The Jew in English fiction

by David Philipson

Private (Brown) Eyes: Ethnicity, Genre and Gender in Crime Fiction in the Gloria Damasco novels and the Chicanos Comic Series

The representation of women in crime fiction has traditionally been a complicated one. Consistently forced into secondary characters (assistants, girlfriends, or damsels in distress) the most active role a female character could aspire to was that of the femme fatale, a pit of perdition, an unwelcome distraction for a man looking for truth and justice. This traditional approach to the genre has been challenged in the last decades by women acting as detectives, trusted with solving their cases in a hostile male world. Similarly, the traditional white male protagonist has been contested by fictions where ethnic minorities are not just consigned to the criminal world, but where detectives are members of ethnic groups, and can use their knowledge of the community to solve the case. This essay focuses on the crossroads of ethnic and women’s detective fiction, specifically the Gloria Damasco series by Chicana writer Lucha Corpi and the graphic novel Chicanos (Trillo and Risso, 1996). Both protagonists (Gloria Damasco, a Chicana clairvoyant detective, and “poor, ugly, and a detective” Alejandrina Yolanda Jalisco) must face both the dangers of investigating criminal cases and discrimination in their professional surroundings due to their gender and ethnicity. By contrasting these texts, the essay elucidates the importance of specific cultural products, their connection to (and defiance of) canonical forms of the genre, and their rejection of generic and gender expectations.

Nostalgic representation of reality in television fiction: an empirical study based on the analysis of the Spanish television series Cuéntame cómo pasó

The Spanish transition from dictatorship to democracy is often described as an example of negotiation or agreement between the elites (Sánchez Cuenca and Aguilar, 2009: 433). Journalistic and political elites, aware of their important historical role, agreed a consensus on certain issues (democracy, constitution, amnesty) or characters (King Juan Carlos I), in order to ensure the stability of the democratic process (Zugasti, 2007, 2008). Television, which articulates the discourse of the masses, has been one of the basic means used to illustrate the development. Among the highlights of recent major audiovisual content, Cuéntame cómo pasó (2001-present) -a TV-series designed to explain changes with a nostalgic tone in Spanish society since 1968 until today- stands out. By choosing a random sample of episodes for this research we propose to verify the validity of the representation of the political process which contextualizes the series. By analyzing many elements, such as the opinions of the main characters, their personal, political and geographical situations, we try to show the construction of a focal point that sanctifies the official version. We also stress the pacifying and nostalgic tone, which constructs stereotypes and taboos about the process and which characterizes this series as a symbolic culmination of the democratization undertaken by the elites.

America in English fiction, 1760-1800; the influences of the American Revolution

"America in the novel, 1761-1800": p. 439-442; "The West Indies in the English novel, 1761-1800": p. 443-445; "The East Indies in the English novel, 1761-1800": p. 446-448; "List of chief works consulted": p.449-460.

The issue in literary criticism,

"This book aims to give organic and systematic expression to the working principles of literary criticism ... It may, indeed, be viewed as an extended commentary on the Poetics of Aristotle."--Pref.

Essays in literary interpretation,/

Some aspects of modern literature -- Personality in literary work -- The significance of modern criticism -- The poetry of Dante Gabriel Rossetti -- Robert Browning -- John Keats : poet and man -- Some modern readings from Dante -- A word about humour.

Christian values in recent fiction. Thirty-sixth award essay winning first prize in competition of 1951, University of Kansas.

Bibliography: p. [42]

The ancient classical drama; a study in literary evolution intended for readers in English and in the original,

"Courses of reading": p. [458]-460.

Essays in literary interpretation.

Mode of access: Internet.

Terraforming: Ecopolitical Transformations and Environmentalism in Science Fiction /

Terraforming is the process of making other worlds habitable for human life. This book asks how science fiction has imagined how we shape both our world and other planets and how stories of terraforming reflect on science, society and environmentalism.

English and American literature : studies in literary criticism, interpretation and history.

Includes index.

Thesaurus of English words and phrases; so classified and arranged as to facilitate the expression of ideas and assist in literary composition.

Mode of access: Internet.