The Portrayal of Seneca in the Octavia and in Tacitus’ Annals

The paper examines the representation of Seneca in two literary works of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD, the anonymous tragedy Octavia and the Annals by Tacitus. In the Octavia Seneca appears as the emperor Nero’s upright but unhappy teacher trying in vain to inculcate salutary advice to his master. There is no question of his being responsible for the crimes of Nero; the picture of him drawn in the play is wholly favourable. The portrayal of Seneca in Tacitus’ Annals is more complex and nuanced, and only seldom does the historian give his own views about Nero’s advisor. However, it would be wrong to suppose that Seneca is harshly criticised by Tacitus

Electronic and Topological Properties of a Topological Insulator Thin Film Sandwiched between Ferromagnetic Insulators

We consider a thin film of a topological insulator (TI) sandwiched between two ferromagnetic (FM) layers. The system is additionally under an external gate voltage. The surface electron states of TI are magnetized due to the magnetic proximity effect to the ferromagnetic layers. The magnetization of ferromagnetic layers can be changed by applying an external magnetic field or by varying thickness of the topological insulator (owing to the interlayer exchange coupling). The change in the magnetic configuration of the system affects the transport properties of the surface electronic states. Using the Green function formalism, we calculate spin polarization, anomalous Hall effect, and magnetoresistance of the system. We show, among others, that by tuning the gate voltage and magnetizations of the top and bottom FM layers, one can observe the topological transition to the anomalous quantum Hall state

The Portrayal of Seneca in the Octavia and in Tacitus’ Annals

The paper examines the representation of Seneca the Younger in two literary texts written a few decades after his death, the anonymous tragedy Octavia (perhaps 68/69 AD, wrongly attributed to Seneca) and the historical work by Tacitus, the Annals (early 2nd cent. AD). These two texts give the most detailed picture of Seneca in Roman literature; although belonging to different literary genres, they show some interesting points of contact. In the Octavia Seneca is introduced as the emperor Nero’s upright but unhappy teacher trying in vain to persuade his master that the best method of government is mildness and kindness towards one’s subjects. (In particular, he seeks to discourage Nero from divorcing Octavia and marrying Poppaea Sabina.) There are some significant echoes of Seneca’s writings, especially De clementia, and, interestingly, it is the play’s Nero, not Seneca, who is closer to the philosopher’s argument in De clem. I 9–10 (cf. Oct. 472–529). The two key words of the Seneca–Nero exchange are licet and decet and the emperor manages to play Seneca’s notion that “id facere laus est quod decet, non quod licet” against his teacher (cf. Oct. 454 and 457). In spite of this, the playwright’s portrayal of Seneca is wholly favourable. The philosopher is unable to prevail upon the emperor, but this is by no means his fault; there is no question of his being responsible for Nero’s crimes. Seneca courageously speaks his mind (and the Seneca–Nero scene ends with a foreshadowing of his being killed by the emperor); there is not even a hint of his hypocrisy and double standards, a reproach quite often levelled at him both in antiquity and in modern times. The portrayal of Seneca in Tacitus’ Annals is more complex and nuanced, but it should not be regarded as internally incoherent (due to the historian’s shift from one source to another or to the lack of revision of the Annals). The complexity of Tacitus’ picture of Seneca is, above all, the consequence of the fact that the teacher of Nero was, in the historian’s eyes, a complex character. Interestingly, Tacitus presents him mainly through the eyes of others (Agrippina the Younger, Suillius Rufus, Nero’s malicious associates, anonymous Romans, etc.) and only seldom reveals his own views about Seneca’s actions and character. However, from a few passages where Seneca is introduced by Tacitus himself, without the mediation of other historical figures, it is possible to come to some important conclusions about the historian’s attitude. In the paper, three such passages are analyzed: Ann. XIII 2, 1–2; XIV 52, 1; and XV 23, 4. Especially significant is the last one, recounting an episode in which Seneca is linked to Thrasea Paetus. The phrase egregii viri, used here in reference to the both politicians, is, by Tacitus’ standards, a lavish praise – and deserves not to be overlooked by those who think that the historian is highly critical of Seneca.The paper examines the representation of Seneca in two literary works of the late 1st and early 2nd cent. AD, the anonymous tragedy Octavia and the Annals by Tacitus. In the Octavia Seneca appears as the emperor Nero’s upright but unhappy teacher trying in vain to inculcate salutary advice to his master. There is no question of his being responsible for the crimes of Nero; the picture of him drawn in the play is wholly favourable. The portrayal of Seneca in Tacitus’ Annals is more complex and nuanced, and only seldom the historian gives his own views about Nero’s advisor. However, it would be wrong to suppose that Seneca is harshly criticised by Tacitus.XXIII/17189Symbolae Philologorum Posnaniensium Graecae et Latina

Trojański palimpsest. Odniesienia intertekstualne w zakończeniu III księgi „Dziejów” Tacyta

The Trojan War or, more precisely, the sacking of Troy, plays an important role in the Roman cultural imagination and the crucial text dealing with these events, Vergil’s Aeneid II, has been used by various authors in various literary genres in order to build associations between their own subject matter and the fates of Priam, Hecuba, Aeneas etc. Thus, for example, the death of Agamemnon in Seneca’s tragedy of the same title bears a similarity to the death of Priam in the Aeneid; the two narratives are examined in the first part of the paper. In the main part of the paper, we move from Seneca to Tacitus; here, after a brief consideration of a passage from the account of the death of Galba (Hist. I 41, 3), there is a detailed discussion of one chapter from the end of Book III of the Histories (84). The chapter describes the Vitellian soldiers’ last stand against the Flavian army in Rome on December 20, AD 69 and Emperor Vitellius’ pathetic demise. The paper’s particular focus is on intertextual references which, so it seems, are introduced by Tacitus into his narrative to make his account of the last stage of the Roman Civil War of AD 68/69 more graphic and memorable; importantly, most of these references evoke the Trojan War and its aftermath. In particular, the following passages are analysed: (1) Tac. Hist. III 84, 2 ~ Verg. Aen. II 501–502; (2) Tac. Hist. III 84, 3 ~ Sall. Cat. 52, 3 + Eur. Hec. 568–570 (cf. Ov. Met. XIII 879–880; Fast. II 833–834); (3) Tac. Hist. III 84, 4 ~ Verg. Aen. II 755; (4) Tac. Hist. III 84, 5 ~ Verg. Aen. II 57–59.The Trojan War or, more precisely, the sacking of Troy, plays an important role in the Roman cultural imagination and the crucial text dealing with these events, Vergil’s Aeneid II, has been used by various authors in various literary genres in order to build associations between their own subject matter and the fates of Priam, Hecuba, Aeneas etc. Thus, for example, the death of Agamemnon in Seneca’s tragedy of the same title bears a similarity to the death of Priam in the Aeneid; the two narratives are examined in the first part of the paper. In the main part of the paper, we move from Seneca to Tacitus; here, after a brief consideration of a passage from the account of the death of Galba (Hist. I 41, 3), there is a detailed discussion of one chapter from the end of Book III of the Histories (84). The chapter describes the Vitellian soldiers’ last stand against the Flavian army in Rome on December 20, AD 69 and Emperor Vitellius’ pathetic demise. The paper’s particular focus is on intertextual references which, so it seems, are introduced by Tacitus into his narrative to make his account of the last stage of the Roman Civil War of AD 68/69 more graphic and memorable; importantly, most of these references evoke the Trojan War and its aftermath. In particular, the following passages are analysed: (1) Tac. Hist. III 84, 2 ~ Verg. Aen. II 501–502; (2) Tac. Hist. III 84, 3 ~ Sall. Cat. 52, 3 + Eur. Hec. 568–570 (cf. Ov. Met. XIII 879–880; Fast. II 833–834); (3) Tac. Hist. III 84, 4 ~ Verg. Aen. II 755; (4) Tac. Hist. III 84, 5 ~ Verg. Aen. II 57–59

Zakopiańskie wczasowiczki w „Pożegnaniu jesieni”. Bohaterki Witkacego wobec typologii kobiet w literaturze o Tatrach

Women who appear in the literature about the Tatra Mountains can be divided into several groups depending on their attitude to space. One of those groups are the guests, including the vacationists, who stay in the Tatra Mountains in order to rest and who do not build a deep relationship with the mountain.The heroines of Witkacy’s novel Farewell to Autumn (Pożegnanie jesieni, 1925) can be inscribed into this typology. The plot and the protagonists of the novel are linked to the biography of the author. Hela Bertz and Zosia Osłabędzka are constructed as oppositions. Hela represents active sexuality, Zosia – passivity, which leads her to suicide.In the article the typology of women in the literature about the Tatra mountains has been described and discussed in relation to the heroines of Witkacy’s novel.Kobiety opisywane w literaturze o Tatrach dzielą się na kilka wyraźnych grup zależnych od ich stosunku do przestrzeni. Jedną z nich są gościnie, a w jej ramach można wyróżnić wczasowiczki, czyli kobiety przebywające pod Tatrami w celach wypoczynkowych, niebudujące głębszej relacji z górskimi szczytami czy góralskimi realiami.W tę typologię wpisują się bohaterki ukazane przez Witkacego w powieści Pożegnanie jesieni (1925). Jej fabuła oraz bohaterowie nawiązują do doświadczeń autora. Hela Bertz i Zosia Osłabędzka funkcjonują w owym międzywojennym dziele na zasadzie opozycji. Pierwsza reprezentuje bowiem aktywną seksualność, druga bierność, która doprowadza ją do samobójczej śmierci.W artykule opisano typologię kobiet obecnych w literaturze o Tatrach, która następnie została odniesiona do bohaterek powieści Witkacego

(Sight and Suffering: From the Roman History of a Literary Motif)

The paper examines a number of Roman literary texts (by Ennius, Cicero, Vergil, Ovid, Seneca the Younger, Lucan, Tacitus, Jerome, etc.) in which viewing is connected with mental or emotional suffering. Usually, the emphasis is laid on a character’s viewing of some dramatic events – a close relative’s death, for example – and on his or her emotional response to what is being seen. In some works, especially in consolatory contexts, someone’s premature death is presented as advantageous because the dead person is now spared the necessity of viewing misfortunes which the living have to witness. Also, people may be compelled (e.g. by an emperor) to watch evil things; in such a situation they are usually viewers and objects of viewing at the same time, since their gestures and facial expression are carefully observed.The paper examines a number of Roman literary texts (by Ennius, Cicero, Vergil, Ovid, Seneca the Younger, Lucan, Tacitus, Jerome, etc.) in which viewing is connected with mental or emotional suffering. Usually, the emphasis is laid on a character’s viewing of some dramatic events – a close relative’s death, for example – and on his or her emotional response to what is being seen. In some works, especially in consolatory contexts, someone’s premature death is presented as advantageous because the dead person is now spared the necessity of viewing misfortunes which the living have to witness. Also, people may be compelled (e.g. by an emperor) to watch evil things; in such a situation they are usually viewers and objects of viewing at the same time, since their gestures and facial expression are carefully observed

Quantitative myocardial blush score (QuBE) allows the prediction of heart failure development in long-term follow-up in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: Proof of concept study

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) might lead to left ventricular remodeling. Adequate myocardial perfusion is critical to prevent this adverse remodeling. Quantitative myocardial blush evaluator (QuBE) software, available on-line, is a simple analysis tool which enables the precise quan­tification of myocardial perfusion in the infarct area immediately after interventional treatment. The aim of this study was to assess whether the results of QuBE analysis might predict the development of heart failure (HF) in AMI patients in 3 year-long follow-up. Methods: Ninety five patients with first AMI, single vessel coronary artery disease, Killip class I at presentation were enrolled in the study. Angiograms were reanalyzed using the on-line QuBE software. Data on heart failure development (ICD 10 codes I50) provided by the National Health Fund were considered as primary outcome. Results: QuBE values ranged from 0.0 to 25.3 arbitrary units, mean value was 9.9 ± 5.2 arbitrary units. QuBE correlated positively with myocardial blush grade (MBG; Spearman R = 0.342 at p < 0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard modeling, adjusted for initial Thrombolysis in Myocardial In­farction (TIMI flow, and TIMI thrombus grade indicated QuBE score (1 unit increase — HR 0.919, 95% CI 0.846–0.999, p = 0.049) and left ventricular ejection fraction at discharge (1% increase — HR 0.936, 95% CI 0.902–0.971, p = 0.000) as independent predictors of HF development. Conclusions: The QuBE assessment of myocardial perfusion allows the prediction of HF development in the post-infarction period in this highly selective group of patients

MONITOROWANIE HODOWLI KOMÓRKOWYCH W CZASIE RZECZYWISTYM PRZY ZASTOSOWANIU NIKLOWYCH KONDENSATORÓW GRZEBIENIOWYCH

The aim of the study was to present a method for assessing the condition of cell culture by measuring the impedance of cells cultured in the presence of nickel. For this purpose, an impedance measurement technique using nickel comb capacitors was used. The capacitor electrodes were made using a thin film magnetron sputtering. In the experimental part, the culture of cells of mouse fibroblasts on the prepared substrate was performed. The cell culture lasted 43 hours and showed that the presented technique allows it to be used to analyze the effect of nickel on cells.Celem pracy było przedstawienie metody oceny stanu hodowli komórkowej poprzez pomiar impedancji komórek hodowanych w obecności niklu. W tym celu zastosowano technikę pomiaru impedancji z wykorzystaniem niklowych kondensatorów grzebieniowych. Cienkowarstwowe elektrody kondensatora wykonano metodą rozpylania magnetronowego. W części eksperymentalnej przeprowadzono hodowlę komórek mysich fibroblastów na przygotowanym podłożu. Hodowla komórkowa trwała 43 godziny i wykazała, że przedstawiona technika mogłaby być zastosowana do analizy wpływu niklu na komórki

„How Good it is to Have a Piece of a Man’s Jacket Beside You…”. Designed Love in the Novels for Girls

Według Małgorzaty Wójcik-Dudek „miłość zajmuje centralne miejsce w powieści dla dziewcząt. Fakt ten nie wynika jedynie z potrzeb emocjonalnych młodych czytelniczek, ale przede wszystkim jest konsekwencją genologiczną podgatunku”. Celem artykułu jest prześledzenie przemian zachodzących w powieściach dla dziewcząt na przestrzeni trzech epok społeczno-literackich (międzywojnia, okresu powojennego oraz współczesności) w zakresie przedstawiania głównych bohaterek: szczególnie relacji damsko-męskich, które bohaterki budują lub – częściej – które są im narzucane; zarówno przez ramy gatunkowe, jak oczekiwania czytelnicze. Analizie poddano bestsellerowe, wręcz kanoniczne powieści dla dziewcząt, z których część znajduje się na liście lektur uzupełniających dla szkoły podstawowej: autorstwa Kornela Makuszyńskiego, Krystyny Siesickiej, Małgorzaty Musierowicz oraz Ewy Nowak. Są to powieści klasyczne i wzorcowe dla swojego gatunku. Ich bohaterki są rozpoznawalne, charakterystyczne, czasem stanowią pierwowzór później rozbudowywanego typu postaci. Fakt, że protagonistki trafiają do odbiorczej świadomości, skutkuje przejmowaniem przez czytelniczki systemu wartości, który promują bądź uosabiają postaci. Na jego czele znajduje się miłość projektowana, czyli wzorzec uczucia, z którego wynika także określony profil dziewczęcych bohaterek i ich postawa wobec świata.According to Małgorzata Wójcik-Dudek, „love takes the central place in the novels for girls. The reason for this fact is not only because of the emotional needs of young readers, but it is also the genetic consequence of the sub-genre”. The aim of the article is to examine the changes of the novels for girls which take place during three social and literary periods (middle-war, post-war period and contemporaneity) in terms of the way of presenting the main characters: especially the relations between male and female, which are being built by characters or – more often – which are being imposed on them; by the frames of genre, as well as by the readers’ expectations. The bestselling and canonical novels for girls have been analyzed (some of which are on the complementary reading list for primary schools): by Kornel Makuszyński, Krystyna Siesicka, Małgorzata Musierowicz or by Ewa Nowak. These are the classical novels, model for their sub-genre. Their main characters are easily recognizable, distinctive, sometimes they are the prototype of the type of character which is being developed later. The fact that the characters finding their way into the consciousness of an audience results in readers taking over the kind of a value system which is promoted in the novel. At the head of it there is a designed love – the model of a feeling, which is also associated with the heroines’ profiles and their attitude towards the world

„Sezonowa miłość” Gabrieli Zapolskiej na pograniczu kultur z przełomu wieków

 Gabriela Zapolska’s Sezonowa miłośćThe article is an attempt to present the divisions in Gabriela Zapolska’s Sezonowa miłość [Seasonal Love] focusing on two areas: the world presented and references to reality. The world presented is divided into space opposition between city, nature and culture and the protagonists. References to reality focus on the topography of both Zakopane and the Tatras. Gabriela Zapolska’s Sezonowa miłośćThe article is an attempt to present the divisions in Gabriela Zapolska’s Sezonowa miłość [Seasonal Love] focusing on two areas: the world presented and references to reality. The world presented is divided into space opposition between city, nature and culture and the protagonists. References to reality focus on the topography of both Zakopane and the Tatras