The aim of the study was to identify the functional role of phraseological units of sacred origin in Romance discourse. The methodology included corpus selection and classification of phraseological units of biblical origin from five works by Romance authors (1980–2024) that comply with the canons of the Biblia Sacra Vulgata and the New International Version (NIV). A comparative analysis of their contextual variation and stylistic function was conducted. A total of 77 phraseological expressions were recorded, of which two units (in principio erat verbum and diliges proximum tuum) occurred in different works more than once, while the rest appeared only once. The greatest number of examples was noted in the works of Michel Houellebecq, Umberto Eco and Carlos Ruiz Zafón, whereas Elana Ferrante demonstrated a tendency towards generalised allusion and emotional adaptation of phraseological units within the context of the author’s speech. Three predominant types of stylistic transformation were identified: partial reworking (18 cases), metaphorisation (9) and ironic rethinking (7). Direct quotation (12 cases) was found mainly in the works of authors who preserved the sacred structure of expressions. Contextual analysis revealed the distribution of functional roles: moral-evaluative (35.4%), expositional (25%), structural-compositional (16.7%), dialogic (14.6%) and symbolic (8.3%). A direct relationship was observed between the type of genre discourse and the communicative load of sacred forms. The obtained data may be applied in the linguostylistic typology of sacred expressions in fiction, in the teaching of literary studies and in translation studies practices.
The study aimed to establish the typological commonality of archaic motifs reflected in the epic traditions of Turkic-speaking peoples. The study used comparative-historical analysis and a structural method and was based on a textual analysis of primary sources and drew upon data from folklore studies, ethnography, and history. The analysis revealed key archaic motifs that retained stability across different epic traditions, including the miraculous birth of the hero, prophecy of his fate, captivity and trials, struggle against external enemies, journeys to the otherworld, and tests of loyalty. The analysis of mythological structures showed that Turkic epics preserved a three-tiered model of the universe (earthly, celestial, and subterranean worlds), within which the hero interacted with ancestral spirits and supernatural forces. In certain epics, the central theme was the unification of the people and the building of statehood; in others, it was military valour, battles against enemies, and individual heroic deeds. In several traditions, collective forms of heroism appeared, with groups of characters playing the central role. In the epic traditions of nomadic peoples, motifs of campaigns, migrations, and struggles for power predominated, whereas in the epics of sedentary peoples, there was greater influence from interethnic contacts, diplomacy, and ethical reflections. Within the character system, alongside warrior-heroes appeared wise rulers, women-strategists, and collective defenders, underlining the multi-layered nature of epic tradition. The findings of this study may be applied in the study of folklore poetics and in higher education curricula devoted to folklore, mythology, and epic traditions.
The aim of this study was to identify the distinctive features of gender identity representation in the prose of Chinghiz Aitmatov and Haruki Murakami. The analysis focused on the ways in which gender, as a culturally conditioned and discursively constructed category, was textually expressed in the works of authors from different cultural and aesthetic traditions. The methodological foundation of the research included comparative, discursive, and narratological analysis, as well as elements of hermeneutics. Four works by each author were selected, with the criterion for selection being the prominence of gender themes, symbolic significance, and the artistic structure of the narrative. The theoretical framework was based on key concepts developed within feminist criticism, poststructuralism, and cognitive poetics. The study revealed that in the prose of Aitmatov, gender identity was represented within the context of cultural continuity, moral duty, and the philosophical opposition between individual ethics and social norms. It was found that female characters in Aitmatov’s works served as moral guides and communicative channels for cultural continuity, while male characters were marked by a crisis of speech subjectivity and ideologically marked structures. In the prose of Murakami, gender identities manifested as fragmented and unstable speech constructions, prone to transgression and semantic decay. Linguistic analysis showed that binary oppositions were disrupted through syntactic flexibility, pragmatic shifts, and metaphorical saturation. Differences in gender modelling were determined by the type of narrative strategy, discursive logic, and cultural speech norms.
Lacunar and real units as transmitters of ethnocultural asymmetry in creative discourse were examined typologically. Content analysis, interpretive, and comparative methods were used to explore the semantic structure and cultural character of units in texts from diverse national traditions. Kyrgyz, Turkish, Chinese, and French literature formed the empirical basis. Kyrgyz literature shows that realities and lacunae fix stable ethnocultural self-awareness incorporated within the text’s axiological and ritual structure, encompassing collective identity, holy rites, and moral orientations. The concepts of el (people, community), aiköl (generous, magnanimous), and bata (blessing) were conceptually and pragmatically untranslatable because they included cultural and historical connotations, ritual functions, and specific social norms. The main causes of gaps in Turkish literature are social organization, tribal affiliation, and ethical/behavioral norms (ağa, aşiret, namus), which reflect culturally conditioned disparities in interaction patterns and role expectations. Chinese literature shows mental, physical, and ceremonial lacunae induced by cultural taboos, social hierarchy, and distinctive physical representation. French literature has demonstrated cognitive and sensory forms of lacunae associated with the absence of moral causality, the autonomy of the subject, and the individualised perception of sensory experience. The investigation revealed four categories of untranslatability: lexical, conceptual, pragmatic, and sensory, each reflecting deep ethnocultural incomparability. The study found that lacunae and realities produce interpretative tension and semantic fragmentation by indicating cultural codes, behaviour patterns, and symbolic systems. The research clarifies cultural otherness analysis mechanisms and develops ethnoculturally marked text interpretation methods for translation studies, intercultural communication, and literary analysis.
The purpose of the study was to explore ethical problems in the works of literature of the postwar period, which reflected the juxtaposition of humanism and cruelty, in order to identify the deep mechanisms of the development of moral values under the influence of history, and to find out the features of reflecting ethical contradictions in the literary narratives of various authors. The research methodology includes a comprehensive theoretical analysis of journalistic texts, archival documents, folklore collections, and literary works by Ismail Kadare. The study also includes a detailed analysis of the author’s specific novels, such as The Palace of Dreams and The General of the Dead Army, with a focus on internal conflicts and their moral choices. The results show a greater repeatability of the theme of humanism against cruelty, which was reflected both through symbolic imagery and through intertextual references to important historical events, in particular, the consequences of the Second World War. The analysis of literary works and journalistic texts helps to establish that they not only showed external socio-political processes, but also deeply assimilated the moral decisions of individuals and society, forming an ethical basis for further cultural development. The conclusions of the study emphasise that the integration of traditional and modern methods of analysis is crucial for a deep understanding of complex moral processes in literary narratives, and the results obtained are used to develop new approaches in the humanities and literary studies, for example, to create interdisciplinary methods that combine literary analysis with historical, cultural, and sociological aspects. The practical significance of research is to develop recommendations for further interdisciplinary work in the field of literary studies, history, and cultural studies. The results obtained can be used to develop new methods for analysing works of art, which help to accurately determine the moral and ethical aspects of military conflicts.
The relevance of analysing the impact of translation lay in its ability to alter the artistic integrity, cultural contexts, and perception of literary works by different linguistic cultures and communities. The aim was to study the impact of literary translation on the perception and interpretation of texts, to analyse the transmission of cultural, stylistic and semantic elements of the original, and to identify how these decisions changed or enriched the artistic idea of the work in another cultural and linguistic context. The study conducted a comparative analysis of different genres of selected literary works, namely the original and translated versions, using the example of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novels The Sandman, Coraline, and Stardust, in order to identify changes in interpretation and perception caused by translation decisions. The analysis covered different literary genres, which made it possible to trace how literary translation influenced various aspects of artistic form. The study showed that translation decisions, such as the choice of stylistic devices, the rendering of culturally specific elements, the adaptation of metaphors and symbolism, and the translation of grammatical structures, could significantly affect readers’ perception and understanding of the text. It was revealed that different translation strategies—for example, literal translation or free adaptation—could either preserve or transform the author’s meanings, emotional tones and cultural nuances, leading to new or enriched interpretations of the work in a different cultural context.
The aim of the study was to identify how certain lexical means of emotional saturation in Kyrgyz poetry influenced the emotional state of readers. The empirical part of the study was carried out between February and April 2025 at Gymnasium No 29 in Bishkek and the Faculty of Philology of Kyrgyz National University named after J Balasagyn, and included a survey of 122 respondents based on a lexico-semantic classification of emotionally marked vocabulary, relying on Robert Plutchik’s model of basic emotions. The survey results showed that 70% of respondents interpreted emotions mainly through the prism of personal experience, while 19% referred to academic interpretations. The emotion most frequently arising when reading poetic texts was sadness (51%), followed by inspiration (29%) and anxiety (13%). The lexemes жалгыз (lonely), түн (night), and көз (eye) evoked associations with loneliness, loss, and emotional instability. Women more often demonstrated empathetic perception (68%), while men exhibited anxiety or neutrality in 45% of cases. The application of Student’s t-test and Pearson’s χ²-test made it possible to establish statistically significant differences in emotional perception between age, gender, and educational subgroups (for example, t=2.18; p=0.041 in the reaction to the lexeme жалгыз (lonely)). The analysis of responses demonstrated a high variability of interpretations: the lexeme саамалы (breeze) was associated with a sense of calm in 66% of respondents, with anxiety in 9%, and with a neutral perception in 25%. The results confirmed the existence of stable models of personal projection and the significance of poetic text as a resource for emotional development and intergenerational communication. The study had applied value for the development of emotionally sensitive reading programmes and intercultural poetry analysis.
The aim of the study was to identify the peculiarities of depicting the images of war and love in Kyrgyz and American poetry by analysing the works reflecting these themes. The study used comparative-literary and structural-semantic methods to identify the specific features of the perception of war and love in each national tradition, as well as to identify the poetic techniques used and their functional role. The analysis of the works showed that in American poetry war was predominantly portrayed as a destructive force leading to moral crisis, loss of traditional values and rethinking of human existence. The poetic texts emphasised individual tragedy and inner conflict of a person, which was expressed in the use of the symbolism of chaos, natural disasters and the inevitability of destruction. On the contrary, Kyrgyz poetry conceptualised war as a duty to the motherland, requiring steadfastness and selflessness. Unlike the American tradition, which focuses on personal experiences, Kyrgyz poets emphasised the collective aspect of war, perceived as a test that unites the people. American poetry depicted love as personal, variable, and changeable, according to love lyrics. Love was viewed as either an all-consuming sensation that transcended time and place or an unstable state reliant on external factors. Kyrgyz poetry depicted love as a noble sensation linked to national values, the homeland, and culture. The idealised female picture symbolised spirituality and genuine love. The study found that Kyrgyz and American poetry depicted war and love differently due to cultural, historical, and national differences.
The study of autobiographical essayism remains a significant area of literary scholarship due to its potential to reveal the intricate relationship between personal identity and cultural reflection. This research explored the autobiographical works of Czeslaw Milosz ('The Alphabet') and Vasyl Makhno ('From the Vowels and Consonants'), focusing on the use of the alphabetical essay format and the themes of migration, identity, and cultural adaptation. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of these two collections, examining how each author utilises autobiographical techniques to reflect on their life experiences and the broader historical and cultural contexts in which they lived. The methodology employed includes close reading, comparative analysis, and intertextual approaches, allowing for an in-depth exploration of the thematic and structural elements of both works. The study finds that both Czelaw Milosz and Vasyl Makhno employ the alphabetical format as a creative device that facilitates the organisation of personal memories, reflections, and cultural observations. Despite differences in their life experiences, both authors use autobiographical essays to engage with issues of emigration, linguistic and cultural hybridity, and the exploration of identity in a globalised world. This research concludes that the creative dialogue between Milosz’s and Makhno’s works not only highlights the shared themes of migration and cultural adaptation, but also demonstrates the productivity of the essay as a form for autobiographical reflection. The study contributes to the broader understanding of modern European autobiographical essayism, offering new insights into the ways in which literary form and personal history intersect in the works of Milosz and Makhno.
The purpose of this study was to examine how culture and history have influenced the formation of national literary traditions in the Turkic world. Using comparative and historical analysis, the key features of the formation and development of national literatures (Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Turkish) were studied. Until the 20th century, Kazakh literature was predominantly oral, represented by folklore texts, in particular the heroic epic. During the Soviet period, Kazakh literature underwent significant changes. Under the influence of socialist ideas, literature became ideologised, which contributed to the emergence of major literary figures who sought to highlight national themes through the prism of socialist realism. With independence, Kazakh literature began to restore its national roots, returning to themes of identity, freedom, and the preservation of cultural traditions. In Kyrgyz literature, the heroic epic plays a key role and is considered the foundation of national culture. As in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz literature was heavily influenced by ideology during the Soviet era. The works of writers from this period were devoted to socialist reforms, yet retained many elements of traditional culture. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyz literature began to actively explore issues of national identity, memory, and the revival of traditions. Turkish literature has undergone a long transformation from medieval Ottoman poetry and prose to modern forms. Until the 19th century, Turkish literature was closely linked to Persian and Arabic cultural traditions, reflecting Islamic values and Ottoman statehood. The beginning of the 20th century marked a turning point for Turkish literature. The reforms of MK Atatürk and European influence led to profound changes in literature, while the orientation towards Western literary models contributed to the emergence of new genres and trends. Turkish writers of the 20th and 21st centuries explore complex issues of identity, history, and culture, positioned at the intersection between East and West.
The relevance of this study is related to the need to examine literary texts from the standpoint of building structural patterns, in particular at the phonetic, lexical, and syntactic levels. With the help of comparative and literary sampling analysis, the main formal and substantive indicators of literary texts were investigated using the principles of structural linguistics. At the phonetic level, assonance and alliteration are highlighted in Albanian literature; metaphors, epithets, comparisons, allegory and hyperbole are used at the lexical level, and rhetorical constructions – parallelism, anaphora, and epiphora – at the syntactic level. At the phonetic level, alliteration was used in Azerbaijani literature; at the lexical level, comparisons, epithets, metaphors; and at the syntactic level, inversion, antithesis, rhetorical questions, refrain, anaphora, and epiphora. Assonance and alliteration are presented at the phonetic level in Kyrgyz literature, with hyperbole, metaphor, comparison, epithets, and tautology at the lexical level, and rhetorical figures – polysyndeton, epiphora, and anaphora – at the syntactic level. Meaningful components in Albanian literature are the type of lyrics – love, philosophical; the motives – motive of the transience of life, motive of unhappy love. Meaningful components in Azerbaijani literature are the type of lyrics – love, philosophical; and among the motives – the motive of time, lost or unhappy love, fate. Meaningful components in Kyrgyz literature are the type of lyrics – love, philosophical; and among the motives – the motive of fleeing happiness and transience of time. Symbolic images were also considered: in Albanian literature, a raven; in Azerbaijani, snow flowers; in Kyrgyz, a ship, a white birch. In the future, this study can be used to examine national literatures in the context of structural patterns, for the analysis of poetic and prose texts, to develop new technical solutions for structural analysis.
Three Poems from Peckinpah Suite Note: In 1977 Sam Peckinpah, the writer and director, bought a plot of land in a remote part of Montana and had a cabin constructed. It was more a dream than a practical place for him to live, and he spent most of his Montana years, especially after his heart attack, at the Murray Hotel in Livingston, where his suite of rooms has since been named in his memory. In Paul Munden’s Peckinpah Suite, the poet checks into Peckinpah’s rooms and writes a sequence of poems that is intricately and sometimes disturbingly entwined with Peckinpah’s own experience. We feature three of the poems here.
Meeting Ania in the 1980s was formative in the path my research followed for the next forty years. She was one of several writers I found most compelling as I encountered their work (another was Antigone Kefala) and precipitated the bewildered response: How could such brilliant artists/writers not be taken much more seriously in Australian letters?
There was a magical quality to Ania Walwicz. We still feel her presence, her shadow at the doorway, the tap of her footsteps on the stairs. Her voice speaks out of the pages of her PhD thesis, published as horse, a psychodrama, the theatre of her life. Elusive and beguiling, fascinating and mesmerising, her playfulness and humour, awareness of the subliminal, dream, the way she delved into languages, into everything, psychology, film, photography, art, history, poetry, myth, religious texts then spun it all together in her writing, her theatre, seemingly without effort is astonishing. Ania was like no one else, but like everyone.
This inscription has recently been discovered in Iran. The text contains a letter attributed to a Seleucid king and addressed to an official called Erophanthus. The document, which probably dates from the reign of Seleucus II (246‑226 BC) or Seleucus IV (187‑175 BC), is about tax concessions for a community involved in the breeding of war horses. The inscription, the location of which is unknown, was first published in 2012 by George Rougemont. The text, although fragmentary, is an important administrative record of Seleucid rule in the East, but there are uncertainties about the location and the exact identity of the ruler.
The following text is from a nine-minute semi-improvised music and spoken word collaboration with Katy Addis on the flugelhorn and words/ voice by Josephine Scicluna.
In what will surely be the long trail of her wake, of what comes after Ania, what she opened up and made possible, we glimpse the beginning of her legacy, both individual and cultural, as a teacher, certainly, as an intellectual also, but most of all as a writer. Wakes only widen into clear visibility as the distance from the movement producing them increases, and no doubt the aftereffects of Ania’s considerable body of work will continue to make themselves felt over time, and not only in the form of writing.
