Annals of the University of Craiova, Series: Philology, English, Year XIII, No.1, 2012

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1 Annals of the University of Craiova, Series: Philology, English, Year XIII, No.1, 2012 DETAILS VS DOGMA: DETAILS IN CONTEXT FRANÇOISE BORT Centre Interlangues (EA 4182), Université de Bourgogne, France This paper rests on the two-fold definition of the notion of detail provided by art historian Daniel Arasse, (characterized by the difference between two Italian terms: particolare and dettaglio), to address the question of today s interest in the notion of detail. After recalling the way modernist fiction profoundly relates to modernity in its handling of details, (through examples taken from V. Woolf and J. Conrad), the paper explores the way contemporary fiction suggests yet another definition and configuration of details. Such postmodern anxiety of atomized traces and disappearance as can be found in Michael Cunningham s The Hours finds an echo in some of the latest output of French theorists and account for today s haunting interest in the notion of detail. Keywords: modernism, postmodernism, fiction, French theory. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUTHORIAL INTENTION IN THE ROMANTIC NOVEL AGAAT BY MARLENE VAN NIEKERK H.P. VAN COLLER University of the Free State, South Africa Authorial intention remains one of the most controversial topics in the literary science debate. Many investigators still equate it to the highly controversial intentional fallacy. When I use the concepts explicit external authorial intentions I refer to explicit utterances made by the actual author, for example during interviews. Implicit external authorial intentions on the other hand are actualised intentions in other texts, in other words demonstrable meaningful aspects of such texts and the play on (genealogical) expectations / conventions that exist outside the context of the text at hand. I am of the opinion that explicit internal authorial intentions are clear signs from the implied author on the level of the authorial text (Schmid, 1973) and include features such as the cover, title, preface, etc. In this article authorial

2 intentions are scrutinised and the hypothesis is that Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk is not only a parody of the traditional Afrikaans farm novel, but also of the Afrikaner s history, which is portrayed in allegorical fashion as a classical tragedy. Keywords: authorial intentions, textual voice, intended perlocution, farm novel LITERATURE AS (A) DETAIL SYLVIE CRINQUAND EA 4182, Université de Bourgogne, France This paper defends close reading as a valuable technique for the study of literary texts, since it tries to account for all details, including those which might not appear relevant at first reading. This in turn raises the question of relativity, since what one reader may discount as a detail might appear essential to another; the paper thus turns to an analysis of the evolution of literary criticism as far as details are concerned, before finally considering how literature itself is sometimes viewed as detail by society. Keywords: literature, detective fiction, biography, literary criticism THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DETAILS IN PETER ACKROYD S HISTORICAL NOVELS ANCA (BURADA) CHIMORGIACHIS University of Bucharest, Romania Peter Ackroyd (1949-), one of the most prolific contemporary British writers, is a novelist, biographer, poet, (literary) critic, dramatist and essayist whose works come to confirm the diversity of the postmodern period. His fiction takes place in different historical periods, mingles real events with fictional ones and succeeds in raising many postmodern questions. Ackroyd s historical novels seem truthful (and thus make way for doubt) because he is a thorough researcher who knows the importance of the details. The readers rapidly accept the language styles Ackroyd emulates as real examples of the speech of the period, the cures presented as true, and the way people thought, looked, wore and ate in distinct time frames as real. All the details Ackroyd inserts are only apparently insignificant because the smallest information is of the utmost importance for the overall image that leads to the unity of his historical novels. Keywords: postmodernism, history, research, truth, knowledge

3 RELIGIOUS BELIEFS IN ALICE WALKER S THE COLOR PURPLE MARIA-MAGDALENA FĂURAR Taking a cue from James H. Cone's A Black Theology of Liberation - considered the foundational text of black liberation theology, in which God is re-imagined as deeply concerned in the real life struggles of black people, Alice Walker re-envisions the notion of God focusing on religion as a strategy for social change. Alice Walker s appropriation of God s vastness is a prevalent theme throughout The Color Purple and crucial for the protagonist s survival. The purpose of this paper is to examine and support critical discussions of details that matter such as church, concepts of God, biblical patriarchy and spirituality that undergird religious discourse in Alice Walker s The Color Purple. Keywords: God, religion, spirituality, pan(en)theism. DON QUIXOTE AND THE ETHICS OF POWER SANTIAGO GARCÍA-CASTAÑÓN Western Carolina University, US Much has been written about Don Quixote de la Mancha, and there are still quite a few details that matter to the modern reader. In times of political scandals and corruption, Don Quixote s ethics of power stand out as a cornerstone of fairness, transparency, and justice. His advice to Sancho about how to conduct oneself as a ruler is nothing short of remarkable as he pays close attention to detail. Don Quixote, who repeatedly shows his insanity when he acts, is capable of the highest forms of eloquence and judgment as he faces the task of preparing his esquire to be a governor. Keywords: Don Quixote, ethics of power, politics

4 RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM AND THE PURSUIT OF REDEMPTION IN RALPH ELLISON S INVISIBLE MAN LAVINIU COSTINEL LĂPĂDAT Ralph Ellison exposes his characters to a vast apparatus of religious symbology and suggested spiritual vectors which strive to flow towards a realm of positive necessity and existential equanimity. He grants voice and dignity to the oppressed, the innocent and the forgotten, but at the same time exposing the emptiness and malefic worth of those seeking to confiscate the pure and just meanings of our ontology through manipulation and the proliferation of extremism. The author commandeers cryptic messaging, embracing his duty towards creative instruments of mental debt and depth, refusing to shy away from a legacy that has stood the test of time and is bound to secure the future. Keywords: Christianity, spirituality, messianic, redemption, race. FEMINIST LITERARY CRITICISM MARINELA LUPŞA 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania The feminist debate covers a great variety of critical theories, methods of investigation, without having entirely developed as a unitary theory. Literary feminism has advanced several critical approaches, which, in their turn, shifted from the analysis of literature to an examination of society at large. It is a difficult task to enclose feminist criticism within an established pattern. At a time when feminist movement proved successful, when questions arise concerning the usefulness of further feminist enterprise, the movement eludes definitions, entering an interdisciplinary dialogue with domains such as anthropology, history, sociology and even psychoanalysis. Consequently, it pays attention to difference, an enlarged issue so as to accommodate minorities, whether racial, sexual or ethnic. Keywords: feminist movement, feminist criticism, feminine language, feminist discourse, feminist theorists

5 DISTORTED IMAGE OF WOMEN IN EDGAR ALLAN POE S WORK MIHAELA PRIOTEASA In achieving the goal set in the title, the present paper will try to analyse Edgar Allan Poe s works with the purpose of examining the way in which the author reffers to and describes in detail the image of the female characters that inhabit them. In addition, the American author s own view of the feminine ideal will demonstrate that every woman-character in his tales is just a shadow of the writer s obsession over the premature death of his mother. Keywords: image, mother, dying women, obssesion, decay. THE RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN CLAUSE COMPLEXES MĂDĂLINA CERBAN The paper proposes a classification of the most common problems that can appear when analyzing the relationships within clause complexes and ranking clauses according to systemic functional framework. The first part of the article discusses the difficulties of picking up the unit of analysis that would help us identify the boundaries in clause complexes. We will explain the differences between written and spoken texts, pointing out the existence of two possible approaches in the case of spoken tests: minimal length approach that takes into consideration only unambiguous clause complex relationships, and the maximal length approach. The second part of the paper analysis three main problems which may arise in determining where clauses begin and end within a complex: (i) is a clause embedded or included?; (ii) how do we differentiate between verbal group complex or clause complex?; (iii) how do we distinguish a separate clause from a circumstance within a clause? Keywords: clause complex, boundaries, verbal group complex, embedded clauses, minimal approach, maximal approach

6 LANGUAGE PRODUCTIVITY IN CONTRACTS A Morphological Approach DIANA OŢĂT The present paper aims at presenting and analysing typical aspects of language productivity in contracts. Thus, contracts language is regarded mainly from a morphological approach, in terms of word-formation, in order to reveal different aspects of morpho- lexical productivity. In this respect the paper proposes a comparative study of lexical characteristics encountered in General English and the language of contracts. Nevertheless, the study intends to investigate not only theoretical aspects of the specific contracting lexicon but also in what degree these aspects are reflected in particular examples of English contract. Keywords: contracts language; synchronic investigation; language productivity ; word-formation TYPES OF FINITE AND NON-FINITE CLAUSES IN THE EU LEGAL DOCUMENTS GEORGIANA REISS Abstract The aim of the present paper is to identify and analyse the types of finite and non-finite clauses encountered in the European Union legal documents. We will discuss the two categories of finite clauses: independent clauses (declarative clauses which include simple independent clauses, coordinated independent clauses and complex independent clauses) and subordinate clauses (nominal clauses, relative clauses, conditional clauses, reason clauses, purpose clauses, result clauses, concessive clauses, time clauses and manner clauses), as well as non-finite clauses (present participle clauses, past participle clauses and infinitive clauses). In addition, we will also deal with the respective coordinating and subordinating devices. Keywords: finite clauses, independent clauses, subordinate clauses, non-finite clauses, EU legal documents.

7 SEMANTIC APPROACHES IN MEDICAL TEXTS SIMONA NICOLETA STAICU University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timişoara, Romania The paper focuses on mutual influence between specialized languages and common language which can best be revealed by metaphorical expansion. Considered as the main mechanism we use to understand concepts and express abstract judgments, the metaphor can be invested with a very important role in specialized languages. The cognitive expansion of metaphoric enunciation is the prevailing element often used in medical speech. We have come across, in medical texts, on various types of metaphors of the human body acting through semantic transfer based on the resemblance related to form, intensity, direction, functional or temporal characteristics of denotations. Keywords: medical terms, metaphor, polysemy, semantic transfer. SOME ASPECTS OF THE USE OF ENGLISH AS AN ADVERTISING TECHNIQUE IN THE CASE OF COMMERCIAL ADS IN ROMANIAN WOMEN S MAGAZINES ROXANA ZAMFIRA Starting from the idea that the use of language is always a cultural act, the paper examines some aspects triggered by the use of English in commercial advertisements in women s magazines targeted at Romanian consumers. Whether intended to lead to cultural connotations that will be reflected on the product, or to exploit intertextual references in the creation and decoding of new texts, the use of the English language in a specific non-native English speaking environment is a phenomenon whose significance attaches to the larger process of cultural globalization. Keywords: cultural connotations, lingua franca, intertextuality, hybridity, media products.