Eurasian Applied Linguistics Society, Moscow, Russia (Registered ID: 1167746743889)
Online ISSN: 2667-6214Journal of English Literature and Cultural Studies2667-62145420241219The Adverse Psychological Impacts of Digital Technology: Critiquing Schulman’s This Beautiful Life from Postmodern Insights11221856610.26655/JELCS.2024.04.01ENRamesh PrasadAdhikaryDepartment of English, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal0000-0002-9889-3825Journal Article20231115This study aims to examine the psychological effects of digital technology on individuals by analyzing the characters of Jake and Daisy in This Beautiful Life. It also focuses on how the postmodern trend of imbibing the ethos and spirit of late capitalist consumer culture and the commodification of subjectivity put extreme pressure on individuals, leading to their disintegration and degeneration. The study uses the theoretical ideas and insights of leading postmodern theorists, such as Arthur Kroke and David Kroke, to analyze the harmful effects of the postmodern trend of simulating double identity in excess. It explores the causes of the psychic deviations and disintegration of Jake and Daisy within the postmodern context. This research is a qualitative analysis of the novel by using a postmodern theoretical framework to analyze the characters of Jake and Daisy and their actions and choices in the novel. The study finds that the harsh psychological effects of digital technology are evident in the characters of Jake and Daisy. Meanwhile, Daisy's mundane and monotonous life leads her to construct fantasies in her mind, leading her to embark on a sporadic spree of murdering her close friends. The study concludes that the postmodern trend of imbibing the ethos and spirit of late capitalist consumer culture and the commodification of subjectivity have a detrimental effect on individuals' psychological well-being. The lack of postmodern trend to erase the boundary between the normal and the abnormal exacerbates the situation, leading individuals to become cruel and violent.https://www.jelcsjournal.com/article_218566_7d0beceece068f39320238efab89109e.pdfEurasian Applied Linguistics Society, Moscow, Russia (Registered ID: 1167746743889)
Online ISSN: 2667-6214Journal of English Literature and Cultural Studies2667-62145420241201Toxic Discourse: A Study of Hegemonic Oppression and Environmental Disequilibrium in South Asian Novels132222002710.26655/JELCS.2024.04.02ENNeelumAlmasDepartment of Humanities, COMSATS University Islamabad Pakistan0000-0002-9684-4157FaryalBukhariFoundation University Islamabad PakistanJournal Article20240312With ecological changes taking place at a very fast pace and affecting all forms of life on earth, Pakistani writers have also begun to address how human activities, especially humans’ exercise of power for grabbing resources and territories on earth, has done irreparable damage to our environment. This paper reflects on the environmental crisis that the selected novels hint at. The theoretical stance of this research is informed by four major aspects postulated by Lawrence Buell in his theory of Toxic Discourse, a major development in ecocriticism. Making use of textual analysis as a research method, the study attempts to examine Kamila Shamsie's Kartography and Uzma Aslam Khan's Trespassing. The analysis of the selected novels brings to light different forms of hegemonic oppression that are responsible for causing environmental imbalance. Social discrimination gives rise to us versus them binary which is the major cause for conflicts giving rise to endangered ecologies and ailing humanity.https://www.jelcsjournal.com/article_220027_f981733309f7a24bdeb9dc1e3e240330.pdfEurasian Applied Linguistics Society, Moscow, Russia (Registered ID: 1167746743889)
Online ISSN: 2667-6214Journal of English Literature and Cultural Studies2667-62145420241219Blocking Agent in Shakespearean Plays.233022002810.26655/JELCS.2024.04.03ENYeasinArafatShahjalal University Of Science and Technology0009-0003-2087-8785Journal Article20240916This paper examines the roles of ‘Edmund,’ ‘Malvolio,’ and ‘Shylock,’ as blocking agents in three of Shakespeare's plays: “King Lear,” “Twelfth Night,’ and “The Merchant of Venice.” A blocking agent is a character who disrupts the resolution of conflicts and creates obstacles for other characters. Edmund’s ambition and manipulative actions in “King Lear,” lead to familial and political chaos. Malvolio’s vanity and desire for social advancement in “Twelfth Night” clash with the play’s joyful and romantic atmosphere, resulting in his eventual humiliation. In “The Merchant of Venice,” Shylock’s insistence on legal justice, without showing mercy, creates a central conflict, highlighting the tension between justice and compassion. Each of these characters serves not only as an antagonist but also as a vehicle for exploring deeper themes such as ambition, social order, and the complexities of justice. Through their roles, Shakespeare illustrates the conflict between individual desires and societal values, enriching the narrative and deepening the thematic complexity of each play.https://www.jelcsjournal.com/article_220028_6201516a623eb5445bb0b4867baccc85.pdfEurasian Applied Linguistics Society, Moscow, Russia (Registered ID: 1167746743889)
Online ISSN: 2667-6214Journal of English Literature and Cultural Studies2667-62145420241219Margaret and Trauma on the Homefront: Gendering the Trauma Space in The Return of the Soldier313822003410.26655/JELCS.2024.04.04ENShibajiMridhaEnglish, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, American International University-Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh0000-0002-6785-0670Journal Article20240104A Eurocentric, white, heterosexual male bias in the discourse of trauma studies has often ignored the everyday trauma of the varied gender, class, ethnic, racial, and postcolonial identities. Hence, it is no wonder that the critique of war literature through a lens of trauma studies often leaves out the trauma of the Homefront, especially that of women. This paper investigates an alternative trauma space for women in war literature by closely analyzing Rebecca West’s The Return of the Soldier, largely considered as a traumatic tale of a wounded World War I soldier Christopher Bradley. In the process, the paper reevaluates the character of Margaret, Chris’s love interest, to situate her in the trauma framework towards attaining a trauma discourse that is more inclusive, gender-neutral, and free of definitive class bias. Drawing references on the pluralistic model of trauma studies and evaluating scholarship that, finally, foregrounds the role of Margaret, it aims at furthering the discussion in an attempt to exclusively listen to her ordeal and, eventually, respond to her unique traumatic situations.https://www.jelcsjournal.com/article_220034_6e264362b07a42b8f791dadb5d6c1506.pdfEurasian Applied Linguistics Society, Moscow, Russia (Registered ID: 1167746743889)
Online ISSN: 2667-6214Journal of English Literature and Cultural Studies2667-62145420241201“Malgudi Days”: R.K. Narayan’s Erudite Representation of Storied Matter394622003510.26655/JELCS.2024.04.05ENShamzaMaryyamEnglish, Faculty of Language and Literature, International Islamic University, H10 Islamabad.
PakistanHadiaWaqarEnglish, Faculty of Language and Literature, International Islamic University Islamabad, PakistanJournal Article20240125Human beings have been greatly observed as the principal narrators of nature for centuries. As a result, the role of matter has almost always been widely ignored as a potential storyteller. Where man has always been considered the narrator of universal phenomena, matter’s capacity for narration and semiotic interconnections has always been disregarded. However, when authors provide matter the platform to participate actively in their plots, they subvert these notions of matter’s stillness. We argue that by integrating the town of Malgudi into his stories as a foundational plot device, R. K. Narayan foregrounds the narrative agency of Malgudi, and this semiotic power establishes Malgudi as a hyperobject. In his stories, the town of Malguddi is not only taken as the setting, but it acts as an active participant within the stories. Its entire presence can be observed by closely examining the streets, buildings, and characters that exist within the setting. For our support, we have chosen two main concepts: Serenella Iovino and Serpil Oppermann’s concept of “Storied Matter” and Timothy Morton’s conceptualization of “Hyperobjects. ” We utilize these concepts to establish the town of Malgudi as a storied hyperobject, and by doing so we highlight the amount of significance matter has in shaping narratives.https://www.jelcsjournal.com/article_220035_baed7cd90281d85b6943e9bf3cfc9fe0.pdf