Introducing "Critical Essays": Leigh Hunt and theatrical criticism in the early nineteenth century

The years 1801 to 1808 saw the emergence of Leigh Hunt as a public figure on the London literary scene, first with the publication of his collection of poetry, "Juvenilia", and then with his work as theater critic for "The News" between 1805 and 1807. [...]

Wikipedia and Gamergate

Abstract Introduction: This seminar is on the topic of "GamerGate", an international movement, ostensibly about "ethics in video game journalism" but which has become inextricably linked with extreme forms of online misogyny, rape and death threats towards women in the industry. It is of relevance to all Web science researchers, because it raises many issues of free speech, online governance, trolling and (not least) the representation of women in the tech industry. Our guest speaker (Mark Bernstein) is known for his criticism of the movement, and his work was featured in an article in the Guardian last week. He is a longtime collaborator in the field of hypertext and online media research, who co-orgainsed our annual international Web Science conference two years ago. Based in Boston, US, he will be speaking to us via Skype on Wednesday morning, to give us some background on the Gamergate phenomenon and to explain the recent developments regarding Wikipedia.

'Response and Responsibility: Theories of the Implied Reader in Children's Literature Criticism'

Reader Response Theory remains popular within Children's Literature Criticism. It seems to offer a sensible resolution to the question of whether meaning derives from text or reader. Through a close reading of one example of this criticism, I suggest that its dualisms are constantly collapsing into appeals to singular authority. at various stages the text or the reader is wholly responsible for meaning. I further suggest that the criticism bypasses the question of interpretation through claiming knowledge of a child reader whose opinions and reactions can be unproblematically accessed. We do not have to worry about reading texts, because we can, apparently, know the child's response to them with certainty. Anything other than this claim to certainty is taken to be a failure of responsibility, a wallowing in the subjective, obscure and perverse. My intention is to reinstate reading as the responsibility of criticism.

Consciência e crítica da linguagem: Graciliano Ramos / Language awareness and criticism: Graciliano Ramos

Uma leitura atenta da ficção de Graciliano Ramos pode revelar uma forma aguda de refletir o mundo através de uma reflexão anterior sobre a própria linguagem da literatura e da sociedade. É uma leitura desse teor que se pretende mostrar, apoiada na conhecida teoria das funções da linguagem de Jakobson. Num jogo constante entre as funções fática e metalingüística, Graciliano Ramos demonstra visível consciência dos problemas de linguagem, cujo tratamento moderno aponta uma postura bastante crítica (via linguagem) perante o homem e a vida. An attentive of Graciliano Ramos’ fiction reveals a deep form of reflection on the world thorough a previous reflection on the very language of literature and society. Such a reading is here attempted based on Jakobson’s well known theory of language functions. In a constante play between the fatic and the metalinguistic function, Graciliano Ramos demonstrates a clear awareness of the problems of language, whose modern treatment points at a very critical poise (via language) before man and life.

Library Classifications Criticism: Universality, Poststructuralism and Ethics

We study library classifications criticisms from a poststructuralist and pragmatist point of view that rejects the idea of universality in knowledge organization systems. From this perspective, we analize the seminal texts on library classifications criticisms and conclude that the seek of neutrality in some of these texts is not only an impossible goal but also a contradiction in the representation of different cultures. Therefore, we suggest the commitment with the goals and the recognition of bias in library classifications as an important device for achieving a transcultural ethics in knowledge organization and representation.