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E.M. Forster’s 1909 short story The Machine Stops is a text that has traditionally been read as a dystopian tale about the dangers of mechanization and the alienation of modern life. This paper aims to revisit it through the principles expressed by ecofeminist theory during the late twentieth century, with particular attention to the frameworks of Val Plumwood, Karen J. Warren, and Vandana Shiva. The analysis argues that Forster’s text anticipates many of the concerns later articulated by ecofeminism, such as the risks of the overuse of technology, the subjugation of nature, and the fragility of closed, hierarchical systems. The short story focuses on humanity’s estrangement from both the natural world and the physical body. This is embodied in the contrast between the two main characters: Vashti, who represents full complicity with the Machine’s values, and her son Kuno, who seeks to recover a direct relationship with the natural world. Forster envisions a society that denigrates physical contact, erases the cycles of birth and death, and renders food, air, and energy sources invisible, thereby creating the illusion of autonomy from nature. This alienation, while promising comfort and rational order, results in existential sterility and ecological vulnerability. The eventual collapse of the Machine exposes the fragility of a system that denies all ties with the natural world. In contrast, Kuno’s resistance and his rediscovery of the surface world point toward a renewal of embodied existence, echoing ecofeminist calls for reconnection with nature. This analysis reconsiders the Machine not merely as a symbol for the dangers of technological dependency, but as a figure for the logic of domination – the hierarchical reasoning that legitimizes the exploitation of both nature and women – that ecofeminism identifies as simultaneously ecological and patriarchal. The collapse of the Machine at the end of the story highlights the ecofeminist suggestions for a renewed relationship with the natural world and respect for ecological limits that technological systems cannot indefinitely suppress.
Domestic Purity, Catholic Virtue, and the Theology of Containment in The Ante-Room by Kate O’Brien. Kate O’Brien’s 1934 novel The Ante-Room offers a critique of the Catholic domestic ideology by constructing a theology of containment. The Catholic doctrine, together with gender ideology, creates a system in which female agency is regulated through spatial confinement, internalised surveillance, and emotional repression. This paper draws on Michel Foucault’s concept of pastoral power and Teresa de Lauretis’s theory of gender as social technology to demonstrate that the ante-room itself functions as both a literal and symbolic apparatus of containment. Agnes Mulqueen’s moral crisis becomes the novel’s central test case as O’Brien reveals how Catholic virtue is built on silence and self-denial, exposing the psychological cost of a system that equates feminine purity with the renunciation of desire. The analysis further draws on Sandra Harding’s feminist epistemology and Adrienne Rich’s theorization of compulsory heterosexuality to argue that the domestic architecture described in the novel encodes not only physical but epistemological confinement. Article history: Received 15 December 2025; Revised 22 July 2026; Accepted 24 July 2026; Available online 30 September 2026; Available print 30 September 2026.
This paper examines the construction of masculinity in Panait Istrati’s Kyra Kyralina (1926/1971) through a gender-critical lens, focusing on the largely neglected queer figure of Stavro. While existing scholarship has predominantly addressed the novel’s exoticism and autobiographical elements, or the transgressive femininity of Kyra, comparatively little attention has been paid to the gendered complexity of its male protagonist. By foregrounding Stavro’s life narrative, this paper seeks to reassess Kyra Kyralina as a significant early twentieth-century exploitation of subordinated and queer masculinity. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity (1990/2006) and R.W. Connell’s model of hierarchical masculinities (1992/2005), the article conceptualizes masculinity as socially constructed, performative, and coercively regulated rather than a stable identity. Butler’s framework enables an analysis of Stavro’s repeated failure to embody hegemonic masculine norms such as authority, autonomy, and heterosexual dominance, while Connell’s typology elucidates the structural mechanisms through which such failures result in subordination, stigmatization, and vulnerability to violence. Together, these perspectives illuminate how masculinity is constituted in Istrati’s text through marginalization. The paper offers close readings of key episodes from the novel, including Stavro’s exposure to sexual exploitation, his homoerotic desire, and his social marginalization. These experiences are analyzed not as incidental biographical details, but as formative processes through which Stavro’s gendered identity is produced. Rather than presenting suffering as character-building or redemptive, Istrati depicts trauma as central to the formation of masculinity, challenging dominant literary tropes that equate male hardship with moral or heroic development. Most importantly, the paper argues that Istrati does not moralize or sensationalize queer desire. Instead, homosexuality is portrayed as intertwined with longing, confusion, and affective attachment, while social condemnation and coercion are shown to originate from surrounding patriarchal order. In this respect, the novel anticipates later queer trauma-informed approaches to gender by exposing the human cost of rigid normative frameworks. By repositioning Stavro at the center of gender analysis, this study contributes to a growing body of scholarship that reconsiders early twentieth-century literature as the site of critical engagement with masculinity. It ultimately argues that the text offers a prescient critique of gender norms, revealing masculinity as hierarchical and unstable, an insight that remains highly relevant to contemporary gender studies.
Background/Objectives: Chronic ulcers are common among older and multimorbid hospitalized patients and may reflect systemic vulnerability beyond the local wound condition. Malignancy recorded among secondary diagnoses may identify patients with reduced physiological reserve and increased inpatient risk, but its prognostic significance in hospitalized chronic ulcer populations remains insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to evaluate whether malignancy coded among secondary diagnoses was associated with in-hospital mortality among adults hospitalized with chronic ulcers. Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study used anonymized Romanian public-hospital discharge data for adults aged ≥18 years hospitalized with chronic ulcers between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022. The index-episode cohort included 69,349 patients generating 116,264 hospitalizations. Exposure was defined as at least one ICD-10 C00-C97 malignant neoplasm code recorded among secondary diagnoses in the relevant analytical hospitalization. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were estimated using logistic regression models. Results: Overall, 1837 patients had C00-C97 codes recorded among secondary diagnoses, with 73 deaths. In-hospital mortality was 3.97% among exposed patients and 1.78% among unexposed patients, corresponding to a crude odds ratio of 2.28 (95% CI 1.79-2.90). After adjustment for age group, sex, admission type, chronic ulcer category, and hospitalization pattern, malignancy recorded among secondary diagnoses remained associated with mortality (adjusted OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.42-2.45; p < 0.001). Additional adjustment for the number of non-malignant secondary diagnoses yielded similar results (adjusted OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.42-2.47; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Malignancy coded among secondary diagnoses may serve as a pragmatic administrative marker of increased in-hospital mortality risk among patients hospitalized with chronic ulcers. However, residual confounding and the absence of cancer-stage information limit causal interpretation.
The objective of this study is to analyze how emerging technologies affect the operational effectiveness and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the ongoing conflict. To achieve this, the article develops and applies a five-dimensional analytical framework covering command and control, intelligence and situational awareness, decision-making speed, operational agility, and resilience. The methodology is qualitative and exploratory, relying on literature review, comparative analysis, and indirect observation of open-source intelligence. Findings show that the integration of artificial intelligence, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced communication infrastructures, and data-driven platforms has enhanced coordination, awareness, adaptability, and resilience. At the same time, persistent challenges remain regarding cybersecurity, logistics, and limited resources. The study concludes by contributing an original conceptual framework and by offering practical recommendations relevant for defense organizations and allied armed forces.
