Month: August 2021

Further Reading  Chaudhuri, Amit, ed. Literary Activism. PerspectivesOxford University Press, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-1994-7498-1Literary Activism revisits and interrogates, and looks to renew, the force of the literary. It’s a movement that emerges from a radically altered landscape for both publishing and academia, where what Amit Chaudhuri calls ‘market activism’ has effected changes – on language, on… Continue reading 34.1 | Exposition

A Ball for the Refused: Struggle over Literary Freedom within the Dutch Literary Field We close this issue with our very own Marit van de Warenburgand Thomas van Gaalen, who discuss a case of literary activism in theNetherlands by reflecting on the schism between the Boekenbal (“Book Ball”), a high profile Dutch literary festival, and… Continue reading 34.1 | Marit van de Warenburg and Thomas van Gaalen

Veganism against Patriarchy: Non-Human Animal and Animalized Violence in The Vegetarian Deborah Schrijvers discusses another oppressive system in her article“Veganism against Patriarchy,” which posits that Han Kang’s novel The Vegetarian confronts the reader with a non-human gaze. This gaze, which Schrijvers conceptualizes through Emmanuel Levinasand Jacques Derrida, deconstructs the current dominant “patriarchalframework” and the oppression… Continue reading 34.1 | Deborah Schrijvers

The Moon is Flicts: Political and Queer Uses of Negativity in a Brazilian Picturebook Another take on the relationship between literature and politicalcriticism can be found in “The Moon is Flicts: Political and Queer Uses of Negativity in a Brazilian Picturebook.” In the article, Elisa M. F. Santos performs a queer reading of the first… Continue reading 34.1 | Elisa M.F. Santos

A Present Absence: Reading Redaction Poetry This article explores the disruptive affordances of reading erasure poetry and, more specifically, its redaction poetry subgenre. The article’s corpus is a multimedia selection that includes the headquarters of the National Security Agency of the United States (NSA), jayy dodd’s tweet “Inaugural Poem for [REDACTED],” Niina Pollari’s material poem… Continue reading 34.1 | Andy Zuliani

Interview | Literary Courage as a Roadmap to Activism: A Conversation with Kathy Kelly Closing our main section, Thalia Ostendorf and American pacifistand peace activist Kathy Kelly discuss the experiences and literaturethat shaped Kelly’s views as an activist in “Literary Courage as aRoadmap to Activism.” They address her experiences in Afghanistanand Iraq and the books… Continue reading 34.1 Thalia Ostendorf

“What’s the Point of Having a Voice If You’re Gonna Be Silent?”: Youth Activism in Young Adult Literature Sean P. Connors and Roberta Seelinger Trites also explore theconfrontation of ideas, although in literature aimed at a differentaudience, in “‘What’s the Point of Having a Voice If You’re GonnaBe Silent?’: Youth Activism in Young Adult Literature.”… Continue reading 34.1 | Sean P. Connors and Roberta Seelinger Trites

Disensus in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet Focusing on the potentially activist influence of contemporary literature, Odile Heynders’ “Dissensus in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet” asks the question “if (and how) the literary novel can be effective in today’s public spheres” (35). To answer this question, she uses the concept of “dissensus,” as conceived by the French… Continue reading 34.1 | Odile Heynders

“My Name is Peaches”: Literature, Lyrical Activism and Black Music Our first article is Rachel Gillett’s “My Name Is Peaches.” In thearticle, Gillett explores the way Black music dwells within the intersection between literature and activism, modeling how it can be analyzed in order to enrich our understanding of both poetic activity and disruptive force.… Continue reading 34.1 | Rachel Anne Gillett

Foreword There are times when the connection between literature and activismmight not seem self-evident. Activist demonstrations are often vigorous and direct, concerned with change, improvement and the fulfilment of demands. The social impact of literature, on the other hand, can be less apparent at first glance: frequently associated with the written language, it is inscribed… Continue reading 34.1 Claudia Vásquez-Caicedo and Maico Mariën