov’s character expresses Anton Chekhov’s protest against hypocritical behaviour of Russian intelligentsia which took part in the implementation of so-called “small actions” program.
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The article is devoted to the way a category of ‘house’ functions in a short story ‘A Living Chattel’ by A.P. Chekhov. Since this literary work comes from the first part of Chekhov’s creative activity, the author mostly in an ironic way scrutinizes the problems of domestic hearth. There are three houses – a city house, a dacha and a country estate where the story of love triangle takes place. In the first house, the relationship between a married couple withers when the lover steps in. At the dacha, the lovers try to create their own domestic hearth but they fail. Paradoxically, in the third house being the country estate, a husband, his wife and her lover live peacefully under one roof. Chekhov creates a new vision of a house, which can be referred to as a peripheral element of a prototypical category ‘house’. Hence, the author identifies the symbol of changes which take place in the life of his contemporary families and which are reflected in the literature of those days.
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The status of “home” as a basic archetype and topos attracts the attention of researchers who represent different branches of science. This article deals with the topos of home based on an example of the novel with the same title by Belarusian writer Adam Globus. It is emphasized that through the topos of home such oppositions as “countryman vs stranger”, “blood-related vs not blood-related” are actualized. The presence of an ekphrasis as an individual manner of Adam Globus’ writing is highlighted.
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The article constitutes an analysis of the final pericope of the Book of the Wisdom of Sirach (Sir 51:13-30) in its Greek version. The text can be divided into two parts: in the first one (vv. 13-22) the author relates his personal experience of seeking and finding wisdom, while in the second part (vv. 23-30) he admonishes those who lack education to join his school and partake of the wisdom he himself has found. The wisdom the sage refers to is of a religious character (he asked for it in prayer – vv. 13b, 14a, 19c; it manifests itself in good deeds – v. 19b). Not only does the author make it clear in the first part of the pericope that the vital requirement for finding wisdom is to start early in life (vv. 13a, 15d), but he also explains the ways in which wisdom may be found (a human being should subordinate all spheres of life to finding it – vv. 13b, 14b, 15b, 19a, 21a). The pericope lists the means necessary to find wisdom (namely, purification – v. 20b, following the path of righteousness – v. 15c, striving for goodness – v. 18a, turning to wisdom – v. 20a, complying with the Law – v. 19b, listening – v. 16a, and repentance for the mistakes made – v. 19d) as well as mentions the gifts wisdom grants those who find it (joy – v. 15b, formation – v. 16b, heart, that is intellectual capabilities – v. 20c, language thanks to which one can praise God and share wisdom with others – v. 22a; all of these gifts are called a good possession – v. 21b). The sage emphasizes the fact that finding wisdom is not particularly difficult and does not require a tremendous effort (v. 16a), but searching for wisdom should be a constant part of life for those who wish to have it (they should never stop searching for it – v. 14b). In part two (vv. 23-30), which is of a didactic character, the sage encourages the uneducated to join his school so that he can share wisdom with them. The author admonishes those who – like him – desire wisdom to take advantage of his experience and undergo formation in his school. Sirach presents two ways leading to wisdom. The first one requires personal involvement in searching for it, whilst the second one entails taking possession of wisdom from someone who has already found it. In Sir 51:13-30 the author expresses great optimism concerning the possibility of finding and possessing wisdom. His position is at odds with the pessimism of the Book of Job and the Book of Ecclesiastes in this respect. The pericope under analysis here serves as a summary of the opinions expressed by the sage earlier in his book (cf. especially 6:18-37; 14:20 – 15:10; 24, 33:18-19). Together with Sir 1:1-10 it the frames the whole book and constitutes the recapitulation of the most significant theological aspects of Sirach’s text as well as a synthesis of his theology.
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New translations of the Bible may suffer from the fact that sometimes translators who need to demonstrate that their renditions are really new, have a tendency to introduce new versions at any price, which may result either in fancy, less satisfactory solutions, or in mistakes. Only some of the radical experiments are successful. Biblical scholars and translators should keep in mind that the same original can be, by definition, translated in many equally satisfactory ways, so that new translations are frequently only parallel and equivalent to the older versions. Literal or ‘word by word’ rendition, which still reappears in its radical execution, when there is an attempt at imitating grammatical structures of the original language, inevitably results in unfaithful interpretations in which some crucial meanings and style features are lost. A non-literal translation can be equivalent or ‘faithful’, but a literal translation cannot be faithful by definition. In a moderate version, literal translation can be used for metalinguistic discussions only. The use of brackets for words or phrases without which the translation is incomprehensible or grammatically and/or stylistically distorted, should be abandoned. Real etymological meanings of words are by definition obsolete and anachronistic, and should be used with utmost caution.
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