In the wake of Richards Benton＇s ＂Keats and Zen＂ （published in Philosophy East and West （1966））, this paper sets out to examine Janet Frame＇s appropriation of Buddhist philosophy in Snowman, Snowman （1962）. ...In the wake of Richards Benton＇s ＂Keats and Zen＂ （published in Philosophy East and West （1966））, this paper sets out to examine Janet Frame＇s appropriation of Buddhist philosophy in Snowman, Snowman （1962）. The novella＇s allusions to a Buddhist-like epistemology, together with its subtle references to Scandinavian myths, however, have so far remained uncovered and are therefore best approached in the light of what has been called ＂the suppressed intertextuality in post-colonial writing＂. The author＇s intention in this paper is twofold： On the one hand, the author will suggest that post-colonial writers do not necessarily write against the Western canon and that maintaining the contrary amounts to vindicating the centrality of imperial texts in the contemporary literary scene--an endeavour which is hardly post-colonial. On the other hand, the author will go some way towards shifting eastward the core of Frame＇s ontology by suggesting that her poetics is anchored not only in Western thinking, but also, perhaps more importantly so, in Eastern philosophy. The author＇s primary impulse, however, in examining the interplay between canonical and peripheral intertextualities, is to illuminate in fundamental fashion the haunting beauty of the writer＇s universe and the lyricism of Snowman, Snowman.展开更多
The environmental factors that influence tree-grass abundances in tropical savanna and grasslands are not well understood,particularly for woodland-grassland mosaics in humid zones.We studied the effects of abiotic an...The environmental factors that influence tree-grass abundances in tropical savanna and grasslands are not well understood,particularly for woodland-grassland mosaics in humid zones.We studied the effects of abiotic and spatial variables on woody and herbaceous species distributions in a Terai ecosystem of northeastern India.We evaluated the importance of climatic and non-climatic factors that maintain variable tree-grass ratios across the landscape,and also accounted for spatial connectivity and dispersal.We measured species abundances of woody and herbaceous plant species in 134 plots with each 30 m×30 m in a 519 km^(2)protected Terai habitat,and derived several climatic and non-climatic environmental factors.We constructed variables based on different models of spatial connectivity among sites,to test their influence on species abundances.We then used redundancy analyses and variation partitioning to quantify the importance of environmental variables and spatial structure on variation in tree-grass abundances.We found that environmental variables including rainfall,fire,water stress,topography and soil nutrients had statistically significant effects on species abundance and tree-grass ratios.Spatial structure was significant,and the best spatial model was an inverse distance-weighted model with linkage extending to 23.5 km,indicating weak dispersal limitation.About 21%of the variation in species abundance was explained by the selected environmental and spatial factors.The results indicate that dynamic plant communities in which spatial-temporal variation in environmental factors may drive stochasticity in species distribution and abundance,thus dominantly influencing on the vegetation mosaic.展开更多
文摘In the wake of Richards Benton＇s ＂Keats and Zen＂ （published in Philosophy East and West （1966））, this paper sets out to examine Janet Frame＇s appropriation of Buddhist philosophy in Snowman, Snowman （1962）. The novella＇s allusions to a Buddhist-like epistemology, together with its subtle references to Scandinavian myths, however, have so far remained uncovered and are therefore best approached in the light of what has been called ＂the suppressed intertextuality in post-colonial writing＂. The author＇s intention in this paper is twofold： On the one hand, the author will suggest that post-colonial writers do not necessarily write against the Western canon and that maintaining the contrary amounts to vindicating the centrality of imperial texts in the contemporary literary scene--an endeavour which is hardly post-colonial. On the other hand, the author will go some way towards shifting eastward the core of Frame＇s ontology by suggesting that her poetics is anchored not only in Western thinking, but also, perhaps more importantly so, in Eastern philosophy. The author＇s primary impulse, however, in examining the interplay between canonical and peripheral intertextualities, is to illuminate in fundamental fashion the haunting beauty of the writer＇s universe and the lyricism of Snowman, Snowman.
基金We thank the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Program and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Tiger Conservation Grant Program(F12AP00312)for financial support to carry out this work.
文摘The environmental factors that influence tree-grass abundances in tropical savanna and grasslands are not well understood,particularly for woodland-grassland mosaics in humid zones.We studied the effects of abiotic and spatial variables on woody and herbaceous species distributions in a Terai ecosystem of northeastern India.We evaluated the importance of climatic and non-climatic factors that maintain variable tree-grass ratios across the landscape,and also accounted for spatial connectivity and dispersal.We measured species abundances of woody and herbaceous plant species in 134 plots with each 30 m×30 m in a 519 km^(2)protected Terai habitat,and derived several climatic and non-climatic environmental factors.We constructed variables based on different models of spatial connectivity among sites,to test their influence on species abundances.We then used redundancy analyses and variation partitioning to quantify the importance of environmental variables and spatial structure on variation in tree-grass abundances.We found that environmental variables including rainfall,fire,water stress,topography and soil nutrients had statistically significant effects on species abundance and tree-grass ratios.Spatial structure was significant,and the best spatial model was an inverse distance-weighted model with linkage extending to 23.5 km,indicating weak dispersal limitation.About 21%of the variation in species abundance was explained by the selected environmental and spatial factors.The results indicate that dynamic plant communities in which spatial-temporal variation in environmental factors may drive stochasticity in species distribution and abundance,thus dominantly influencing on the vegetation mosaic.
