Architecture of Jesuit Churches in the Former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1564–1773

The article presents the history and accomplishments of Jesuit architecture in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the late sixteenth to the late eighteenth century. The author sees Jesuit architecture as a distinct and homogeneous element within Polish architecture. The paper starts with a brief presentation of the existing research in the subject. It moves on to enumerate the activities of the Society in the field of construction, divided into three major booms: the first roughly between 1575 and 1650, the second between 1670 and 1700, and the third from 1740 to 1770, divided by periods of relative decline caused by a succession of devastating wars. The paper identifies the most important architects involved in the construction of Jesuit churches, as well as their most notable works. The paper ends with a brief note concerning the fate of the Jesuit churches after the suppression of the Society and the partitions of Poland

Perspective. Theories and experiments on the “veduta vincolata” (restricted sight)

The modern perspective admits the free rotation of the eye situated in the projection centre (restricted sight) and with this, and with the motion of the eye, it is capable of simulating even the impression of curvature of the visual field that Panofsky erroneously ascribes to the curvature of the retina. The restricted sight admits an ample displacement of the observation point along the direction of the normal to the picture plane, whereas it is much less tolerant for a displacement parallel to the picture plane that emphasizes the ‘marginal aberrations’ and not only. This limit has been passed, during the 17th century, by artists like Agostino Tassi through the repetition of the primary point (which is also the vanishing point of the normals to the picture plane). Thus, there are two possible interpretive keys of an architectural perspective: on the one hand the geometrical key, which reveals itself by means of an inverse procedure, capable of describing the shapes that are represented in space; on the other the architectural key, which obtains the same result simply observing the typical characteristics of an architecture, like the symmetry, the horizontality of the architraves, the verticality of the pillars, the proportions of the Order

Early-time Spitzer observations of the type II-Plateau supernova, 2004dj

We present mid-infrared observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope of the nearby type II-P supernova, SN 2004dj, at epochs of 89 to 129 days. We have obtained the first mid-IR spectra of any supernova apart from SN 1987A. A prominent [NiII] 6.64 micron line is observed, from which we deduce that the mass of stable nickel must be at least 2.2e10(-4) Msun. We also observe the red wing of the CO-fundamental band. We relate our findings to possible progenitors and favour an evolved star, most likely a red supergiant, with a probable initial mass between ~10 and 15 Msun.Comment: ApJ Letters (accepted

Undated, Postcard 005

This collection contains 139 correspondence from Maj. Bette J. Barto, USAFE to her parents while serving as a nurse during the late 1950s and 1960s. Also included are three photographs, one special orders document, and one marriage license. In several cases, Bette refers to her parents as Lizzie and Hugh Elmer, or simply Elmer. Three letters from 1961 or 1962 are undated and placed in a separate folder.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/bjbarto_correspondence/1150/thumbnail.jp

Crossing the Borders of Language and Culture: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot

The aim of the paper is to compare four versions of the text of Waitingfor Godot: the French original, Beckett’s own translation into English and two Polish renderings done by Julian Rogoziński and Antoni Libera. The article starts with a short discussion concerning rules governing the translation process and then its evaluation. While working on the transposition of the French original into English, Beckett introduced numerous changes, this being due to his sensitivity to the very quality of each of the languages and specific references characteristic of the two cultures. Antoni Libera, an expert in Beckett’s oeuvre, argues that Beckett’s translations should be more adequately described as second language versions and that the artist recommended further translations based on his two language versions. Libera himself followed this recommendation while translating Beckett’s works into Polish. Upon publication, he provided illuminating notes, shedding light on the differences in Beckett’s versions and providing critical insight into the texts. Julian Rogoziński, on the other hand, based his translation of Waiting for Godot only on the French original. This accounts for the fact that, at times, his rendering of the text lacks precision and may not even be quite understandable. Rogoziński’s version is less satisfactory than that of Libera due to the fact that it was written earlier and by an older man, which at times results in the use of old-fashioned, outdated Polish diction and structures

Innovation for Inclusion and Reflection

\u201cSocial and Cultural Innovation\u201d is a syntagma that has been receiving increased usage since 2016, when it was chosen by the European Strategy Forum Research Infrastructures for the name of the working group that deals with research infrastructures primarily connected with the Social Sciences and the Humanities.1 Innovation refers to the creation of new products and services by bringing a new idea to the market. Economic growth turns on infrastructures, which provide access to services and knowledge, e.g. by overcoming the digital divide. Globalization has made it clear that a most urgent objective is to work out policies of social and cultural innovation to the advantage of citizens\u2014policies that aim at achieving changes in the regulatory environment that make societies both inclusive and reflective.2 The Faro Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society of UNESCO encourages reflection on the role of citizens in the process of defining, creating, and managing a cultural environment in which communities evolve.3 The notions of inclusion and reflection are inspired by philosophical ideas referring to the role of deliberative communication of citizens in a modern public sphere aiming at mutual understanding. J\ufcrgen Habermas has applied to society4 what G. W. F. Hegel had elaborated as the passage from the surface of being to the ground of essence, a passage that takes place, literally, by \u201creflecting into the thing\u201d5 \u2013 like reflected light that illuminates something previously invisible, or creates a pattern not previously existing. It is now time to examine the implications of innovation for redefining the ways in which the culture has been envisioned, particularly to visualize the various ways in which users engage with cultural processes in the past, present, and future

The persona and deaths of Six 16th century Grand Masters of the Order of St. John

In a previous issue of this Journal, I focused on the personal and psychological traits of four sixteenth century Grand Masters of Malta, perhaps the most popular, or, anyway, the better known. I believe it would be equally rewarding to investigate the physical and mental set-up and health of the other six, who may have left a more indistinct impact on the course of Maltese history, but are nonetheless net contributors to the formation of our nationhood.peer-reviewe

The Influence of Anton Chekhov on Samuel Beckett: Inaction and Investment of Hope Into Godot-like Figures in Three Sisters and Waiting for Godot

Anton Chekhov has been very much influential on modern drama, especially on the Theatre of the Absurd; however, not much work has been done on his influence on the absurdist playwrights. Considering Harold Bloom's definition of ‘influence'—writing “much like” someone in the past—the seminal influence of Chekhov on Beckett is studied in this article. Chekhov in his plays, especially his major plays, very much like Beckett's waiting for Godot, portrays people who are passively waiting and investing their entire hope into Godot-like figures without taking any action. Thus, the sense of ennui, desperation and consequently disappointment of these characters originates from their unreasonable inaction, stagnancy and their passivity while waiting, rather than ‘waiting for Godot figures'. This article tries to show the influence of Chekhov on Samuel Beckett, investigating the similarities in form, atmosphere and theme between Waiting for Godot, the paradigm of the Theatre of the Absurd, and Three Sisters, one of Chekhov's major play