Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies

Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy, edited by Dimitra Fimi and Alistair J.P. Sims (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023)

Andrea Valeiras Fernández — 2024-12-16

The Discursive Construction of Economic Inequality: CADS Approaches to the British Media, edited by Eva M. Gómez-Jiménez and Michael Toolan (London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020)

Javier Fernández-Cruz — 2024-12-16

Spaces of S(h)elf-Care: Therapeutic Narrative Readings in Anorexia

Rocío Riestra-Camacho — 2024-12-16

This paper delves into the realm of art therapy, offering tentative evidence of the effectiveness of reading in anorexia nervosa (AN) recovery based on an analysis rooted in three theoretical frameworks: cognitive literary criticism, space studies and the perspective of care. In the first part, AN is discussed as a spatial disorder and one which compromises practices of care. The second part
of the paper explores narrative transportation theory, a cognitive literary studies paradigm that explores the various psychological effects of reading, and on mental imagery, a concept that focuses on the mental effects of descriptions and imagery in books. By drawing on research from these spheres, this theoretical framework serves as a valuable lens to frame the third part of the paper, which addresses the pivotal role played by reading in Laura Freeman’s journey toward overcoming anorexia, as depicted in her autobiographical work The Reading Cure: How Books Restored my Appetite (2018). In particular, the
study offers a close reading of some of the narratives Freeman addresses in her work, meaning the fiction and non-fiction texts she found inspiring, which exclude poetry and drama, and which stimulated her appetite through vivid descriptions of food.

Metempsychosis and Individual Identity in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat"

Anna Michelle Sabatini — 2024-12-16

Pythagoras and Empedocles are not generally believed to have left an indelible imprint on Edgar Allan Poe’s oeuvre, despite the direct allusion to each of these Presocratic thinkers in the poet’s writings. It is also quite remarkable that “The Black Cat” (1843) has not typically been considered a tale of metempsychosis, even though this motif is clearly present in the story. Moreover, the fact that Poe allows transference to occur from one cat to another hints at his acceptance of the contentious Pythagorean premise that the transmigration of souls is not restricted to the human body. In addition, while a number of scholars have acknowledged the ambivalent nature of the daemon in other works by Poe, most studies of “The Black Cat” portray it as an unequivocally dark and malevolent entity. In contrast, this article conceives of the daemon as an ambiguous being that reemerges in feline form to inflict punishment on the protagonist for his vile acts. In this disturbing narrative, Poe once again explores a question that haunted him throughout his life —namely, whether individual identity can survive bodily death.

Static and Kinetic Utopianism in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower

Lucía Ramírez García — 2024-12-16

Dystopian worlds are filled with inequalities, oppression and authoritarian regimes. They are cautionary tales that warn about potential dangers. And yet, it is also possible to find positive attitudes and insubordinate characters who fight back through the utopian wish, such as the case of Lauren Olamina. This utopianism yearns for better worlds, free of injustices. This paper focuses on Octavia Butler’s
Parable of the Sower (1993) and the confrontation of two utopianisms, static and kinetic, through religion. Kinetic utopianism, represented by Lauren and Earthseed, advocates for change and adaptability. In contrast, static utopianism, represented by Lauren’s father and the Baptist religion, focuses on traditional values, and shows reticence towards change. This novel does not intend to condemn any belief system, but to explore the impact that these two utopianisms have on a particular society. The article concludes that the kinetic utopianism of Lauren and Earthseed makes possible the change that she wants in the world through adaptability and progress. On the other hand, the refusal of change and adaptation that characterises static utopianism ultimately leads to its own
disappearance.

Reading Martin Amis’s Recreation of the Perpetrator’s Gaze in The Zone of Interest

Aída Díaz Bild — 2024-12-16

The Zone of Interest is a historical novel set in Auschwitz in the months from August 1942 to April 1943, and which belongs to the category of perpetrator fiction. This
article centres on the character of Paul Doll, the camp commandant, who represents the banality of evil and, through whose voice Amis gives the readers a sharp picture
of the abominations committed by the Nazis, while he recounts the causes and devastating consequences of the perpetrators’ actions. By transforming Doll into a buffoon, Amis offers a different perspective on the Holocaust and makes the reader realise that those responsible for the worst crimes were neither monsters nor exceptional human beings, but normal, vulnerable people who had the fate of millions of Jews in their hands.

An Education for (Future) Health `Professionals and Literary Scholars: Audre Lorde's The Cancer Journals and Marisa Marchetto's Cancer Vixen

Francisco José Cortés Vieco — 2024-12-16

Life-writing on breast cancer vindicates women’s health rights, but, as this article demonstrates, the autopathographies Cancer Journals (1980) by Audre Lorde
and Cancer Vixen (2006) by Marisa Marchetto also have the potential to teach lessons to (future) health professionals and scholars in literary studies, so that they can, respectively, improve their interactions with patients and understand the therapeutic power of illness narratives to emotionally heal their authors and intended female readers. Lorde uses the weapon of anger both to criticize how cancer patients are dehumanized by the often-insensitive medical profession and to proudly assert her post-mastectomy identity as a one-breasted warrior.
Meanwhile, Marchetto opts for humor to describe her eleven-month war against breast cancer and its associated complications: her lack of health insurance to treat her illness and her fear of losing her fiancé. Yet, as this article examines, Cancer Vixen shows the illuminating power of graphic medicine as a breakthrough narrative form, to mitigate the antagonism between doctors and cancer patients, while enhancing literary scholars’ and health professionals’ empathic understanding of patients’ personal stories of illness beyond clinical and hospital
encounters.

Shadowing Femi(ni)cide, Madness and the Politics of Female Control in Louisa May Alcott's "A Whisper in the Dark"

Beatrice Melodia Festa — 2024-12-16

The term ‘femicide’ entered public discourse only in the late 1970s, when feminist critic Diana Russell used the term to bring attention to male violence and discrimination against women. This article intends to re-examine the
representation of femicide through Louisa May Alcott’s short story “A Whisper in the Dark” (1865) in light of studies on femicide and female violence. Drawing from Russell’s definition of femicide, its theoretical approach and multiple
redefinitions, the article proceeds by exploring Alcott’s depiction of femicide in the text. After a preliminary discussion, I critically examine Alcott’s short story
in light of studies on femicide by placing the text within American female Gothic fiction. Afterwards, I will demonstrate how femicide in the tale is based upon an
interplay of three main tropes: wrongful confinement, the threshold and madness, all of which are themes that Alcott develops with astonishing topicality and which underscores the importance of the tale as an example of female abuse
and domestic violence, a phenomenon that has improved considerably all over the world in recent years. I conclude by showing how Alcott illustrates the politics of female control and offers an example of femicide long before the term was ever used.

Endophoric Signposting: A Contrastive Study of Textual References in L2 Czech Master's Theses and Native English Academic Writing

Lahodová Vališová Marie — 2024-12-16

The aim of this study is to contribute to cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary discourse analysis, shedding light on English L2 learners’ metadiscursive practices. Focusing on a specialised learner corpus of English-medium Master’s theses written by Czech university students, the research explores the occurrence of endophoric markers and their characteristics. To enable cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparison, a reference corpus of representative L1 English academic discourse was compiled. A new taxonomy used here, which draws on Hyland’s list of endophoric markers (2005) and an extensive literature review, categorises endophoric markers into three groups: purely directional, markers using specific words, and a category combining the first two. The study investigates the occurrence and function of these markers, focusing on anaphoric, cataphoric, and non-directional references. It also aims to identify differences in the usage of endophoric markers in English between L2 novice writers and experienced L1 academic writers, providing insights into trends and patterns in the employment of endophoric markers in academic writing in a way that accounts for disciplinary and linguistic factors. The results reveal higher endophoric marker frequencies in the Master’s Thesis Corpus, suggesting distinctive discourse patterns among Czech learners using English as an L2, with a predominance of specific endophoric markers and notable cross-disciplinary variation.

‘Feedback Means the World to Me’: Constructing Proximity in Canon Compliant Fanfiction

Katarzyna Matlas — 2024-12-16

This paper examines the linguistic strategies used to create proximity within the online fandom community. The study applies close reading techniques to analyse three works of fanfiction belonging to a canon-compliant subgenre. It explores how authors from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds establish a relationship with their readers by demonstrating their affiliation with fandom (proximity of membership) and dedication to the source material (proximity of commitment). To investigate these techniques, the study employs the model of proximity defined by Hyland (2010), extended by the findings of Suau-Jiménez (2019, 2020). The analysis includes both the main text and the metatext, revealing similarities in the techniques used by the authors to establish proximity through organisation, argument, credibility, stance and engagement.

A Corpus Study of Brexit Political Discourse: Exploring Modality through Lexical Modals

Encarnación Almazán Ruiz — 2024-12-16

This paper aims to analyse the lexical modals used in the political speeches given by Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn during the final months of the Brexit process. This study explores whether lexical choice shows the politicians’ commitment to their constituents, particularly to determine which lexical modals each politician uses and which semantic implication(s) these modals convey. The study is descriptive-interpretative and uses the corpus-assisted discourse studies approach. It contributes to research on modality in the English language by examining parts of speech other than (semi)auxiliary modal verbs. As the corpus analysis shows, lexical modals are a prominent resource employed by politicians to present facts to their audience.

Verbal and Non-verbal Realizations of Persuasive Strategies in Video Resumes

María Ángeles Mestre-Segarra — 2024-12-16

With the rapid shift from print to digital modes of communication, new genres have emerged. One example is the video resume (VR). This novel professional digital genre enables job seekers to enhance their visibility and connect with broader audiences through various semiotic modes. The VR has a clear communicative aim based on a strong persuasive component: to secure a job by convincing the audience of their qualities. The premise of this paper is that VRs are not only informative but also inherently persuasive. Accordingly, the study aim is to explore the use of multimodal semiotic modes as a way of realizing persuasive strategies (i.e. attention-getting, anticipation and control of responses, rapport, emphasis and processing aids). The methodological approach uses video-based analysis and computer-aided multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) to analyze a dataset of 8 VRs from the online platform YouTube, considering the following criteria: limited duration, impact, year uploaded and editing. The results suggest that verbal and non-verbal realizations of persuasive strategies are present in the fragments analyzed, and such strategies are encoded by heterogeneous combinations of semiotic modes. Although the strategies and modes are not always consistent, they contribute to achieving the communicative purpose of the genre. As for pedagogical implications, this genre and its features can be incorporated into English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching materials, enhancing learners’ persuasive strategies and developing their multimodal communicative competence.