Πρόσφατα άρθρα

Discuss the portrayal and effects of loss in the poetry of Cavafy

My Mother's Sin and Other Stories A series of lectures on Modern Greek literature taught by Dr Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps This is a first class essay of one of my students, Jenny Wight, who took my course this year writing beautifully on the effects of loss in Cavafy's poetry.

Discuss the portrayal and effects of loss in the poetry of Cavafy

Theatricality, didacticism, prosaic verse, use of persons as symbols, contemplative mood, flashbacks are some of Cavafy’s recurring ‘tropes’. Discuss.

Within the vast poetry collection of Constantine Cavafy, arguably, a pattern of recurring tropes emerges, offering the readers an in depth understanding of what defines his artistry. The poems that I have chosen for this essay being Young Men of Sidon, Alexandrian Kings and Kaisarion, from his book The Collected poems. One might say that they serve as an example of Cavafy’s gravitation towards an array of literary devices such as theatricality, didacticism, prosaic verse, use of persons as symbols, contemplative mood and flashbacks, one might say that they create a narrative that extends beyond the individual poems, inviting us to explore the timeless themes captured by Cavafy.

Theatricality, didacticism, prosaic verse, use of persons as symbols, contemplative mood, flashbacks are some of Cavafy’s recurring ‘tropes’. Discuss.

How does Seferis’ mythical method interact with Greece’s lasting socio-political issues?

Seferis uses the mythical method in his poetry to allude to and comment upon social and political issues in Greece in his lifetime. Before discussing his poetry, it is important to define what is meant by Seferis’ mythical method. This method can be described as allusive, as although Seferis does make direct references to myth he does so in inventive ways, for example by using narrative space, symbols and characters to evoke Greek myths.

How does Seferis’ mythical method interact with Greece’s lasting socio-political issues?

Hyperion or the hermit in Greece

Concept, dramaturgy and performance by Dimitra Kreps

Hyperion or the hermit in Greece

«Examine how homoerotic love is expressed in Cavafy’s erotic poetry» By Yousuf Danawi, Reading University

This essay aims to examine the manner in which homoerotic love is expressed in Constantine Peter Cavafy’s erotic poetry.Initially, it will provide a brief introduction entailing contextual information. Subsequently, this essay will bestow an intricate analysis of his erotic poems, with a particular focus on elucidating recurrent themes pertaining tohomoerotic love. The analysis will explore both the formal and thematic constituents of Cavafy’s erotic poetry, accompanied by a pervading extraction of deeper meaning.This examination will be enhanced utilising relevant secondary literature. The primary source that consists of the poems to be discussed in this essay derives from a digital anthology that comprises Cavafy’s ‘Recognised’, ‘Denounced’, and ‘Hidden’ poems

 «Examine how homoerotic love is expressed in Cavafy’s erotic poetry» By Yousuf Danawi, Reading University

The form of Dramatic Monologue as perfected by Ritsos’ poetry.

Yannis Ritsos is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in contemporary Greek poetry. He managed to revolutionise the idea of a dramatic monologue and create not just beautiful poetry, but also a multifaceted art form that has depth on psychological, social, and philosophical levels throughout all of his publications. The dramatic monologue form was popularised by Victorian poets such as Robert Browning, but Ritsos revitalised it and many poets to this day still use his style as inspiration. His ability to construct identities and characters that the reader can genuinely sense and almost experience is skilful.

The form of Dramatic Monologue as perfected by Ritsos’ poetry.

Discuss the portrayal and effects of loss in the poetry of Cavafy

My Mother's Sin and Other Stories A series of lectures on Modern Greek literature taught by Dr Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps This is a first class essay of one of my students, Jenny Wight, who took my course this year writing beautifully on the effects of loss in Cavafy's poetry.

Discuss the portrayal and effects of loss in the poetry of Cavafy

Poetics and Histories: To What Extent Did C. P. Cavafy Alter Historical Narratives, and for What Artistic Purposes?

stuident Name: Joseph Watson Module Lecturer: Dr Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps Date of Submission: 11/01/2016

Poetics and Histories: To What Extent Did C. P. Cavafy Alter Historical Narratives, and for What Artistic Purposes?

In Ritsos’ Moonlight Sonata what sentiments does the woman’s confession provoke/inspire to you and how these compare to the ones felt by the young man who remains silent throughout her long monologue.

Yannis Ritsos' "Moonlight Sonata" is a poignant and emotionally charged poem that presents a deeply intimate monologue of a woman speaking to a silent young man. The setting is night, with the moonlight casting a dreamlike atmosphere over the scene. The woman's confession, filled with personal revelations, memories, and emotions, evokes a variety of sentiments in the reader and provokes a complex response.

In Ritsos’ Moonlight Sonata what sentiments does the woman’s confession provoke/inspire to you and how these compare to the ones felt by the young man who remains silent throughout her long monologue.

ἐξ ἐρίων δὴ καὶ κλωστήρων καὶ ἀτράκτων

This essay examines that metaphor in the context of the political and war situation at the time Lysistrata was first performed. It considers traditional gender roles in the fifth-century Greek polis and Lysistrata’s inversion of those roles in her weaving analogy. Aristophanes’ comedic purpose in the weaving speech, in Lysistrata as a whole, and more generally across his corpus is examined. In addition, some observations are made about the sound pattern of Lysistrata’s speech and, in a personal argument, a speculative suggestion is advanced that the audience might have associated her cadences with the familiar rhythms of a domestic weaving loom.

ἐξ ἐρίων δὴ καὶ κλωστήρων καὶ ἀτράκτων

Ελλάδα, ψυχανάλυση και μια σχετική πρόταση

Διαβάζοντας πρόσφατα τα best sellers στις στήλες βιβλιοκρισίας των ελληνικών εφημερίδων, σκέφτηκα ότι θα ήταν ενδιαφέρον να γίνει εδώ ανταλλαγή πληροφοριών σχετικά με τις προτιμήσεις του αναγνωστικού κοινού και σε άλλες χώρες. Όχι, δεν είμαι καθόλου υπέρ των best sellers, ούτε πιστεύω ότι οι υψηλές πωλήσεις συμβαδίζουν με την ποιότητα. Δείχνουν όμως τι απασχολεί την κοινωνία κάθε χώρας την συγκεκριμένη στιγμή, και οι ελληνικές σπουδές θα μπορούσαν να ωφεληθούν, ίσως και να …εκσυγχρονιστούν μέσα από ένα τέτοιο διάλογο. Η Ελλάδα πάντως διαβάζει ψυχανάλυση. Από τα πρώτα σε πωλήσεις, μαζί με το " Άρης, ο αρχηγός των ατάκτων", τα βιβλία του ψυχίατρου Irvin Yalom, από το τελευταίο του οποίου ("Ο δήμιος του έρωτα και άλλες ιστορίες ψυχοθεραπείας") αντιγράφω το εξής απόσπασμα: [size=9]Το πρώτο βήμα σε κάθε θεραπευτική αλλαγή είναι η ανάληψη ευθύνης. Αν δε νιώθεις καθόλου υπεύθυνος για τη μοίρα σου, τότε πώς να την αλλάξεις; Αυτή ακριβώς ήταν η κατάσταση με την Μπέττυ. Εξωτερίκευε εντελώς το πρόβλημα. Δεν ήταν εκείνη υπεύθυνη. Έφταιγε η μετάθεσή της στη δουλειά, ή η στείρα κουλτούρα της Καλιφόρνιας ή η απουσία πολιτιστικών εκδηλώσεων ή ο αθλητικός κοινωνικός περίγυρος ή η άθλια στάση της κοινωνίας απέναντι στους παχύσαρκους. Παρόλες τις έντονες προσπάθειές μου η Μπέττυ αρνιόταν ότι συμμετείχε προσωπικά στη διαμόρφωση της θλιβερής ζωής της.[/size] Τώρα τι σχέση έχουν αυτά τα ψυχαναλυτικά με τη δουλειά που κάνουμε; Έχουν και παραέχουν. Νομίζω ότι δημιουργούν δυνατότητες για διαφορετικές προσεγγίσεις ή αναγνώσεις π.χ. λογοτεχνικών κειμένων, καθώς και ένα εκρηκτικό υλικό για δημιουργική γραφή (ελληνική, ξένη ή ανάμεικτη) που στηρίζεται σε προσωπικές εμπειρίες και βιώματα. Πώς π.χ. θα προσεγγίζατε την ελληνική μεταπολεμική λογοτεχνία από την οπτική γωνία που προσφέρει το παραπάνω απόσπασμα; Και ποιες ά-δειες ή εναλλακτικές λύσεις θα δίνατε στους χαρακτήρες που είναι συνήθως εγκλωβισμένοι σε αδιέξοδες ή νοσηρές καταστάσεις και σχέσεις; Για τα best sellers ελληνικής λογοτεχνίας δε γράφω τίποτα γιατί, μπορεί να κάνω λάθος αλλά, μου φάνηκαν λίγο-πολύ ίδια. Κυριακή Φραντζή [size=9] [i]Επίμετρο για επιφυλακτικούς /ές[/i]:[/size] [size=9]Τα όνειρά σου μην τα λες, γιατί μια μέρα κρύα, μπορεί και οι φροϋδιστές, να ’ρθούν στη εξουσία… [/size]

© 2012 Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας - Πύλη για την Ελληνική Γλώσσα