This paper is a description of a writing course that was designed and implemented to provide first year composition students from two cultures and two countries the opportunity to partner together on writing assignmen...This paper is a description of a writing course that was designed and implemented to provide first year composition students from two cultures and two countries the opportunity to partner together on writing assignments. The purpose is to explore home culture and target culture issues. This qualitative study is based on the premise that assignments which encourage critical thinking and metacognitive analysis about culture enhance cross-cultural understanding, breakdown ethnic stereotypes, and provide opportunities for students to understand the benefits of cultural diversity first hand. Success of breaking down cultural barriers was limited, but promising for future endeavors.展开更多
The study of the international literary relations in comparative literature includes not only the positivistic relations of different nations and different literary systems, but also the relations of variation among d...The study of the international literary relations in comparative literature includes not only the positivistic relations of different nations and different literary systems, but also the relations of variation among different literatures when it comes to the cross-civilization heterogeneity. Therefore, the positivistic approach and that of variation in the study of international literary relations constitute the two indispensable pillars in this field.展开更多
Charles Percy Snow declared his influential Rede Lecture, ＂The Two Cultures＂, in 1959. In his famous lecture, he told us that the most powerful revolutionary force in the world today is science, science is essential...Charles Percy Snow declared his influential Rede Lecture, ＂The Two Cultures＂, in 1959. In his famous lecture, he told us that the most powerful revolutionary force in the world today is science, science is essentially progressive, and the scientific culture is also a newer one. So Snow, after excluding scientific culture from the whole culture, calls the rest of the whole culture traditional culture. In his opinion, science is more important than humanities. All these ideas are faithfully reflected in his earlier literary work The Masters （1972b）. Snow＇s favor toward men of sciences in the novel is self-evident. ＂The Masters, therefore, may be considered as a political science novel rather than as a political novel＂. It was the Industrial Revolution which created our sensibility展开更多
London, one of the most popular settings in literature, is portrayed in many literary works not only as the centre of power, dreams, expectations, and fears, but also as the city of plurality and multiplicity of cultu...London, one of the most popular settings in literature, is portrayed in many literary works not only as the centre of power, dreams, expectations, and fears, but also as the city of plurality and multiplicity of cultures. Considering V. S. Naipaul＇s The Mimic Men （1967） in terms of the depiction of London, what comes to the fore is that Naipaul＇s own background has an undeniable impact upon his illustration of London. Naipaul, as an in-between individual belonging to his hometown Trinidad and also to England, where he received his education, has experienced a metaphorical colonization due to his inner conflicts because of his hybridity. In this sense, in The Mimic Men, he creates his character Ralph Singh, who is struggling with the social and political forces and trying to find a place not only in his own country on the Caribbean Island of Isabella, but also among the English in London as a politician. In the novel, London is regarded as the city of freedom and hopes as well as the city of disillusionments and hopelessness. Therefore, in this paper, hybridity, otherness in London, and the influence of Naipaul＇s own biography upon his portrayal of London in The Mimic Men will be explored.展开更多
The experience of＂The Other＂ has become a common one for people in the 21st century, and yet it continues to be a major problem for everyone involved. Increasingly, however, immigrants and their descendants adjust a...The experience of＂The Other＂ has become a common one for people in the 21st century, and yet it continues to be a major problem for everyone involved. Increasingly, however, immigrants and their descendants adjust and soon participate in and with the new culture（s）. At the same time, those who encounter ＂The Other＂ through the contact with immigrants, have also to adapt, to learn, and to realize considerable changes in themselves in that process. Recently, a new German novelist, Renate Ahrens, has created several major works in which she reflects on this intricate phenomenon typical of our times. The present study might well be the first critical analysis of her last two novels, Zeit der Wahrheit （Time of Truth, 2005） and Fremde Schwestern （Alienated Sisters, 2011）, which prove to be outstanding and first-rate literary treatments of the theme of＂The Other＂ in an intercultural context. As Ahrens illustrates in both novels, each individual carries a heavy baggage imposed on them by the own family history, and so in both cases the confrontation with ＂The Other＂ serves exceedingly well to break open the shell of self-isolation and self-alienation. Love finally overcomes ancient conflicts and paves the way for new integrative forces supporting the formation of the ＂global village＂ we all are really living in.展开更多
The ＂Pictorial＂ or ＂Iconic Turn＂ is a central issue in the contemporary theory of images and visual cultural studies. Should the theories concerning the ＂Iconic Turn＂ and formulated in the last 20 years by schol...The ＂Pictorial＂ or ＂Iconic Turn＂ is a central issue in the contemporary theory of images and visual cultural studies. Should the theories concerning the ＂Iconic Turn＂ and formulated in the last 20 years by scholars such as Gottfried Boehm, William Mitchell, Hans Belting be taken as critical theories of crisis？ Is the currently experienced ＂turn towards images＂ （and their progressive rehabilitation after a long standing philosophical and theological rejection） a sign and symptom of some crisis of people＇s relation with images, language and, generally speaking, with the representation forms of reality？ The main hypothesis of this essay envisages two sets of problems： first, the analysis of the relation between the possible idea of turning point and the concept of crisis; secondly, the thorough investigation of the relation connecting the iconic turn to the project of ＂critical iconology＂ or ＂critique of visual culture,＂ as outlined by Hans Belting and William Mitchell. From the interpretation of the ＂Iconic Turn＂ as situation of crisis and aesthetic, anthropological, and epistemological transformation follows the need for the sciences of image to provide a ＂critical iconology＂ in order to be able to theoretically reformulate the ideological and political presuppositions of some dominant contemporary forms of visual representation.展开更多
Recent years have witnessed a phenomenon in Chinese academia, which denies the inevitable connection between May Fourth New Literature and the New Culture Movement during the May Fourth Movement period, and often view...Recent years have witnessed a phenomenon in Chinese academia, which denies the inevitable connection between May Fourth New Literature and the New Culture Movement during the May Fourth Movement period, and often views fragments of civilization before the New Culture Movement as the real form of kernel culture of New Literature. In fact, the emergence of New Literature had to depend upon the intense and profound revolutionary movement of new culture, and the May Fourth New Culture Movement fostered a totally new literary form with its combined strength, and constituted the new ideological qualities of New Literature by recourse to the values of New Culture centered on democracy and science.展开更多
From the viewpoint of generation theory, cultural philosophy illustrates the inherent unity of history and culture through a profound understanding and grasp of the historicality of human existence, thus making cultur...From the viewpoint of generation theory, cultural philosophy illustrates the inherent unity of history and culture through a profound understanding and grasp of the historicality of human existence, thus making cultural philosophy transcend the general metaphysical system and become a totally new research paradigm. As such, cultural philosophy is essentially a new pattern for historical interpretation. It is always guided by the spirit of self-conscious cultural criticism, endeavoring to elucidate the cultural roots of the existential crisis of modern humanity through macro- and micro-level description of the generation of the cultural spirit of mankind, and to provide multiple possibilities for the future existence of humanity.展开更多
文摘This paper is a description of a writing course that was designed and implemented to provide first year composition students from two cultures and two countries the opportunity to partner together on writing assignments. The purpose is to explore home culture and target culture issues. This qualitative study is based on the premise that assignments which encourage critical thinking and metacognitive analysis about culture enhance cross-cultural understanding, breakdown ethnic stereotypes, and provide opportunities for students to understand the benefits of cultural diversity first hand. Success of breaking down cultural barriers was limited, but promising for future endeavors.
文摘The study of the international literary relations in comparative literature includes not only the positivistic relations of different nations and different literary systems, but also the relations of variation among different literatures when it comes to the cross-civilization heterogeneity. Therefore, the positivistic approach and that of variation in the study of international literary relations constitute the two indispensable pillars in this field.
文摘Charles Percy Snow declared his influential Rede Lecture, ＂The Two Cultures＂, in 1959. In his famous lecture, he told us that the most powerful revolutionary force in the world today is science, science is essentially progressive, and the scientific culture is also a newer one. So Snow, after excluding scientific culture from the whole culture, calls the rest of the whole culture traditional culture. In his opinion, science is more important than humanities. All these ideas are faithfully reflected in his earlier literary work The Masters （1972b）. Snow＇s favor toward men of sciences in the novel is self-evident. ＂The Masters, therefore, may be considered as a political science novel rather than as a political novel＂. It was the Industrial Revolution which created our sensibility
文摘London, one of the most popular settings in literature, is portrayed in many literary works not only as the centre of power, dreams, expectations, and fears, but also as the city of plurality and multiplicity of cultures. Considering V. S. Naipaul＇s The Mimic Men （1967） in terms of the depiction of London, what comes to the fore is that Naipaul＇s own background has an undeniable impact upon his illustration of London. Naipaul, as an in-between individual belonging to his hometown Trinidad and also to England, where he received his education, has experienced a metaphorical colonization due to his inner conflicts because of his hybridity. In this sense, in The Mimic Men, he creates his character Ralph Singh, who is struggling with the social and political forces and trying to find a place not only in his own country on the Caribbean Island of Isabella, but also among the English in London as a politician. In the novel, London is regarded as the city of freedom and hopes as well as the city of disillusionments and hopelessness. Therefore, in this paper, hybridity, otherness in London, and the influence of Naipaul＇s own biography upon his portrayal of London in The Mimic Men will be explored.
文摘The experience of＂The Other＂ has become a common one for people in the 21st century, and yet it continues to be a major problem for everyone involved. Increasingly, however, immigrants and their descendants adjust and soon participate in and with the new culture（s）. At the same time, those who encounter ＂The Other＂ through the contact with immigrants, have also to adapt, to learn, and to realize considerable changes in themselves in that process. Recently, a new German novelist, Renate Ahrens, has created several major works in which she reflects on this intricate phenomenon typical of our times. The present study might well be the first critical analysis of her last two novels, Zeit der Wahrheit （Time of Truth, 2005） and Fremde Schwestern （Alienated Sisters, 2011）, which prove to be outstanding and first-rate literary treatments of the theme of＂The Other＂ in an intercultural context. As Ahrens illustrates in both novels, each individual carries a heavy baggage imposed on them by the own family history, and so in both cases the confrontation with ＂The Other＂ serves exceedingly well to break open the shell of self-isolation and self-alienation. Love finally overcomes ancient conflicts and paves the way for new integrative forces supporting the formation of the ＂global village＂ we all are really living in.
文摘The ＂Pictorial＂ or ＂Iconic Turn＂ is a central issue in the contemporary theory of images and visual cultural studies. Should the theories concerning the ＂Iconic Turn＂ and formulated in the last 20 years by scholars such as Gottfried Boehm, William Mitchell, Hans Belting be taken as critical theories of crisis？ Is the currently experienced ＂turn towards images＂ （and their progressive rehabilitation after a long standing philosophical and theological rejection） a sign and symptom of some crisis of people＇s relation with images, language and, generally speaking, with the representation forms of reality？ The main hypothesis of this essay envisages two sets of problems： first, the analysis of the relation between the possible idea of turning point and the concept of crisis; secondly, the thorough investigation of the relation connecting the iconic turn to the project of ＂critical iconology＂ or ＂critique of visual culture,＂ as outlined by Hans Belting and William Mitchell. From the interpretation of the ＂Iconic Turn＂ as situation of crisis and aesthetic, anthropological, and epistemological transformation follows the need for the sciences of image to provide a ＂critical iconology＂ in order to be able to theoretically reformulate the ideological and political presuppositions of some dominant contemporary forms of visual representation.
文摘Recent years have witnessed a phenomenon in Chinese academia, which denies the inevitable connection between May Fourth New Literature and the New Culture Movement during the May Fourth Movement period, and often views fragments of civilization before the New Culture Movement as the real form of kernel culture of New Literature. In fact, the emergence of New Literature had to depend upon the intense and profound revolutionary movement of new culture, and the May Fourth New Culture Movement fostered a totally new literary form with its combined strength, and constituted the new ideological qualities of New Literature by recourse to the values of New Culture centered on democracy and science.
文摘From the viewpoint of generation theory, cultural philosophy illustrates the inherent unity of history and culture through a profound understanding and grasp of the historicality of human existence, thus making cultural philosophy transcend the general metaphysical system and become a totally new research paradigm. As such, cultural philosophy is essentially a new pattern for historical interpretation. It is always guided by the spirit of self-conscious cultural criticism, endeavoring to elucidate the cultural roots of the existential crisis of modern humanity through macro- and micro-level description of the generation of the cultural spirit of mankind, and to provide multiple possibilities for the future existence of humanity.
