About the Journal
University of Bucharest Review was founded in 1999 and has been a constant presence on the Romanian academic scene ever since. Over the years, we have published issues bearing such diverse titles as Fictions of Nature, Genres and Historicity, Durability and Transience, Writing the Self, or Modernity: The Crisis of Value and Judgment which include papers focusing on various topics from the fields of critical theory, literary criticism, social anthropology, British, American and Canadian cultural studies, translatology, comparative literature, the study of nationalism and postcommunism.
We have always encouraged all contributors to approach these topics in an unbiased and open manner, so that their papers would reflect the current controversies on the role of literature in the humanities and in society at large, the contentious relationship between cultural theory and cultural practice, the unstable balance between centre and margin, the elusive nature of truth, the fluctuations of cultural identities, norms and values in today’s world, regarded both as a global village and as a cluster of competing local cultures.
The journal’s originality lies primarily in the following cherished values: 1. inclusiveness: open to both literature-centered, and culture-centered scholarship, both theory, and practice/ applied analysis, and coverage of the entire English-speaking space; 2. pluralism: no theoretical or ideological partisanship, pooling scholars from all areas of the world, all national and academic cultures; open-minded engaging of contentious subjects; 3. extended cultural discourse studies: screening the entire field of applicability for the notion of discourse and discourse studies as a suprasegmental concept, meant to bring together under the same umbrella critical theories, literary criticism, social anthropology, British, American and Canadian cultural studies, translation theories, comparative literature, as well as the study of nationalism and post-communism, visual culture and performance arts.
UBR publishes two issues at the end of each calendar year.
Current Issue
The journal’s originality lies primarily in the following cherished values: 1. inclusiveness: open to both literature-centered, and culture-centered scholarship, both theory, and practice/ applied analysis, and coverage of the entire English-speaking space; 2. pluralism: no theoretical or ideological partisanship, pooling scholars from all areas of the world, all national and academic cultures; open-minded engaging of contentious subjects; 3. extended cultural discourse studies: screening the entire field of applicability for the notion of discourse and discourse studies as a suprasegmental concept, meant to bring together under the same umbrella critical theories, literary criticism, social anthropology, British, American and Canadian cultural studies, translation theories, comparative literature, as well as the study of nationalism and post-communism, visual culture and performance arts.
Full Issue
Articles
-
R. K. Narayan’s (Post-)Colonial Perspective: Malgudi in Its Humour
Abstract
R. K. Narayan (1906-2001) is considered one of the founding fathers of Indian writing in English, along with Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and G.V. Desani, and is best known for creating the imaginary town of Malgudi. Another important feature of his fiction is what both critics and readers call a gentle or light-hearted humour. Humour has often been used to both subvert and survive various forms of political oppression (see Ştefănescu, Tripathi and Chettri). In Narayan, Malgudi, the centre of the action, is both a colonial and a post-colonial town, created and recreated over years and even decades. Since Malgudi can be considered a metonymy of India (see Mukherjee), Narayan’s use of humour as a subversive device, together with his skilful examination of the cultural and colonial context, can be perceived as a poignant criticism of the British colonial system and what it entailed, specifically the suppression of what constitutes ‘Indianness’, the Indian way of life and cultural values. On the other hand, the light-hearted and subversive irony allows Narayan to offer a more profound insight into the human nature as such, while juxtaposing a colonial and post-colonial context.
-
Who has the Last Word? The Dead and their Lively Humour in Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s Cré na Cille
Abstract
All the characters in Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s novel are dead people, but they continue to speak as if they were still alive, and have not realized they are actually dead. Another paradox may be that although all of them are dead, none is really interested in death or its metaphysics. They go on with their earthly interests and spites, abusing and offending one another, spilling out secrets and shouting out loud. Speaking is the only thing they can still do while dead, and they take advantage of it: it is often quite difficult for the reader to understand whose voice it is in the general uproar. Gradually, voices become identifiable and attributable to characters: the reader learns to recognize them by the bad language they use, by certain quirks or by the expression of individual snobbery, pretence and hatred. By taking dead people as his characters, and faithfully recording their imagined speeches, Ó Cadhain re-imagines and refashions satire as a specific Irish genre. The speaking dead stand for the Gaelic rural communities whose language the political activist Ó Cadhain’s taught and promoted as the real repository of the idea of an Irish independent nation. The particular dialogic form of the novel, though seemingly experimental and difficult to comprehend, represents Ó Cadhain’s effort to establish democracy (lacking in the real post-independence Irish state), through the multiplicity of voice polyphony implies, at least at literary level.
-
Humour as Survival Strategy in Walter Scott’s Waverley, Rob Roy and Redgauntlet
Abstract
Humour will be shown to be present in a selection of novels by Walter Scott, as a strategy to temper hot spirits on the brink of violence and pre-empt conflict in the fictional societies. Despite the contagious effect spreading to the reader himself, this type of humour relies on paralogical hints, language inadequacy or language gaps, which the fictional audience as well as the reader has to fill in. In the process of solving the linguistic inaccuracies, the audience (both fictional and the reader) is forced to notice the deliberate violation of communication and look for meaning elsewhere. The distance between expected and discovered meaning is so great that a bout of laughter is the result, and fictional tensions are depleted of power. It is my claim that the humorous effect constantly brings the intuitive paralogic collapse of a logic which previously fostered conflict by coagulating opposing factions around powerful feelings and pathos.
-
Humour and Knowledge in Katherine Mansfield’s “The Daughters of the Late Colonel”
Abstract
In recent times, Bollywood comedies have evidenced a shift in their attitude and perspective towards body image. In earlier comedies, people of different physical appearances were stigmatized. That approach has changed of late and as a result, these movies now serve as powerful catalysts for positive change in society. This article offers an overview of the transformative role played by Bollywood comedy films in contributing to body positivity and promoting self-acceptance. Through an analysis of a selection of films such as Bala (2019), Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), and Gippi (2013), this study explores how these movies influence individuals’ perceptions, destigmatize identity, challenge stereotypes, and advocate for self-acceptance. This study also emphasizes the role of humour as a central element to engage audiences in sensitive discussions surrounding body image. In a nutshell, this research highlights the profound impact of comedy films on individuals and how these films reshape societal perceptions from body shaming to body acceptance.
-
Features of the Ironic Detective in Daniel Pennac’s novel The Scapegoat
Abstract
Ironic detective is a relatively new genre in literature. Its development dates back to the middle of the twentieth century and continues up to the present days. The final crystallization of the genre is taking place in our time. The works of Polish author Joanna Chmielewska became one of the first examples of ironic detective stories. However, the French literature of the twentieth century also has notable representatives of the genre. The present article examines the peculiarities of the irony functioning in the detective genre, in the context of the work of the popular modern French writer Daniel Pennac. We distinguish irony as a means of comic and as a principle of work organization, which is inherent in the genre of ironic detective. Consideration of the ironic detective is impossible without a brief analysis of the detective development stages as a whole, therefore, the article also deals with the genesis of the detective genre from the classic to the French novel-noir. The emphasis will rest on the peculiarities of the ironic detective’s development. Using D. Pennac’s novel The Scapegoat as an example (the French edition is called Au bonheur des ogres, originally published in 1985), the features of the genre, alongside their manifestations at the content and formal level are illustrated. The article focuses on the fact that naturalistic details, scenes of cruelty, evil and chaos, caused by the consequences of the Second World War, are weakened due to ironic characteristics, stereotypes, as well as the very attitudes of the author and the narrator towards the surrounding world. The research proves that the analysed genre is an artistic form of a panoramic view of the society of the 80s with its false ideals and its consumerism.
-
“Laughing in the Face of Patriarchy”: The Role of Gendered Humor in Mafalda by Quino
Abstract
Comics for children have a unique ability to entertain and educate young readers. Often dismissed as comical or unserious, comics are actually an important form of literature that can have a profound impact on children’s beliefs and values. This article will examine various approaches to feminist humor in the context of cultural studies in Mafalda, a popular Argentine comic strip that ran from 1964 to 1973, created by cartoonist Quino. The comic features a precocious and socially aware six-year-old girl named Mafalda, who frequently comments on politics, philosophy, and social issues, criticizing societal norms and structures. She constantly grapples with and questions the societal, political, and moral landscapes of her time, making astute observations that prompt readers to reflect on the complex world she is navigating. Beyond the humor and light-hearted exchanges, Mafalda emerges as a significant cultural text. It seamlessly intertwines entertainment with critical reflection, offering its audience not just a moment of leisurely reading but also compelling them to reckon with the profound questions and critiques articulated by its young protagonist. The use of humor in Mafalda not only serves as a form of critique but also empowers young girls and challenges the dominant gender narratives, because the comic employs gendered humor as a means of challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes. This article explores the role of humor in Mafalda, specifically in relation to gender and how it challenges gender norms and expectations, ultimately offering a new perspective on gender and power dynamics in comics and beyond.
-
Pathos as Narrative Glue: Marnie the Novel, Film, and Opera
Abstract
This article looks at several ways in which personal trauma is the source of pathos in the etymological sense of suffering and affliction, engendering social failure in Winston Graham’s novel Marnie. Likewise, the study strives to demonstrate that both the literary original and its cinematic and operatic remediations are sparked into emotional cohesion by the narrative glue of pathos. From the perspective of both psychoanalysis and adaptation studies, this article reaches the conclusion that the open ending of the three versions also involves the reader/spectator in the process of narration – as Aristotle discovered in anticipation of Jauss’s reception theory – and thus leaves it to them to decide whether healing from pathos can ever be reached by the protagonist
-
The Ethics and Aesthetics of Humour in Contemporary Transcultural Migration Narratives: Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life”, and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”
Abstract
The voice of the immigrant in Western societies is being heard in the first person in contemporary literature. Therefore, the experience of emigration is no longer or, at least, not necessarily told from the privileged perspective of the white man or woman. And the short story is being a recurrent favourite genre for sharing with readers the diverse causes that force a man or a woman to abandon his/her native land, as well as the conflicts that emerge in the countries of reception. Collections such as The Things I Would Tell You (2017) by Sabrina Mahfouz, or This Hostel Life (2018) by Melatu Uche Okorie, among many others, are offering interesting examples of transcultural renderings of the experience of migration. The purpose of the present contribution is to focus on the use of irony and humour as ethically committed strategies for deploying the possibilities as well as the limits of conviviality in contemporary societies. I study the representative examples of two stories, Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life” (included in the homonymous collection by the author), and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”, published in Mahfouz’s collective volume. These two stories are aesthetically brilliant instances of the ethical potential of humour when offering a transcultural view of contemporary migrations that overcomes the limitations of traditional multicultural and intercultural treatments of the topic.
