A concepção de arte em Lima Barreto e Leon Tolstói: divergências e convergências

Pós-graduação em Letras - FCLAS

The invisible blackness of Harryette Mullen's poetry: writing, miscegenation and what remais to be seen

Este ensaio aborda a poética de Harryette Mullen, poetisa afro-americana cuja obra questiona os limites que moldam as expectativas pela inteligibilidade acessível na literatura afro-americana. Os poemas de Mullen exploram as bordas da inteligibilidade, avançando para além das expectativas por uma forma visível/ Rev. Let., São Paulo, v.52, n.1, p.101-120, jan./jun. 2012. 119 inteligível de linguagem que abarcaria a experiência da negritude. Argumenta-se que a escrita na poesia de Mullen funciona como um processo de miscigenação ao jogar com a ilegibilidade da negritude, para além de uma linha visível de distinção entre o que é ou que deveria ser considerado como parte apropriada da negritude, o que possibilita novas formas de reflexão sobre a poesia como um instrumento politicamente significativo para se repensar o papel da poetisa e do poeta negros no espaço da diáspora negra.

The Invisible Blackness of Harryette Mullen's Poetry: Writing, Miscegenation, and What Remains to Be Seen

This essay addresses the poetics of Harryette Mullen, an awarded African-American female poet whose work questions the boundaries that shape the expectations for accessible intelligibility in African-American literature. Mullen’s poems skirt the edges of intelligibility by going beyond the expectations for a visible/intelligible form of language that would embrace the experience of blackness. I argue that writing in Mullen’s poetry works as process of miscegenation by playing on the illegibility of blackness, beyond a visible line of distinction between what is or should be considered part of blackness itself, which engages new forms of reflection on poetry as a politically meaningful tool for rethinking the role of the black (female) poet within the black diaspora.

The History of the German-Russian Colony in Lincoln

Standing at the corner of Tenth and O streets in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, any week-day morning between 7:30 and 8 o'clock, you may see pass by you from ten to twenty women with little black woolen shawls on their heads. Ask any citizen who they are, and ninety-nine times in one hundred he will tell you they are "Russians" who live down on the bottoms, that they are going out into the offices and homes to wash and scrub and clean house, and that their husbands are street laborers or work for the railroad. He may then grow confidential and tell you that he "has no use for these people", that "they are only half human", and that he "would just as soon see the Chinese come here as those people". As a matter of fact the greater part of his information is incorrect, partly through race prejudice but chiefly through ignorance of their history. These people, of whom there are about 4,000 in the city (Including "beet fielders"), are Germans, not Russians: they are Teutons, not Slavs; they are Lutheran and Reformed, not Greek Catholics. To be sure they and their ancestors lived in Russia for over one hundred years and they came here directly from the realm of the Czar whoso bona fide citizens they were—but they never spoke the Russian language, never embraced the Greek religion, never intermarried with the Russians, and many of their children never saw a Russian until they left their native village for the new home in America. They despise being called "Russians" just as an Italian resents "Dago"; a Jew, "Sheeny"; and a German, "Dutchman". Ask them where they came from and most of the children and not a few of the grown people will say, "Germany". If you pursue your questioning as to what part of Germany, they will tell you "Saratov" or "Samara" - two governments in the eastern part of Russia on the lower course of the Volga river. The misconceptions concerning the desirability of these German-Russians as citizens arise from their unprogressiveness as compared with those Germans who come to us directly from the mother country. During their century's sojourn in Russia they have been out of the main current of civilization, a mere eddy in the stream of progress. They present a concrete example of arrested development, The characteristics which differentiate them from other Germans are not due to an inherent lack of capacity but to different environment. Notwithstanding this, the German- Russians have some admirable qualities. They bring us large stores of physical energy and an almost unlimited capacity for work. The majority of them are literate although the amount of their education is limited. They are thrifty and independent, almost never applying for public aid. They are law abiding, their chief offenses being those which are traceable to their communal life in Russia. They are extremely religious, all their social as well as spiritual life being bound up in the church which they support right royally. To be sure, the saloon gets their vote (the prohibition vote among them is increasing); but "was not the first miracle that Christ performed the turning of water into wine? If they would shut up the shows (theaters), they wouldn't need to shut up the saloons". The object of this paper is to give the historical setting in which the German-Russians have lived as one means to a better understanding and appreciation of them by our own citizens.

The problems of equivalence in advertising translation: examples from English and Russian

Abstract The academic environment has recently recognized the importance and benefits that an extensive research on the translation of advertising can have for translation studies. Despite the growing interest and increasing research activity in the field it is still difficult to speak about a theory of advertising translation in general. There is a need for further study encompassing different languages and both heterogeneous and homogenous cultures that will give the possibility to receive a more complete map of what the translation of advertising is and should be. Previous studies have been concentrated, for the most part, on Western European language pairs. This study is a research into perfume and cosmetics print advertisements translated from English into Russian where both visual and verbal elements are considered. Three broad translation approaches have been identified in what concerns the verbal message: Translated message, parallel translation, recreated adverts, and three approaches in dealing with the image: similar images, modified images, completely different images. The thesis shows that where Russian advertisements for perfume products tend to have a message, or create one, this is often lacking in the English copy. The article ends by suggesting that perfume advertisements favor the standardization approach when entering Russian market. The attempts to localize the advert have also been noticed although they are obviously less numerous in perfume adverts and are rather instances of adaptation - a mix between the localization and standardization approaches since they keep drawing on the same globally accepted universals about female beauty and concern for ‘woman’s identity’ (we focused our analysis on products designed for female consumers). This study, complementing previous studies, aims to be a contribution to the description of laws and strategies that guide the translation of advertising texts into Russian.

Epos orale russo tra oralità e scrittura: problemi e proposte di traduzione

In the present thesis, I discuss the role of orality in translation, taking into account the problems arising while translating Russian folk epics. I investigate the meaning of orality in the context of folkloristic translation, trying to define a concept of oral poetry, and exploring its consequences for translation. In the first chapter, I try to identify the main differences between written literature and oral modes of expression, with special reference to folklore. Oral verbal art is performed, sung or recited, and based on a vital and dynamic interrelation between kinesics, sound, speech and gestures. According to Muhawi (2006), performance provides an interpretive frame enabling a correct interpretation of the message conveyed beyond the literal meaning. Transposing certain performance elements into print is one of the most controversial problems in folklore studies. However, formulas and formal stylistic devices may be rendered in transcription, building a bridge between oral and written elements. In the translation of oral poetry in transcription, this interconnection between orality and literacy might be emphasized, thus creating a hybrid dimension where oral and literary features coexist. In the second chapter, I introduce and describe the genre of Russian folk epics, transmitted orally, and transcribed between the 19th and 20th centuries, from a historical, linguistic and stylistic point of view. In the third and fourth chapters, I explore the issue of translation of Russian oral poetry. I first analyse existing Italian translations of Russian epics, and then present and discuss my own translation, based on a philological, scholarly approach. Thus, in my translation, which is followed by a rich commentary, I try to focus on the rendering of formulas as one of the most relevant aspects of Russian epics. At the same time, oral devices combine with literary features, thus creating a sort of frozen orality.

Birth, Development and Progressive Institutionalization of the Ombudsman in the Russian Legal and Political System

One of the current trends in governance and legal development in Russia is aimed at establishing a modern, efficient and internationally harmonised system of safeguards of human rights and civil liberties. A fairly recent addition to this system has been the institution of ombudsman as a public authority specialised in promoting and protecting human rights and civil liberties. The introduction of this institution as well as its formalisation at the constitutional and legislative levels has been increasingly relevant and important, as it raises the dealings between the state and the individual to a new level. As an independent public institution resolving conflicts between citizens and government authorities, the ombudsman makes steps, within the scope of his jurisdiction, to restitute individual rights, and helps to enhance the reputation of government. The present work describes and assesses the birth, development and institutionalization process of the Ombudsman Office in the Russian Federation, at federal and regional levels, with a particular emphasis on the role of international references and cooperation for institution building. Ombudsmen have done a magnificent job in demonstrating value with the resolution of individual and systemic complaints; subsequent improvements to government; and economic savings by mitigating litigation costs.

Studies on the dual in Mycenaean, in the Homeric poetry and in the Attic Theatre of the 5th century — morphological, dialectal and stylistical variations

The present dissertation focuses on the dual number in Ancient Greek in a diachronical lapse stretching from the Mycenaean age to the Attic Drama and Comedy of the 5th century BC. In the first chapter morphological issues are addressed, chiefly in a comparative perspective. The Indo European evidence on the dual is hence gathered in order to sketch patterns of grammaticalisation and paradigmatisation of specific grams, growing increasingly functional within the Greek domain. In the second chapter syntactical problems are tackled. After a survey of scholarly literature on the Greek dual, we engage in a functional and typological approach, in order to disentangle some biased assessments on the dual, namely its alleged lack of regularity and intermittent agreement. Some recent frameworks in General Linguistics provide useful grounds for casting new light on the subject. Internal Reconstruction, for instance, supports the facultativity of the dual in each and every stage of its development; Typology and the Animacy Hierarcy add precious cross linguistical insight on the behaviour of the dual toward agreement. Glaring differences also arise as to the adoption — or avoidance — of the dual by different authors. Idiolectal varieties prove in fact conditioned by stylistical and register necessity. By means of a comparison among Epics, Tragedy and Comedy it is possible to enhance differences in the evaluation of the dual, which led sometimes to forms of ‘censure’ — thus triggering the onset of competing strategies to express duality. The last two chapters delve into the tantalising variety of the Homeric evidence, first of all in an account of the notorious issue of the Embassy of Iliad IX, and last in a commentary of all significant Homeric duals — mostly represented by archaisms, formulae, and ad hoc coinages.

The Bible in Medieval Love Lyrics: A Fundamental Element of European Poetry Books

The focus of this study is the relationship among three different manuscripts (Modena, Bibl. Estense, MS α.R.4.4; Firenze, Bibl. Laurenziana MS Rediano 9; and London, BL, MS Harley, 2253) and the poetry they transmit. The aim of this research is to show the ways that the Bible was used in the transmission of the lyric poetry in the three literatures that they represent: Occitan (primarily through Marcabru’s songs), Italian (through the love poetry of Guittone d’Arezzo), and Middle English (through the Harley love lyrics and the MS.’s primary scribe), in a medieval European context.

L'immagine di Roma nella cultura russa tra fine XVIII secolo e inizio XIX secolo

Nella tesi si osserva come nella cultura russa cambiava l’immagine di Roma. Se ancora alla fine del settecento l’antichità romana poteva risultare solamente uno strumento retorico-filologico da utilizzare per fare il proprio discorso più convincente, la generazione dei decabristi la stessa antica romanità la accostava alla cultura e storia russe tramite gli elevati ideali civici. La romanità ora risultava uno strumento di analisi della esperienza storica e politica della Russia anche nel contesto europeo. Da qui nasceva una serie di modelli russi legati all’antica Roma: il Catone di Radiscev, il Bruto dei decabristi, ecc. Vi attingeva generosamente anche una corrente di lirica russo-antica con i suoi ricchi riferimenti agli autori classici, Ovidio, Tacito, Orazio. Nasceva così una specie di Roma antica russa che viveva secondo le sue regole etiche ed estetiche. Con il fallimento dell’esperienza decabrista cambia anche l’approccio alle antichità: ci si distacca dalla visione storico-morale dell’antico, Roma non è più una categoria da emulare, ma una storia a sé stante e chiusa in sé stessa come ogni periodo storico. Essa smette di essere un criterio universale di giudizio etico e morale. Allo stesso tempo, una parte integrante della cultura russa all’epoca era il viaggio a Roma. I russi cresciuti con interesse e amore verso la Roma antica, impazienti ed emozionati, desideravano ora di vedere quella patria dei classici. Era come se fosse un appuntamento fra gli amici di vecchia data. Si affrettava a verificare di persona le muse di storia e di poesia. E con tutto questo si imparavano ad amare tutti i defetti della Roma reale, spesso inospitale, la Roma del dolore e della fatica. La voce importante nel racconto romano dei russi era anche la Roma del cristianesimo, dove ritrovare e ricoprire la propria “anima cristiana”.

Soundward: Analisi e traduzione di una selezione di brani della jazz poetry

La letteratura e la musica hanno da sempre condiviso molti aspetti del processo creativo. Questa affinità intellettuale si è più volte espressa attraverso la produzione di opere che si incontrano a metà strada tra le due arti. All'interno di queste occorrenze si è delineata una frangia letteraria, la Jazz Poetry, che trova nel jazz e nei suoi esponenti le proprie muse. Questo lavoro analizza il fenomeno della Jazz Poetry e propone le traduzioni dall'inglese all'italiano di alcune opere esemplificative. Per essere in grado di affrontare questa sfida adeguatamente, la prima parte della tesi verte sullo studio di alcuni punti cardine della traduzione poetica e sulla costruzione di una cornice storico-culturale. All'interno di questa cornice viene analizzato il ruolo del jazz e della Jazz Poetry all'interno della società, con particolare focus sulla sua posizione rispetto ad alcune tematiche di rilievo del Novecento. Vengono evidenziati i principali autori e le distinte genesi storico-letterarie che hanno contribuito alla formazione di questo movimento. Nella seconda parte viene presentata al lettore la traduzione e la successiva analisi dei brani scelti. I sei testi sono stati divisi in due sottocategorie: la poetica di Kaufman e i Coltrane Poems. In entrambe le categorie un breve capitolo introduttivo evidenzia le tematiche affrontate e la rilevanza della cornice storico-sociale all'interno dei testi. Dopo ogni traduzione viene fornita un'analisi approfondita del testo e delle scelte operate a livello traduttivo, comprensiva di un'esegesi del brano. In linea di massima si è cercato di riprodurre il continuo dialogo tra il poeta e il soggetto poetico, sia esso musica o musicista, mantenendo un equilibrio costante tra la potenzialità orale e la realtà scritta del testo.