Hasil untuk "American literature"

Ivan N. Alov, Marko D. Petrović, Alisa M. Belyaeva

Urban depopulation has become an increasingly visible phenomenon worldwide, affecting cities of different sizes and economic structures. This article develops a typology of U.S. depopulating cities beyond the Rust Belt’s iconic industrial cities, which dominate academic literature, to include a wider range of shrinking settlements in the shadows. The analysis is based on a dataset of U.S. census places constructed from decennial census population data (1990–2020) combined with employment structure indicators and spatial classification variables identifying metropolitan position and industrial specialization. Using 1990–2020 population change and three explanatory dimensions—city size, industrial heritage, and peripheral location—the analysis identified 1082 places that lost at least 10% of their population. Logistic regression showed manufacturing and mining reliance, small size, and remoteness as significant predictors of depopulation. Based on these factors, settlements are divided into seven types, from large urban centers to small peripheral towns with fewer than 5000 people. The overwhelming predominance of small towns (97%) in the sample highlights their distinct development challenges and questions the narrative of decline focused solely on larger industrial cities. By situating American trajectories within the broader shrinking cities discourse, the findings demonstrate the value of typology as a methodological tool for identifying intra-group heterogeneity, capturing regional differences, and establishing a more reliable basis for comparative urban studies. Ultimately, the study shows that urban decline in the United States is not exclusively a Rust Belt phenomenon, but a multidimensional process encompassing different scales, sectors, and geographies.

Doris Hambuch, Moza Al Tenaijy, Aisha Khamis Aldarmaki et al.

This study investigates the motivations of Emirati creative writers to choose the global language, English, rather than the UAE’s official language, Arabic, for their literary texts. Much scholarship has been dedicated to the role of English in the Gulf region, but hardly any of this research focusses on the arts. Drawing upon studies of anglophone literature from other countries where English is not an official language, content analysis, and a case study, this article identifies the reach for international audiences as the main motivation, followed by personal language command. Literary influence and genre selection are minor reasons causing Emirati writers to published in English. Situating the small but steadily growing translingual, or exophonic Emirati canon within the short local literary history as well as within a global anglophone context, the article also demonstrates that innovative uses of language may occur. Regional efforts to promote local authors along with changing publishing conditions will likely lead to an expansion of the studied canon in the near future.

Deborah Quaile

While most readers envision L.M. Montgomery as a superstar novelist, her birth—and her mother—are less frequently considered. Baby Maud formed a loving bond in Clara Montgomery's arms before she became a world-renowned author, making this a special Mother's Day for Clara as well. Drawing from Maud's journals, and weather and photographic records, this letter to Montgomery imagines her first two years of life with Clara in their New London birth house.

Thomas Balfe

The “antiquity” of Native American societies is a recurring theme in European representations of the New World, particularly in those that focus on cultural practices that were enigmatic to Western eyes. The present essay identifies variations on this rhetoric of temporal dislocation in two engravings, published in 1591 and 1627 respectively, that appeared in the series of illustrated travel books about the Americas that was conceived by the leading Flemish printmaker Theodor de Bry. Showing forms of indigenous hunting and agriculture, the engravings link the Native American figures they depict to the time of nature and to the era before civilization--temporalities which, in Western art and literature, were strongly associated with archetypes such as the wild man or the fortunate inhabitants of the Golden Age. Exploring these connections, the essay finds that the overlapping timelines in the engravings both assert the difference (and, at times, the inferiority) of Native American people, and produce unexpected continuities between the European self and a foreign other whose ways of living uncannily recalled Western images of the mythic past.

Suji Ro, Nhat-Ha Pham, Victoria N. Huynh et al.

<h4>Introduction</h4> Food insecurity is prevalent in the U.S. and is associated with deleterious health, behavioral, and social consequences. Food insecurity is currently addressed largely through public and private food assistance programs (e.g., the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, and food pantries). A body of research has explored racial and ethnic disparities and differences in food insecurity and coping strategies. However, limited literature has explored these experiences among Asian Americans and Asian origin groups in the United States. <h4>Objective</h4> The aim of this review is to establish what is known about the experience of food insecurity and nutrition program participation in the Asian American population and among Asian origin groups and to suggest further research and policy action to better address food insecurity in this population. <h4>Methods</h4> Our review is guided by the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley and refined and outlined by Levac and colleagues and the Joanna Briggs Institute. We will search key terms related to food insecurity and Asian Americans in Medline (Ovid), the Cochrane Library (Wiley), CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Ebsco), PsycINFO (Ebsco), and Scopus (Elsevier). An article will be included if it was published in the English language; is a peer reviewed research manuscript and reports primary research findings from analyses; and describes food insecurity or strategies to cope with food insecurity among individuals of Asian origins living in the U.S. An article will be excluded if it is a book, conference proceedings, or grey literature (e.g., thesis or dissertation); is a commentary, editorial, or opinion piece without primary research data; contains only research conducted outside of the U.S.; includes Asians in the sample but does not provide separate data on food insecurity or strategies to cope with food insecurity among Asians; and describes only dietary changes or patterns but not food insecurity. Two or more reviewers will participate in the study screening and selection process. We will record information from the final articles chosen to be included in the review in a data table template and will also prepare a summary narrative with key findings. <h4>Expected outputs</h4> Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The findings from this review will be of interest to researchers and practitioners and inform further research and policy to better address food insecurity among this population.

Atish Amin, Shahrukh R. Ali BS, Mayurkumar S. Patel et al.

Category: Bunion; Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Hallux valgus is a foot deformity where the distal portion of the hallux deviates laterally, forming a bunion. Here we review three surgical techniques for correction of the deformity: lapidus arthrodesis (LA), minimally invasive surgery (MIS), or proximal chevron osteotomy (PCO). The purpose of this study was to compare the hallux valgus angle (HVA) and intermetatarsal angle (IMA) for radiologic outcomes, and the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Score (AOFAS) score for quality of life outcomes, between treatment groups. Methods: We performed a literature search, with strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, for identifying pertinent references. After review, and resolution of any disagreements by consensus among 5 raters, a total of 42 studies were included in this analysis. Results: The mean HVA difference (postoperative to preoperative) was 23.68 for PCO and 21.40 for LA. The mean IMA difference was 9.53 for PCO and 8.12 for LA. The mean of postoperative HVA was calculated to be11.81 for MIS and 9.13 for LA. The mean of postoperative IMA was calculated to be 8.39 for MIS and 6.60 for LA. The postoperative AOFAS mean was 86.00 for MIS and 86.46 for LA. No studies directly compared surgical methods; the results that follow describe each technique summarized separately. Conclusion: We discovered that HVA and IMA difference means were higher in PCO vs LA, with a larger difference signifying better radiologic correction. HVA and IMA postoperative means were lower in LA vs MIS. A smaller postoperative angle signifies more physiologic correction. Postoperative AOFAS means were similar in MIS vs LA. Further research should be done to evaluate an ideal procedure and explore better techniques for hallux valgus correction.

Jeniece Lusk, Jodien Johnson

The extant literature concerning the existence and experience of the LGBTQIA+ community in the United States sometimes overshadows that of people with intersex variations (Jones, 2018). While many people with intersex variations identify within the binary, these variations directly challenge belief systems conforming to the existence of only two sexes, and thus, only two relative genders. This research attempts to gain a greater understanding of American awareness, acceptance, and attitudes concerning intersex variations, and how these beliefs fit into or challenge conservative views of gender. More specifically, we focus on the relationship between religiosity and views of homosexuality, and how these variables may influence and/or be influenced by intersex variation awareness and acceptance. Using a survey of 146 American college students, we find that overall intersex variation is viewed with more acceptances and comfort than homosexuality, and that Christians (in particular, those leaning toward biblical literalism) are more likely to express views that those with intersex variations should adhere to sex and gender binaries.

A.D. Alimova

Changes that free indirect speech underwent in English, American, and Russian literature during the 20th century were investigated. Both general and more specific (qualitative and quantitative) trends in the free indirect speech development were discussed. Free indirect speech was considered from a diachronic point of view, i.e., the study aims to identify a correlation between the patterns that could be relevant for literary translation from English into Russian and vice versa. Based on the results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of free indirect speech contexts, it was demonstrated that free indirect speech has evolved. A notable increase in the degree of textual interference and in the variety of models employed was observed. Interestingly, the frequency of occurrence of free indirect speech structures in literary texts varies from decade to decade. Although there are some common trends in free indirect speech usage following the global tendencies in literature, its evolution depends on particular national literary traditions as well. The data obtained show that the most intense usage of free indirect speech segments is typical for the English literature. From the translation perspective, it is important that the general frequency and functional models of indirect speech usage can slightly differ even in texts of the same period or among the writers.

Stephen A. LoBue, Laura Palazzolo, Nataliya Antonova et al.

Purpose: To report a case of a sterile iris abscess associated with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO). Observations: A 69-year-old African American female presented to SUNY Downstate Medical Center complaining of left-sided eye pain for two weeks. The patient had a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/30 OD and 20/200 OS. On external exam, vesicles were noted on the left upper lid and tip of the nose. Anterior segment exam was notable for decreased sensation without epithelial defects. The patient had 2+ stromal edema with 3+ cell and flare. The iris was flat with 1+ nuclear sclerosis OU. The intraocular pressure (IOP) was 14 mmHg OD and 40 mmHg OS. The patient was diagnosed with HZO with secondary uveitic glaucoma.At ten weeks, anterior segment inflammation resolved and IOP stabilized. However, an iris nodule was noted superior nasal which continued to enlarge by 16 weeks follow up. Iris ultrasound revealed a 3 × 3 mm elevated lesion with internal homogeneity suggestive of an abscess.At five months, a dense, mature cataract developed. The patient underwent cataract extraction with sector iridectomy. Gram staining and cultures were negative for organisms but positive for polymorphic neutrophils. Histopathology revealed fibrosis, surface necrosis, and stromal infiltration with chronic inflammatory cells consistent with chronic iritis and a sterile abscess secondary to HZO. Conclusions and Importance: HZO is associated with a range of ocular sequelae with acquired iris nodule only mentioned once in the literature. As the second documented case, our findings will add to the general fund of knowledge regarding iris lesions and HZO.

Louis-Etienne Dubois, Frederic Dimanche

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine post-crisis (COVID) futures for major city destinations that are dependent on live entertainment and tourism. Destinations that live from entertainment and tourism must consider the implications of the pandemic and plan strategies for their future. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the Manoa School of Future Studies, four scenarios were identified following a review of current literature. These scenarios (alternate futures) were then discussed in two videoconference focus groups by tourism marketing and entertainment expert professionals from five major North American entertainment cities. Findings – Typical tourism responses to crises and disasters do not appear to apply to the current pandemic and entertainment-dependent destinations (EDDs) are not prepared to thrive in any of the potential outcomes. Originality/value – This is the first study addressing the future of EDDs in a COVID world. This study cannot predict the future, but this study can make some forecasts. It is important for scholars and professionals to work together toward identifying what can be.

Karen Thorsen

Filmmaker Karen Thorsen gave us James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket, the award-winning documentary that is now considered a classic. First broadcast on PBS/American Masters in August, 1989—just days after what would have been Baldwin’s sixty-fifth birthday—the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1990. It was not the film Thorsen intended to make. Beginning in 1986, Baldwin and Thorsen had been collaborating on a very different film project: a “nonfiction feature” about the history, research, and writing of Baldwin’s next book, “Remember This House.” It was also going to be a film about progress: about how far we had come, how far we still have to go, before we learn to trust our common humanity. But that project ended abruptly. On 1 December 1987, James Baldwin died—and “Remember This House,” book and film died with him. Suddenly, Thorsen’s mission changed: the world needed to know what they had lost. Her alliance with Baldwin took on new meaning. The following memoir—the second of two serialized parts—explores how and why their collaboration began. The first installment appeared in the sixth volume of James Baldwin Review, in the fall of 2020; the next stage of their journey starts here.

Julieta Viú Adagio

Juan Villoro, consecrated in Latin American Literature as a fiction narrator and prominent author in the Children's Literature publishing market, has developed in parallel a remarkable chronological production that has received little critical attention. The reading of these chronicles in conjunction with interviews given by the author allowed us to notice a self-representation as a chronicler versed in the art of listening. Theme that is the excuse to review part of his production with the focus on his ear attentive to the expressions and manifestations of mass culture. It is interesting to approach chronic listening, a characteristic aspect of its aesthetics, from analyzing the priority place of the voice of the soccer announcer Ángel Fernández, the links with the Mexican counterculture and the construction of a myth of origin that draws on mass culture.

Jesús Gómez-de-Tejada

Detective fiction as parodic reformulation of genre’s defining patterns has a long history in the Latin American tradition: Borges, Bioy Casares, Soriano, Levrero, Ibargüengoitia, etc. Besides, the evolution of Latin American detective genre has always been characterized by a progressive focalization in the social aspects over the detective story line which has served as a mask to depict in a critical way the flaws of the region’s societies and governments. In nowadays Cuba it could be highlighted the crime narrative of parodic slant by Lorenzo Lunar Cardedo. Among the major features of Lunar Cardedo’s style there are the marginal atmospheres, the stylization of popular speech, the intertextuality, the humor, the parody, and the social criticism. This article focuses on the parodic, intertextual and satiric aspects of his work, particularly discernible in the novel Proyecto en negro (2013), in which the author emphasizes – in opposition to the official discourse – the perpetuation of corrupt, chauvinist, racist, and homophobic behaviors in contemporary Cuba, while relaxing the genre formula limits in order to follow a much more irreverent path within the new Latin American detective fiction.

Dharam Persaud-Sharma, Joseph Burns

In the United States of America, an analysis of enrollment statistics to institutions of higher education, those pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as those pursuing medical education show a paralleled ethnic stratification. Based upon such stratification, Native Americans consistently rank amongst the lowest demographic groups to enroll in and pursue higher education, STEM or medical education. A perturbed history of the First Nations people in the establishment of the United States of America laid the foundation for a multitude of factors contributing to current trends in health, living, and academic pursuits amongst First Nation’s people. This paper aims to explore the factors underlying the lack of Native American enrollment in higher education, careers in STEM and medicine. An investigation was conducted following a broad literature review relevant to the topic, and articles were critically appraised using the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis of Analysis (SALSA) framework as well as the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). Findings from such studies indicate that the Native American communities face a unique set of social circumstances rooted in a historical context, with several unmet basic needs of living required for integration, access, and pursuit of higher education.

Pierre Labrune

Martin Hammer

David Hockney’s early autobiographical prints, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean 1961 and the series A Rake’s Progress 1961–3, are examined in relation to contemporary developments in American art and literature, the artist’s affinities with his British modernist contemporaries and predecessors, and other aspects of his emerging sense of artistic and sexual identity.

A. V. Grigorovskaya

The results of the comparative analysis of two novels - by American author S. Lewis (“Arrowsmith”) and American writer of Russian origin Ayn Rand (“Altas shrugged”) - are presented. The images of scientists, the authors’ attitudes to the problems of science and money, science and power, science and reason, scientific and technological progress presented in the works are compared. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that these novels have never before been compared. Actuality of work is conditioned by the importance of the analysis of the different philosophical views of Lewis and Rand on socialism and capitalism, that found a contact in criticism of the contemporary political system of the first half of the 20th century. In the study the author notes that in both novels in different ways the position of science in a capitalist society, the relations of scientists and government representatives are shown, at that Lewis puts the consumer above the creator, and Rand lets the creator to be the center of the universe, towering above the crowd of consumers. It is alleged that the writers’ evaluation of the role of creators and consumers in the development of society can be projected in their attitude to the ideology of socialism and capitalism. However both authors warn about the evils of consumer attitudes to science in the contemporary political system.

Emmanuelle Sinardet

L´étude de la nouvelle « Después de ti una manzana » de l’Équatorien Carlos Carrión (1944-), publiée dans le recueil El corazón es un animal en celo en 1995, examine les représentations érotiques au prisme de la tension entre Éros et Thanatos, afin de comprendre comment l’érotisme s’inscrit dans une lutte désespérée pour repousser la mort. Elle revient notamment sur le traitement des motifs bibliques du fruit tentateur et de l’Ève démoniaque, pour analyser comment ils contribuent à représenter l’homme dans sa finitude, comme un condamné en sursis, impuissant et pitoyable. En effet, prisonnier du cercle vicieux du désir, il ne peut que rejouer, de façon tragique, la répétition absurde du même.

Cinzia Scarpino

This essay attempts to read Joan Didion’s work in the 1970s (Play It As It Lays, A Book of Common Prayer and The White Album) as resulting from an increasingly sharp aesthetic awareness of the modes, limits and possibilities of literature as personal and political testimony. Claiming a sceptical attitude towards any given ideology, Didion places her two novels (Play It As It Lays, A Book of Common Prayer) and non-fiction book (The White Album) within the history of that decade as filtered through an overtly autobiographical and idiosyncratic story. Out of a personal experience and understanding of that decade – of its collective imagination, its shared or unshared events and symbols – as one dominated by a sense of loss Didion creates women characters who survive both the ‘abject’ of their female bodies and the irreversible impoverishment of the last (and lost) frontiers in which their stories are set. Late-modern versions of a long-abiding and well-established American literary tradition, the character-narrators of Play It As It Lays, A Book of Common Prayer and the witness-persona of The White Album respond to Didion’s aesthetic insight into the testimonial mode, its limits and potentialities, and a narratological strategy which, not unlike the postmodern narratives of the same decade, moves toward the dissolution, scattering, and reassembling of narrative functions (author, narrator, character, and reader).

Julie McKenna

A review of: Shill, Harold B. and Shawn Tonner. “Does the Building Still Matter? Usage Patterns in New, Expanded, and Renovated Libraries, 1995-2002.” College & Research Libraries 65.2 (Mar. 2004): 123-150. Objective – To measure the impact of academic library facility improvements on physical library usage. Design – The facility improvement data used for this study were previously collected through a 68-item Web survey for the companion article “Creating a Better Place: Physical Improvements in Academic Libraries, 1995-2002” (Shill and Tonner). The measurement of library usage was by exit gate counts before and after library improvements. Setting – American academic libraries in which: facility improvement projects were completed between 1995 and 2002, the project space was not smaller than 20,000 square feet, the project space did not include off-site storage or non-public space, and gate-count statistics from before and after facility changes were available. Subjects – Ninety of 384 identified academic libraries were able to provide usable data on: exit gate count, total circulation, in-house collection use, and reference transaction data. Methods – The data collection was undertaken in 2003 for the companion study (Shill and Tonner). A population of 384 libraries potentially able to meet criteria for the study was gathered and each library was invited by e-mail to complete a Web-based survey. Through this initial contact, 357 libraries were confirmed as meeting the study criteria, and responses were received from 182 of those providing a 51% overall response rate. Respondents were asked about institutional characteristics (public or private, Carnegie classification, etc.); project specific features (year of completion, nature of project, etc.); nature and extent of changes (seating, wiring, HVAC, etc.); presence of non-library services in the facility; collection arrangements; before and after quality changes in lighting, seating and a range of services (as assessed by the survey respondent); and before and after project completion gate count usage statistics. Respondents were asked a set of eleven questions each with a five-point scale about facility quality and librarian satisfaction with the former and the changed facility. A further criteria requirement of the availability of pre- and post-project gate count was implemented, reducing the number of libraries to be studied to 90. Facility usage changes were calculated by subtracting the gate count total for the last complete year pre-project from the most recent year gate count post project. Main results - Eighty percent of the 90 libraries reported increased gate count post-project, and 20 percent reported a decline in usage. The median increase across the libraries was 37.4 percent with 25.6 percent of libraries experiencing a post-project increase of 100 percent or more. Renovated facilities were more likely to see usage decline, but there was no statistically significant difference in usage change between renovated and new facilities. Libraries more recently upgraded saw greater usage growth than those renovations completed earlier in the study period, although 75 percent of the facilities continued to experience higher post-project usage levels. Nearly all of the private institutions (93.1%) experienced usage increases and almost half experienced growth of 100 percent or more. No statistically significant relationship was found between changes in post project usage and: • The proportion of facility space allocated for library functions • The physical location of the library on campus • The size of the library facility • The level of degrees offered at the institution • The availability of wireless access • The number of computers in the instruction lab • The number of public access workstations • A larger number of seats • The number of group study rooms • The shelving capacity, the use of compact shelving or off-site storage • The presence of coffee or snack bars • The presence of any non-library facilities There was a statistically significant correlation (Pearson’s r) between increased post project usage and: • The institution type (public or private) (p=.000) • The number of data ports in the facility (p=.005) • The percent of wired seats (p=.034) Ten elements relating to improved quality emerged as statistically significant in relation to increased usage, although the correlation for quality of artificial lighting was not statistically significant (p=.162 n.s.). The statistically significant correlations (Pearson’s r) between quality and increased usage in order of strength of correlation were: the quality of the instruction lab (p=.000); layout (p=.001); public access workstations (p=.006); natural lighting (p=.007); user workspace (p=.008); telecommunications infrastructure (p=.014); overall ambience (p=.020); collection storage (p=.026); heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system (p=.026); and service point locations (p=.038). Conclusion – This study confirmed that 80 percent of libraries experience usage increase after a library improvement project. The study revealed those investments that cause increased use, and also found that a number of variables previously predicted to cause usage growth were not significant. The study also found that quality of the improvements, additions, and the building are a significant driver of increased use. The median 37.4 percent increase demonstrates that, contrary to reports in the literature (Shill and Tonner 460), overall library usage is increasing in these institutions.