Supernatural language in the works of Robert Browning

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Supernatural language in Robert Browning's works

Throughout his life Robert Browning was fascinated by the idea of language with supernatural power. Powerful, magical language appears in many of his poems and plays, as a model for perfect poetic language. This fascination manifests itself in his life-long interest in magicians and the language of magic, and in Hebrew, traditionally considered the original language, endowed with God's power. Supernatural language is characterised by an inherent connection between signified and signifier that is part of a divine scheme. It does not merely denote; it has an unexplainable and miraculous effect over people and objects in the world. I will explore three kinds of supernatural language in Browning's works; magic language, Hebrew as the original language, and the Word of God. Browning finds such language alluring, in spite of his rational objections to the ideas behind it. In the background there is the developing science of language and theories of supernatural language are being superseded by scientific descriptions of language as an arbitrary system of signs. The eighteenth and nineteenth century debate on the nature and the origin of language is reflected in Browning's works, and Browning's knowledge of this debate and his views on this issue are discussed in the introduction to my thesis. The first and second chapters are concerned with Browning's interest in magic language, and how it is related to his ideas on poetic language. The third and fourth chapters examine Browning's references to Hebrew and to the idea of the ineffable name. The sixth chapter explores the issue of the rift between the Word of God and the human word, and the seventh chapter delineates Browning's construction of the language of the Other: the primitive, the Arab, and the Jew

Should I Stay (Open) or Should I Close? World Legislatures during the First Wave of Covid-19

International audienceCovid-19 has shocked governance systems worldwide. Legislatures, in particular, have been shut down or limited due to the pandemic, yet with divergence from one country to another. In this article, we report results from a cross-sectional quantitative analysis of legislative activity during the initial reaction to this shock and identify the factors accounting for such variation. Exploring legislatures across 159 countries, we find no relation between the severity of Covid-19 and limitations on legislatures' operation, thus suggesting that legislatures are at risk of being shut down or limited due to policy "overreaction" and that a health risk may serve as an excuse for silencing them. However, we find that legislatures in democratic countries are relatively immune to this risk, while those in frail democracies are more exposed. In partially free countries, the use of technology can mitigate this risk. We also find that the coalitional features of the government may lead to legislatures' closing

ADHD and political participation: An observational study

Background and objective Over the past decade, researchers have been seeking to understand the consequences of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for different types of everyday behaviors. In this study, we investigated the associations between ADHD and political participation and attitudes, as ADHD may impede their active participation in the polity. Methods This observational study used data from an online panel studying the adult Jewish population in Israel, collected prior the national elections of April 2019 (N = 1369). ADHD symptoms were assessed using the 6-item Adult ADHD Self-Report (ASRS-6). Political participation (traditional and digital), news consumption habits, and attitudinal measures were assessed using structured questionnaires. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the association between ADHD symptoms (ASRS score Results 200 respondents (14.6%) screened positive for ADHD based on the ASRS-6. Our findings show that individuals with ADHD are more likely to participate in politics than individuals without ADHD symptoms (B = 0.303, SE = 0.10, p = .003). However, participants with ADHD are more likely to be passive consumers of news, waiting for current political news to reach them instead of actively searching for it (B = 0.172, SE = 0.60, p = .004). They are also more prone to support the idea of silencing other opinions (B = 0.226, SE = 0.10, p = .029). The findings hold when controlling for age, sex, level of education, income, political orientation, religiosity, and stimulant therapy for ADHD symptoms. Conclusions Overall, we find evidence that individuals with ADHD display a unique pattern of political activity, including greater participation and less tolerance of others’ views, but not necessarily showing greater active interest in politics. Our findings add to a growing body of literature that examines the impact of ADHD on different types of everyday behaviors

ADHD and political participation: An observational study.

Background and objectiveOver the past decade, researchers have been seeking to understand the consequences of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for different types of everyday behaviors. In this study, we investigated the associations between ADHD and political participation and attitudes, as ADHD may impede their active participation in the polity.MethodsThis observational study used data from an online panel studying the adult Jewish population in Israel, collected prior the national elections of April 2019 (N = 1369). ADHD symptoms were assessed using the 6-item Adult ADHD Self-Report (ASRS-6). Political participation (traditional and digital), news consumption habits, and attitudinal measures were assessed using structured questionnaires. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the association between ADHD symptoms (ASRS score Results200 respondents (14.6%) screened positive for ADHD based on the ASRS-6. Our findings show that individuals with ADHD are more likely to participate in politics than individuals without ADHD symptoms (B = 0.303, SE = 0.10, p = .003). However, participants with ADHD are more likely to be passive consumers of news, waiting for current political news to reach them instead of actively searching for it (B = 0.172, SE = 0.60, p = .004). They are also more prone to support the idea of silencing other opinions (B = 0.226, SE = 0.10, p = .029). The findings hold when controlling for age, sex, level of education, income, political orientation, religiosity, and stimulant therapy for ADHD symptoms.ConclusionsOverall, we find evidence that individuals with ADHD display a unique pattern of political activity, including greater participation and less tolerance of others' views, but not necessarily showing greater active interest in politics. Our findings add to a growing body of literature that examines the impact of ADHD on different types of everyday behaviors

Victorians: A Journal of Culture and Literature (Spring 2013)

Greetings from the Editor -- Missionary Travels: Muddying the Waters of Victorian Stereotypes / Mary Rosner -- Whitewashing Blackface Minstrelsy in Nineteenth-Century England: Female Banjo Players in Punch / Laura Vorachek -- "If He caught me here,/ O'erheard this speech": Audience, Performance, and Genre in Browning's "Caliban upon Setebos" / Veronica Alfano -- In "Persian garments": Orientalism and Hybridity in Robert Browning's Life and Works / Gal Manor -- Disease, Hospitality, and Forgiveness in Charlotte Yonge's The Heir of Redclyffe / Lynn Shakinovsky -- Navigating the Periodical Market: Once a Week, Poetry, and the Illustrated Literary Periodical / Caley Ehnes -- "False From Head to Foot": Social Performance and the Ideology of Recognition in The Way We Live Now / Kevin Swafford -- Book Review: Iain Ross, Oscar Wilde and Ancient Greece / Nikolai Endres -- Books Received -- Contributor Note

The role of statisticians in the response to COVID-19 in Israel: a holistic point of view

The COVID-19 pandemic cast a dramatic spotlight on the use of data as a fundamental component of good decision-making. Evaluating and comparing alternative policies required information on concurrent infection rates and insightful analysis to project them into the future. Statisticians in Israel were involved in these processes early in the pandemic in some silos as an ad-hoc unorganized effort. Informal discussions within the statistical community culminated in a roundtable, organized by three past presidents of the Israel Statistical Association, and hosted by the Samuel Neaman Institute in April 2021. The meeting was designed to provide a forum for exchange of views on the profession’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more generally, on its influence in promoting evidence-based public policy. This paper builds on the insights and discussions that emerged during the roundtable meeting and presents a general framework, with recommendations, for involving statisticians and statistics in decision-making.</p