Academic literature on the topic 'Emperors – Fiction'

What is the meaning of the “Europe” and the idea of unity? For when did a “united” Europe exist? Back when German emperors ineffectively tried to enforce their rule on a territory which was none too large anyway? Or when they were entangled in a dispute with the papacy? Or during the crusades against the Catharists? Or maybe during the Reformation or during the French Revolution when new coalitions of opponents arose? During the Napoleonic Wars which in themselves pay testimony to ruptures and conflicts? The 20th century alone brought two wars. The first already signified, as Jan Patocka once declared, the suicide of Europe. Perhaps, then, Europe does not exist at all anymore? Maybe the politicians’ visions are less than credible? There is no doubt that the idea of a united Europe is a project which affirms the great, creative power of the imagination. Modernity has given birth to very strong temptations which glorify the imagination.

This article reads the two Spanish versions of the Flores romance as ideologically embedded in the conflict and contact between Christians and Muslims in medieval Iberia, as well as after the "Reconquista" of 1492 and the subsequent renegotiation of Spanish-Morisco relations. It argues that the printed version of the romance, published in 1512 and frequently reprinted, imagines a fictional resolution to the problem of the Moriscos' socio-political status by making its Morisco protagonist an emperor of Rome. It contrasts this successful fiction with a failed contemporary forgery that had a similar goal: the Lead Books of Granada.

The object of the study is early Christian apologetics as a socio-cultural phenomenon. In modern science, the issue related to the audience of early Christian apologies is actively discussed. A number of apologies of the second century, as is known, are addressed directly to the rulers of the Roman Empire themselves. But is such an addressee genuine? Or is there a masterfully executed literary stylization in front of us? The subject of our research is the apology of Aristide. Aristide, according to ancient church historians, was the first apologist of Christianity who submitted his work to the Emperor Hadrian. However, the Syriac translation of the apology indicates the Emperor Antoninus Pius as the addressee. Thus, we are faced with two questions: 1) which of the two emperors was the addressee in the original apology; 2) is the imperial addressee real or is he a literary fiction? In the course of the study, the author came to the following conclusions. Firstly, we have no reason to prefer the Syriac version of the apology to all the data of the church-historical tradition. This data is confirmed by the Armenian translation of the apology. It should also be pointed out that the Syrian addressee contains a number of errors and resembles, rather, a later interpolation. Secondly, the content of the apology convinces that it is designed for an educated pagan, and not for a Christian. And there is every reason to believe that the Emperor Hadrian really acted as such an addressee. At the same time, it should be noted that the apology does not represent an official petition addressed to the emperor, we have before us a literary work written in the protreptic genre.

Abstract This paper examines the reactions to the trauma of the Ming-Qing dynastic transition in the novellas of a writer known only as “Xiaoxiang mijinduzhe” (The Hazy Crossing Ferryman of Xiaoxiang). His works provide an informative contrast to the more celebrated loyalist literature of the same era: they express unease at foreign rule but do not show an idealistic loyalism to the Ming. Though the Yongle period (1402–1424) of the Ming is held up as a lost golden age, the post-Yongle Ming dynasty is portrayed as an era of corruption and chaos, presided over by incompetent and/or dissolute emperors. The novellas also reflect on the lessons of the transition on a deeper level, questioning the long-standing cultural preference for the civil arts over the martial arts. While the novellas acknowledge the poignancy of the passing of an era, they also strike hopeful notes for the future under the Qing.

AbstractThis brief response to the essays by Darrell Bock, Craig Keener, and Robert Webb unfolds in three parts. First, I maintain that arguments about the historical Jesus can be productive only among those who already agree on a number of contested questions about historiographical method and the nature of the Gospels. Therefore, debates about the historical Jesus that occur between the 'evangelical' camp (which sees the canonical Gospels as fully reliable historically) and the 'traditional' camp (which sees the Gospels as blends of fact and fiction) are futile. Second, I propose a thought experiment designed to test our historical assessment of ancient biographies that portray their hero like the Gospels portray Jesus. I argue that the results of this experiment undermine Keener's conclusion that the historical reliability of the Gospels should be regarded as equal to that of ancient biographies of Roman emperors. Third, I pose the question of whether the methodological naturalism proposed by Webb allows us to conclude that events reported in the Gospels are unhistorical. I argue that either answer to that question reduces the appeal of methodological naturalism for historical-Jesus scholars.

In the late sixteenth century, thriving private maritime trade brought forth maritime trouble to the late Ming state. In times of rampant “Japanese” piracy and Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea, Chinese literati composed unofficial histories and vernacular fiction on China’s foreign relations. Among them, Yan Congjian 嚴從簡 wrote Shuyu zhouzi lu 殊域周咨錄 (Records of Surrounding Strange Realms) (1574), He Qiaoyuan 何喬遠 compiled Wang Xiangji 王享記 (Records of the Emperors’ Tributes) (1597–1620), Luo Yuejiong 羅曰褧 penned Xianbin lu 咸賓錄 (Records of Tributary Guests) (1597), and Luo Maodeng 羅懋登 composed a vernacular novel Sanbao taijian xiyangji tongsu yanyi 三寶太監西洋記通俗演義 (Vernacular Romance of Eunuch Sanbao’s Voyages on the Indian Ocean) (1598). This article examines how the imminent maritime realities reminded the late Ming authors of one cross-border war and two genocides in Java and Sanfoqi during Yuan and early and mid-Ming times. These transgressions that violated Chinese official tributary order became memorable and made Sino-Java relations a definite point of comparison for the late Ming maritime piracy problems. This article argues that the cultural memory of Sino-Java military and diplomatic exchange enabled the authors to lament and condemn the executed pirates Wang Zhi and Chen Zuyi. The four authors imbue their narratives with personal anxieties and nationalistic sentiments. While the historical narratives tend to moralize and idealize China’s tributary world order, the vernacular fiction paints a more realistic picture of the late Ming state by involving heterogeneous voices of the “other.” Collectively, the four narratives represent various images of the Ming Empire, revealing the authors’ deep apprehension of the Mings’ identity, their political criticism of the state, and their divergent and even self-conflicted views toward maritime commerce, immigrants, and people of different races.

Everybody must have heard the Andersen’s tale The Emperor’s new clothes. It tells about a vain Emperor who would get new and more elegant clothes made all the time. One day, two adept impostors visited the Emperor, declared themselves accomplished weavers and offered to craft a new suit for His Majesty with a textiles with the magical property of being invisible to those not at the height of their own charge or else unforgivably stupid. The weavers received the assignment and wove throughout the days before the parade that was organized to display the new garment. They pretended to weave on an empty loom and worked with such an ability that none of the Emperor’s civil employees, who were asked to supervise the job of the weavers, had the courage to admit that they could not see anything at all. Meanwhile, the news about the special properties of the burlap spread throughout the Empire. On the parade day, the Emperor wore his new invisible dress and exited the parade. There was not a soul who did not praise the beauty of the new dress. Everyone but a child who, unaware of the deceit, said: “the King is naked!” The trick was revealed but, despite that, the Emperor stood up forthrightly dissimulating the shame. Is this not a perfect example of how ideology works, that is, of how the socio-symbolic web is not at all based on facts but rather on predetermined symbolic fictions? The purpose of this essay is to analyse ideological mechanisms in relation to subjective fantasy. Andersen’s tale, presents in parodist form both the fact that, through the working of symbolic adjustments, we always have a pre-understanding of reality, and the fact that such reality has an intrinsically perverse and cynical core. In fact, even when the deceit is revealed, we keep acting as if this order were already effective.

В статье представлена рецензия на монографию Я.В. Драйверса The Forgotten Reign of the Emperor Jovian (363–364): History and Fiction. Отмечается методологическая новизна подхода автора и противоречивость некоторых суждений и выводов. This article presents a review of The Forgotten Reign of the Emperor Jovian(363–364): History and Fiction by J.W. Drijvers. It emphasizes both the methodological novelty of his approaches and the controversial nature of some of his judgments and conclusions.

In Jewang Ungi, the founding years and overall durations of all mentioned dynasties are provided. Particularly, for prehistoric myths and legends such as Pan Gu(盤古), Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors(三皇五帝), Dangun(檀君), and Kija(箕子), specific years are included. Furthermore, this section presents references to support these years. The inclusion of years serves the purpose of establishing a clear timeline of historical dynasties and enhancing the credibility of the work. By presenting references from myths, legends, and the field of ancient history, the author aims to demonstrate that Jewang Ungi is not a work of fiction but rather a means to increase its authenticity and reliability, especially in the realms of myths, legends, and ancient history. In the context of ancient Korean history, Jewang Ungi introduces several new elements not found in other historical texts. It primarily focuses on the founding myths of Gojoseon(古朝鮮) and the transfer of power in the King Jun(準王) tradition, offering a fresh perspective on historical recognition. Additionally, Jewang Ungi presents new information regarding the Three Han Kingdoms(三韓), Koguryo(高句麗), Baekje(百濟), and Balhae(渤海) that is not found in the Samguk Sagi(三國史記) and Samguk Yusa(三國遺事). These unique contents suggest a significant difference from our present-day sources and thus add value to Jewang Ungi as historical documentation. In Jewang Ungi, specifically the section on Chinese history, the legitimacy of various Chinese dynasties is determined. Yi Seunghyu's theory of legitimacy emphasized the prevailing reality while also acknowledging the significance of Chinese culture and civilization. This perspective was shaped by the historical context of that time and the experiences Yi Seunghyu went through in his life. Jewang Ungi consistently emphasized the guiding Principles of Confucius in writing the Annals(春秋筆法), which was a shared principle among the officials and literati of the Goryeo period. Yi Seunghyu, as a scholar himself, approached Jewang Ungi from a Confucian scholarly standpoint. However, it is insufficient to summarize his historical perspective based solely on Confucian ideology. Considering the openness and diversity of Goryeo society and its intellectual discourse, it is more appropriate to recognize Yi Seunghyu's historical perspective as one characterized by flexible inclusiveness and plurality.

In his 1989 article entitled “Apologetic Literature and Ambassadorial Activities,” William R. Schoedel considers “aspects of the form of apologetic literature in the early church and Judaism.” More specifically, he attempts to discover possible models for the literary character of the Christian apologies, and in particular theEmbassyof Athenagoras, in the various kinds of addresses that ambassadors delivered before the emperor when presenting appeals and requests. Examples of such addresses include the ambassadorial speech discussed by the third-century rhetorician Menander Rhetor, the legal oration as exemplified by Philostratus in his treatment of the trial of Apollonius of Tyana, and the imperiallibellusor petition. Schoedel draws two clear conclusions from this investigation. The first is that the literary form of Athenagoras'sEmbassyis an “apologetically grounded petition,” that is, a “mixed form that as such appears to have no real precedent in the Greco-Roman literary tradition.” The second is that “there is good reason to think that [it] was written to be presented to the emperor or delivered before him.” The present article will explore the ideas and arguments that led Schoedel to each of his conclusions and will offer an alternative interpretation of the evidence in each case.

Este trabalho aborda a tradução, do português brasileiro para o inglês estadunidense, de itens culturais-específicos – entendidos como palavras ou expressões que, em um contexto, devido à falta de correspondentes precisos na língua-alvo, podem causar problemas de tradução – a partir de um estudo de caso: o livro-reportagem “1808: como uma rainha louca, um príncipe medroso e uma corte corrupta enganaram Napoleão e mudaram a História de Portugal e do Brasil”, de Laurentino Gomes. A pesquisa tem como objetivo principal a análise das escolhas tradutórias para os itens culturais-específicos presentes na obra em português. A motivação deste trabalho deve-se à necessidade de refletir sobre o papel da tradução de informações sobre a história e a cultura de um país. A obra “1808” discorre, de um modo acessível, sobre a época da vinda da corte portuguesa ao Brasil. O referencial teórico se baseia, entre outros, em Hurtado Albir (2011), que considera que não só o conhecimento sobre o público, mas também sobre o gênero textual e sobre a finalidade da tradução são fatores que um tradutor deve considerar no processo tradutório, e em Christiane Nord (2016), que enfatiza a importância da função textual, para o estudo referente à visão de tradução adotada. Adotou-se, neste trabalho, o conceito de itens culturais-específicos de Franco Aixelá (2013). Apresentaram-se também as estratégias de tradução de Franco Aixelá (2013), em comparação a técnicas de tradução de Hurtado Albir (2011), e as categorias culturais de Espindola (2005), consideradas para a análise. Quanto aos passos metodológicos, levantaram-se inicialmente candidatos a item cultural-específico. Após, separaram-se os candidatos por categorias culturais (dezesseis ao todo), levantaram-se as traduções dos candidatos e, por fim, filtraram-se os candidatos para a obtenção dos itens culturais-específicos em si. A partir disso, consideraram-se, principalmente, as estratégias de tradução propostas por Franco Aixelá (2013) para a classificação das escolhas tradutórias observadas. Quando estas não foram consideradas suficientes, utilizaram-se as técnicas de Hurtado Albir (2011) para a classificação. Franco Aixelá (2013) separa suas estratégias por estratégias de conservação e estratégias de substituição. Na análise, constatou-se um maior número de estratégias de conservação (245 vezes) em relação às de substituição (113 vezes) – além disso, classificaram-se duas escolhas como técnicas de Hurtado Albir (2011) –, porém concluiu-se que esse resultado não indica necessariamente que a tradução não tenha um caráter didático ou acessível, pois, em muitos momentos, essas escolhas tradutórias apresentam elementos que propiciam a aproximação do texto com a cultura alvo.
This study deals with the translation, from Brazilian Portuguese to American English, of culture-specific items – known as words or expressions that, in a context, due to the lack of precise correspondents in the target language, can cause translation problems – through a case study: the non-fiction book “1808: como uma rainha louca, um príncipe medroso e uma corte corrupta enganaram Napoleão e mudaram a História de Portugal e do Brasil”, by Laurentino Gomes. The main objective of the study is the analysis of the translation choices for culturespecific items in the source text. The motivation for this work comes from the necessity of reflecting on the role of translation of information about the history and the culture of a country. The book “1808” portrays, in an accessible way, the time of the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil. The theoretical framework is based, among others, on Hurtado Albir (2011), who considers that not only the knowledge about the audience, but also about the literary genre and the purpose of the translation are factors which a translator must consider in the translation process, and Christiane Nord (2016), who emphasizes the importance of the literary function, for the study of the adopted vision of translation. In this study, Franco Aixelá’s (2013) concept of culture-specific items was adopted. The strategies of translation of Franco Aixelá (2013), in comparison with the translation techniques of Hurtado Albir (2011), and the cultural categories of Espindola (2005), which were taken into consideration for the analysis, were also presented. Regarding the methodological steps, initially, prospective culture-specific items were identified. Then, the candidates were sorted through cultural categories (sixteen in total), the translations of the candidates were collected and, finally, the candidates were filtered for the obtention of the culture-specific items. From this, the translation strategies proposed by Franco Aixelá (2013) were primarily considered for the classification of the translation choices analyzed in this study. When the concept of Franco Aixelá (2013) could not comprise our analysis, Hurtado Albir’s (2011) translation techniques were used to categorize the translations. Franco Aixelá (2013) separates his strategies into strategies of conservation and strategies of substitution. In the analysis, a larger number of strategies of conservation was found (245 times) in comparison to strategies of substitution (113 times) – in addition to that, two choices were categorized as techniques of Hurtado Albir (2011) –, however, it was possible to conclude that this result is not necessarily an indication that the translation does not show a didactic or accessible nature, because, in many moments, these translation choices present elements that enable the approximation of the text to the target-culture.

The focus of this dissertation is Frank Herbert‘s use of messiahs and martyrs in selected novels of the Dune Chronicles. I make connections with Herbert‘s studies, inspirations and background to his treatment of religion, establishing the translation of these ideas in the texts. To identify and study every aspect of religion in the series is impossible; however, I will include other features that I deem important to my understanding of the religious theme in these texts. I intend to scrutinize these novels to find evidence of Herbert‘s claim that he studied religion at great length. I will also observe Herbert‘s attitude to and engagement with religion in the Dune Chronicles
English Studies
M.A. (English Studies)

This chapter explores the reception of the empress Plotina in three texts from three literary traditions within the Roman Empire: the Acta Hermaisci, the Talmud, and Apuleius’ Metamorphoses. It argues that the Plotina character we see in these texts is based on an idea of the Roman empress’ ability to influence the emperor to the detriment of provincial groups. This ‘plotting Plotina’ figure is the opposite of the official ideal found in Pliny’s Panegyricus and may develop the suspicion we see in Roman historical texts that Plotina exercised improper influence on Hadrian’s succession. Indeed, the motherhood of the ‘plotting Plotina’ character may respond to the problematic childlessness of the real empress. In addition to exploring how provincial texts fictionalized a historical woman to articulate the powerlessness of being a Roman subject, this chapter provides an example of how one theme could be deployed in texts from different cultures written in the same empire. It thus offers a perspective on how a broad understanding of ‘imperial literature’ can inform our knowledge of connections between the literary cultures that coexisted under Roman rule.

Abstract This book consists of a series of case studies examining the representation of Roman emperors across more than two thousand years of history from antiquity to the present. The case studies cover a range of different texts, media, and contexts, ranging from histories, coins, and statues of the Roman imperial period to twentieth-century novels and museum exhibitions. This introductory chapter sets out the methodological and theoretical frameworks for the case studies and the volume as a whole. It first examines the mechanics of representation and theories of classical reception before exploring several key themes: the relationship between history and fiction; the rhetoric and creativity of images; the transmission of the Roman past; and the representation of Rome in imperialistic contexts.

This chapter discusses the genre and context of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). It begins by tracing the emergence of science fiction in literature and in cinema. The chapter then looks at how film serials popularised pulp science-fiction cinema in the form of rocketships, ray guns, alien invaders, evil intergalactic emperors, and damsels in distress. One can see them as the inspiration for the likes of Star Wars and the myriad superhero blockbuster movies that continue to dominate Hollywood today. In 1968, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey returned science fiction to its origins in Greek mythology. It is perhaps the first example of ‘transcendent’ science-fiction cinema, exploring the human need to place trust in a force larger than ourselves. In the early 1970s, science-fiction films were more overtly concerned with identity and environment, and how both were increasingly shaped or misshapen by technology. Meanwhile, post-9/11 has seen a move towards intelligent science fiction as a bankable commodity within Hollywood. Part of the genre's continuing appeal is, of course, the showcasing of state-of-the-art cinema technology within the sci-fi narrative. Special-effects technology has evolved in line with cinema's own development.

Abstract Unlike their most famous nineteenth-century counterparts, in which the protagonists are fictional, many of the most distinguished ‘Roman’ historical novels of the twentieth century centre on Roman emperors or closely related figures. This chapter explores two notable examples, both written in the United States in the period after the Second World War: Thornton Wilder’s The Ides of March (1948) and John Williams’s Augustus (1972). Unusually cast in a documentary mode that reflects but goes beyond the tradition of the epistolary novel, both works present a broad range of predominantly fictional material, mimicking the manner of a historical sourcebook. Highlighting the challenges delivered by the form, content, and arrangement of these novels to our understanding of (Roman) history and particularly to notions of historicity and fictionality, the chapter examines their representations of Julius Caesar in the last seven months of his life (Wilder) and Augustus over a period of almost sixty years (Williams). Together, it is argued, the novels offer a varied set of perspectives on the central theme of power and, in their common recognition that nothing can be known for certain, present an essentially anti-teleological view of history, emerging less as instances of historical storytelling than as vehicles for philosophical exploration.

Abstract The Khan’s famous utterance actually may have lost some of its sting in the translation-probably by design, in order to make it more palatable for sensitive Westerners. Such likely cleansing seems duly corrected, however, by contemporary fiction. Events that accord with the barbarian’s formula for the grandest of bliss have become mainstream entertainment in the so-called free world. They are laid open and featured in the raw, with pains taken to depict the cruelest of cruelties and the goriest of gore, along with the most profane linguistic concoctions imaginable. Granted that most modern storytelling still clings to protagonists who have retained some moral inhibitions and even pursue the common good to a degree, the blockbuster success stories tend to present barbarous villains who, like ancient emperors, see no wrong in vanquishing those who get in their way, as well as in taking possession of whatever those others cherish, including their lovers and loved ones.