Desire, Resentment and Reprisal: Revisiting the Emotions of Myth in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

This article aims to reassess F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby (1925), taking into consideration the myth-critical hypotheses of philosopher René Girard. Specifically, this essay will analyse the concepts of mimetic desire, resentment and reprisal violence as emotional components of myth, paying close attention to how the reinterpreted mythical pattern of the novel influences the depiction of such emotions as social traits of corruption. Finally, this article will challenge interpretations that have regarded Gatsby as a successful scapegoat-figure, examining instead how the mythical meanings and structures of the text stage an emotional crisis of frustrated desire and antagonism that ultimately offers no hope of communal restoration.

The Postmodern Non-city in Miquel de Palol’s "El Jardí del Set Crepuscles"

El Jardí del Set Crepuscles –primera novela del escritor y arquitecto catalán Miquel de Palol– nos brinda la oportunidad de reflexionar acerca de la metamorfosis experimentada por la ciudad occidental a principios de los años setenta del siglo pasado. De acuerdo con autores como Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, Giandomenico Amendola o Edward Soja, el surgimiento de la ciudad posmoderna en el marco de la transición hacia el modo de acumulación postfordista se presenta acompañado por un debilitamiento del tejido social y de la esfera pública y cívica. El objetivo del presente artículo es ilustrar las estrategias narrativas y retóricas con las que el texto de Miquel de Palol representa, y analiza, dicho fenómeno.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ZEBRA MUSSEL DREISSENA POLYMORPHA (PALLAS, 1771) IN LOUGH NEAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND

Five adult Dreissena polymotpha were found on the hull of a boat moored in Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, in November 2005; this is the first indication of their presence in this large lake. This finding initiated a survey to determine whether the zebra mussel was present throughout Lough Neagh. Forty-four settled juveniles on debris were found at twenty sites around the lough shore. As a result of these findings a more extensive study was undertaken in October 2006 to examine planktonic and settled stages. Veliger larvae were at densities of 0.0211 veligers per m(-3). Spat collectors showed settlement at six out of the seven sites sampled at a mean density of 523.76 juvenile zebra mussels per m(-2). No adult zebra mussels were found on natural substratum in the lough during the shoreline survey. However, 24 adult zebra mussels, 7.5 mm to 24 mm long, were found on the hull of a boat moored in Lough Neagh.

Review: G. De Búrca and J. Scott (eds.), Law and New Governance in the EU and the US (Hart, 2006)

Review of edited collection.