Humanities and Cultural Studies

Henri Michaux (1899–1984): A “real life adventure”

Wacław Rapak — 2025-11-12

This article is an attempt at a concise presentation of the key motifs, concepts and metaphors that define the poetic and artistic work of Henri Michaux. The proposed approach regards the metaphor of a “real life adventure” as the first principle of both life and creation, which are—as Michaux himself believed—inextricably and existentially bound.

On the words of a cephalophore: "Etty Hillesum" by Sylvie Germain

Agata Kraszewska — 2025-11-12

Etty Hillesum by Sylvie Germain is a work of a biographical type, defined by its author as a “bio-resonance”: a text based on the intimate diary and letters of that young woman, gassed in Auschwitz at the age of 29. This study reveals the manner in which, in the words of Sylvie Germain, Etty Hillesum becomes a cephalophore, in accordance with the metaphorical meaning of the term as specified by the author. Simultaneously, as her work appears to be “form-meaning” according to Bruno Blanckeman’s term, the article investigates its selected formal aspects that are connected with the concept of cephalophore.

Reading 'Cranford' as a "cottagecore text"

Edgar Jephcote — 2025-11-12

Estetyki internetowe, takie jak „cottagecore”, zaczynają być omawiane w różnych środowiskach akademickich. Biorąc pod uwagę ścisły związek z czytaniem i zamiłowaniem do książek, estetyka „cottagecore” wydaje się być godnym wyborem tematu w trakcie analizy literackiej. Wykorzystując powieść Elizabeth Gaskell Cranford (1853) jako studium przypadku, niniejszy artykuł otwiera dyskusję na temat tego, jakie kwestie literackie i kulturowe powinny zostać uwzględnione przy określaniu „cottagecore text” (poza zwykłym włączeniem jego najistotniejszych motywów wizualnych). Co więcej, badanie wprowadza pojęcie „cottagecore reading”, spekulując na temat tego, jakie tematy taka lektura może selektywnie uwzględniać. Wśród wielu przykładów znajdują się materialność, zwłaszcza efemeryczne kreacje, lub bardziej zmarginalizowane czynności, takie jak te ze sfery domowej lub te o tematyce kobiecej. W związku z tym artykuł proponuje analizę Cranford metodą close-reading, służącą jako przykład tego, jak taka lektura mogłaby wyglądać w rzeczywistości. W rezultacie można również uzyskać różne unikalne spostrzeżenia na temat jednej z najpopularniejszych powieści Gaskell. Co więcej, można zaobserwować pewne zaskakujące podobieństwa między obecnym korzystaniem przez ludzi z mediów społecznościowych a motywacjami stojącymi za praktyką pewnych gentelmeńskich zwyczajów. W rezultacie ta wyjątkowa lektura pokazuje możliwość zastosowania współczesnej estetyki opartej na nostalgii jako wszechstronnych ram do badania i analizowania klasycznych dzieł literackich, których badanie może okazać się przydatne dla przyszłych badaczy współczesnej estetyki w ogóle.

A Textual Perspective on the Mythology of Sylvia Plath

Anton Belenetsky — 2025-11-12

Sylvia Plath’s posthumous publication of Ariel in 1965 sparked the formation of the Plath mythos, intertwining her tragic death with the reception of her work. While many critics, particularly feminist scholars, attempted to move away from the biography-driven mad woman/genius dichotomy, they often inadvertently perpetuated the mythos by continuing to focus on biographical contexts rather than Plath's creative output. This article examines Marjorie Perloff’s seminal 1984 essay, The Two Ariels, which critiques Ted Hughes’s editorial influence on Ariel by arguing that his rearrangements distorted Plath’s intended narrative of female rage and hope, emphasizing death and despair instead. While Perloff reclaims Plath’s original narrative structure, the article contends that her work still operates within Hughes’s framing, centering on the poems he excluded. The article thus calls for a more rigorous textual critique of Ariel and its paratexts, advocating for a philological approach to offer a more balanced understanding of Plath’s work, free from the constraints of mythologization.

Steve Marcus’ "Yad"

Ezra Cappell — 2025-11-12

The article explores how artist Steve Marcus reinterprets Jewish ritual and identity through the visual language of contemporary Pop Art. It considers how Marcus combines humor, tradition, and countercultural imagery to reflect on the contradictions of modern Jewish life. The discussion situates his art within the concept of Bein HaShmashot—the twilight space of transition and creative uncertainty—suggesting that Marcus’s work resists fixed boundaries and underscoring the artist's humorous yet deeply reflective engagement with faith, creativity, and modern Jewish experience.

A "Certain Piórko" by Henri Michaux in Poland

Wacław Rapak — 2025-11-12

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"The Giraffe’s Neck" by Judith Schalansky, or who is afraid of Inge Lohmark

Natalia Prüfer — 2025-11-12

This article focuses on a Bildungsroman by contemporary German writer Judith Schalansky. The book The Giraffe's Neck is a multifaceted novel that tells, among other things, the story of East Germany's “separation” from the rest of the country, which leads to the slow depopulation of the region and the deterioration of living conditions. The author of the text introduces readers to the biography and work of Judith Schalansky, reviews the novel The Giraffe's Neck and gives examples of other novels by German male and female writers who address similar social themes in their work.

The work of German-speaking writers with a migration background, as exemplified by Fatma Aydemir’s novel "The Djinns"

Joanna Graca — 2025-11-12

The number of German-language writers with a migration background who are making an impact on the literary market is growing. This group includes both writers who immigrated to Germany from their country of origin and those who were born in Germany but whose parents immigrated to the country.
The authors belonging to the first group confront the assimilation issues they themselves have experienced in their works. They address the challenges of integration into an unfamiliar society, particularly the difficulties associated with establishing a sense of identity and navigating a culture that is not one’s own. The younger generation of authors, in contrast, explore the experiences of their parents’ generation, which often involved formative years in their homeland as well as their experiences in Germany. An additional aspect worthy of note is the ethnographic one.
Fatma Aydemir is a writer born in Germany to a family of Turkish immigrants. In her novel The Djinns, she portrays the fate of Turkish immigrants, exploring the complex emotions of individuals situated between their country of origin and the country that was to become their new homeland. Additionally, the author offers a critical perspective on German society from the vantage point of those who have recently arrived in that country.