"Wholly Aflame": Erotic Asceticism in the Work of Sara Maitland

Abstract

The writing of the Christian feminist novelist Sara Maitland has explored the interplay of eroticism, masochism and asceticism in women's spirituality. Maitland's 1984 novel Virgin Territory and 1987 essay "Passionate Prayer: Masochistic Images in Women's Experience" condemns how, in patriarchal Christianity, a model of romantic relationship with God, when compounded by the symbolism of women's sinfulness, results in spiritual masochism for women. In her later work, Maitland's writing takes a more ambivalent attitude, wanting to preserve the "otherness" of historical women mystics and martyrs, also admiring the "purity" of the extremity of their devotion. This reflects Maitland's advocating of an excessive and "unsafe" spirituality, given representation in her fiction and in her pursuit of a solitary lifestyle, as explained in 2008's A Book of Silence.     

The Role of Protestant Christianity in Young Adult Realistic Fiction

From a historical perspective, the United States has, from its inception, been a country where religion, politics, and literature were closely linked. Early publications were religious tracts and children learned to read using the Bible and other religious works. Religious influence into the culture and politics of the country has increased dramatically since the 1980s and the question arises as to whether this influence is being seen in young adult literature of the period. Therefore, a look at modern realistic fiction must begin by looking at the history of children's and young adult literature produced by mainstream publishers in the United States.     

Polemics and Proverbs: Religious Controversy in England, ‘German Lips,’ and the Character of a Genre

ABSTRACT

This article firstly reconstructs the usage and meaning of the early-modern English proverb ‘as just as German’s lips.’ It demonstrates that the meaning of the proverb, which has never been authoritatively established, can be ascertained through its frequent appearance in the context early-modern religious polemics in England. The study then argues that the proverb’s presence in, and subsequent disappearance from, printed literature is inextricably tied up with epochal cultural changes in England. These are reflected in the increasingly pervasive use of the vernacular for formal controversial theology and in English notions of social standing and intellectual credibility. It lastly suggests a possible source for the origin of the proverb under discussion.     

An Annotated Catalogue of Protestant Editions in English of Works by and Relating to Saint Augustine of Hippo, 1529-1700

Abstract

Adducing works attributed to Augustine in support of reformist doctrine dates back to Reformation beginnings, and in England early writers like Tyndale (Christian Obedience) and E. Fox (Determinations) appealed to him. In both cases, ancient authority is brought to bear on current issues. Such use of Augustine then and later is closely tied to contemporary events, making a clear understanding of the role of Augustine essential to interpretation of the period. Due to confusable names and variant spellings, an exact figure of editions of works connected with Augustine in English in the early modern era is not quite possible yet, but Early English Books Online (TCP) suggests up to 1000. The catalogue here is an annotated list of forty-four separate works in ninety-six editions which can fairly be described as ‘Protestant Augustinian'. These are either translations of his works, or texts substantially based on his works. Included is an appendix of a further ninety-four Protestant works in 209 editions in which a significant Augustinian element can be detected, a summary table of the pattern of publication of the items listed, and a brief survey of Augustine's English Protestant readership.     

Children’s Literature as a Vehicle for Political Socialization: An Examination of Best-Selling Picture Books 2012–2017

Despite the importance of political engagement, the topic has been the subject of little empirical research in developmental psychology, particularly with preadolescent samples. As a commonly available and developmentally appropriate source of media messages, picture books may inform young children about politics and influence their political engagement and aspirations. This study presents a content analysis of all books included on The New York Times best sellers list for children’s picture books from 2012 to 2017. Books were reviewed for depictions of political issues, political processes, political leaders, symbols associated with politics or political leadership, and government employees. Nearly half of the books in the sample included at least one instance of politically relevant content. Relatively few books included depictions of political issues or processes. More books contained depictions of political leaders. Democratic leaders represented were predominantly historical figures, and were largely men and White. Relative to democratic leaders, monarchical leaders were more likely to be girls or women and to be children and were less likely to engage in political processes or decisions. The findings suggest that although many picture books contain some politically relevant content, picture books represent a missed opportunity for many aspects of political socialization.     

Literature and the Expressions of Being in Merleau-Ponty’s Unpublished Course Notes

In this article I examine Merleau-Ponty’s understanding of the relation between literature, being and perception. I focus especially on two of Merleau-Ponty’s courses at Collège de France: the first course, Le monde sensible et le monde de l’expression, and the unpublished course Sur le problème de la parole. In the former Merleau-Ponty presents a new understanding of perception, according to which being is expressed in perception through the style of movement of the perceived phenomenon. In the latter he advances a notion of literary writing as an expression of the being that is itself expressed to us in perception. Through a reading of Proust’s work, he discusses how the literary writer makes his experience expressive by means of a stylization of what is experienced. Hence, literature expresses perception through an enhancement of the expressiveness that it already contains. This capacity of literature will be the main focus of my investigation.     

Constructing a positive narrative for African sport consumerism

Sport consumerism is a burgeoning field of practice and serves both the utilitarian and behaviouristic goals. The utilitarian aspects are aligned to derivatives of value generated through the sport consumption effort. Behaviourism in the consumer context suggests a communal narrative, informed through observable actions which, in totality, construe social phenomena. This article applied social exchange theory to understand the utilitarian and behavioural functions sub-served by sport consumer psychology in the African context. An evaluation of literature from regional studies is made and the theory is explored with the view of putting forward research themes for the future.     

小学生创造性文学问题提出能力的发展研究

运用实验的方法,对来自山西两所小学371名小学生创造性文学问题提出能力的发展进行了研究。结果表明:(1)小学生创造性文学问题提出能力整体呈现持续上升的趋势;(2)男女生在创造性文学问题提出能力上存在差异,但差异不显著;(3)城市小学生整体优于乡村小学生的发展,二者的发展趋势同中有异;(4)小学四年级、五年级是小学生创造性文学问题提出能力的两个关键期。     

毛泽东延安时期文艺普及思想的政治图解

延安时期毛泽东的文艺普及思想不仅是一种文艺主张,更是一种文化政治理念。它在毛泽东对中国左翼文艺运动史及延安文艺现状的审慎分析之后出场,以走进民众作为政治方向,而提升民众则是其政治目标。在实行这一思想后,毛泽东关注了来自文艺普及实践的政治反馈。如何改造和团结民众尤其是农民,这是延安时期毛泽东始终在考虑的问题。     

The study of the Persian mystical fable’s capacity to be rewritten as spiritual literature for children in the light of the theory of relational consciousness

ABSTRACT

‘Relational consciousness’ introduces four kinds of relationships as characteristics of children’s spirituality: relation with self, others, environment and the higher being or God. These four relationships have also been noted in Persian mystical fables. The aim of the present study is to review some of these fables so as to assess their capacity for being rewritten as spiritual literature for children in the light of this theory. We contend that fables which pay more attention to the relationship with self and God, have less capacity because of their abstract concepts. Fables concerning the relationship with the environment and others are more suitable for being rewritten for the child reader, as they are more objective and perceptible. Many fables of this kind have the potential to guide the reader from the relationship with the environment and others to the relationship with self and God. The study also shows that Persian mystical fables could be used as a rich source for nourishing the child’s spirituality according to the theory of relational consciousness.