Misanthropy of Form: John Banville’s Henry James

Mrs. Osmond (2017) é o único entre os romances não pseudonímicos de John Banville a ter uma protagonista feminina e nenhuma voz em primeira pessoa. Os críticos o saudaram como um pastiche fiel ao estilo e à situação dramática da obra clássica The Portrait of A Lady (1881), de Henry James, para a qual oferece uma sequência. Este ensaio argumenta que Mrs. Osmond desmonta todos os elementos centrais de Portrait. Sua maneira de fazer isso mostra a importância fundamental de uma qualidade frequentemente observada nos narradores masculinos de Banville para a construção de seus romances – a misantropia – e particularmente sua estreita conexão com o aspecto mais destacado de sua obra pelos estudiosos: a auto reflexividade metaficcional.Mrs Osmond (2017) is unique to date among John Banville’s non-pseudonymous novels in having a female protagonist and no first-person voice. Reviewers have hailed it as a pastiche faithful to the style and dramatic situation of the classic work for which it offers a sequel, Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady (1881). This essay argues that Mrs Osmond dismantles all the central elements of Portrait. Its manner of doing so shows the fundamental importance of a quality often observed in Banville’s male narrators—misanthropy—to the design of his novels, particularly its close connection to the aspect of his work most highlighted by scholars: metafictional self-reflexivity

Introduction

Catherine Toal, Introduction to the conference Can We Have Some Privacy?, ICI Berlin, 7–8 May 2015, video recording, mp4, 07:08 <https://doi.org/10.25620/e150507_1

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education Policies of UK Universities

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming integral to academic and professional landscapes, with universities rapidly developing policies that govern ethical and effective usage. Yet such efforts are fragmented across institutions, from outright blanket bans to bespoke frameworks supporting AI application. Seeking to offer evidence of this fragmented approach, this study conducts a systematic content analysis of AI policies of UK Russell Group universities, with specific focus on learning and teaching. The analysis reveals differences in policy comprehensiveness, enforcement mechanisms, and educational initiatives, demonstrating varied institutional priorities and approaches. This includes widespread methods of integrating the technology within the learning experience or academic integrity governance strategies. Findings also indicate that while some universities have robust frameworks promoting AI literacy and ethical usage, others provide minimal guidelines, reflecting disparate levels of readiness and commitment to integrating AI into the curriculum. This study underscores the importance of clear, comprehensive policies in fostering equal access and ethical use of AI among students whilst supporting AI literacy. Recommendations include adopting uniform policy elements across institutions to standardise AI usage norms and enhance student preparedness for an AI-driven future. This research contributes to the discourse on educational policy development, emphasising the need for adaptive and forward-thinking strategies in higher education to address AI learning requirements

What Does Arendt’s Judgment of Eichmann Mean for us Today?

‘What Does Arendt’s Judgment of Eichmann Mean for us Today?’, panel presented at the conference Judgment in Extremis, ICI Berlin, 16 May 2013 <https://doi.org/10.25620/e130516_04

Recommendations for the management of COVID-19 in patients with haematological malignancies or haematopoietic cell transplantation, from the 2021 European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL 9).

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel virus that spread worldwide from 2019 causing the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterised by an initial viral phase followed in some patients by a severe inflammatory phase. Importantly, immunocompromised patients may have a prolonged viral phase, shedding infectious viral particles for months, and absent or dysfunctional inflammatory phase. Among haematological patients, COVID-19 has been associated with high mortality rate in acute leukaemia, high risk-myelodysplastic syndromes, and after haematopoietic cell transplant and chimeric-antigen-receptor-T therapies. The clinical symptoms and signs were similar to that reported for the overall population, but the severity and outcome were worse. The deferral of immunodepleting cellular therapy treatments is recommended for SARS-CoV-2 positive patient, while in the other at-risk cases, the haematological treatment decisions must be weighed between individual risks and benefits. The gold standard for the diagnosis is the detection of viral RNA by nucleic acid testing on nasopharyngeal-swabbed sample, which provides high sensitivity and specificity; while rapid antigen tests have a lower sensitivity, especially in asymptomatic patients. The prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection is based on strict infection control measures recommended for aerosol-droplet-and-contact transmission. Vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 has shown high efficacy in reducing community transmission, hospitalisation and deaths due to severe COVID-19 disease in the general population, but immunosuppressed/haematology patients may have lower sero-responsiveness to vaccinations. Moreover, the recent emergence of new variants may require vaccine modifications and strategies to improve efficacy in these vulnerable patients. Beyond supportive care, the specific treatment is directed at viral replication control (antivirals, anti-spike monoclonal antibodies) and, in patients who need it, to the control of inflammation (dexamethasone, anti-Il-6 agents, and others). However, the benefit of all these various prophylactic and therapeutic treatments in haematology patients deserves further studies