Hobbits, ents, and dæmons : ecocritical thought embodied in the fantastic

This paper investigates the occurrence of ecocritical thought in two canonical fantasy epics, The Lord of The Rings (1954–1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien and His Dark Materials (1995–2000) by Philip Pullman. Using current ecocritical theory as well as writers and critics of speculative fiction to study the primary works from a marginalized angle, this paper argues that fantasy fiction, more than other literary genres, has an intrinsic exploratory potential for ecocritical ideas because the strong immersive aspect of the genre entices the reader to open up for a less anthropocentric view of the world. If this is investigated further, the narrow space for fantasy literature in literary criticism and academia may be broadened to include a more politically engaged discussion of fantasy than typically assumed

‘Age of Lovecraft’?— Anthropocene Monsters in (New) Weird Narrative

This paper considers whether the twenty-first-century resurgence of H. P. Lovecraft and weird fiction can be read as a conceptual parallel to the Anthropocene epoch, taking Carl H. Sederholm and Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock’s The Age of Lovecraftas a starting-point. The assumption is that the two ‘ages’ are historically and thematically linked through the ‘monsters’ that inhabit them; monsters that include—but are not limited to—extensions, reproductions, and evolutions of Lovecraft’swritings. Preoccupied with environmental issues such as global climate change, the twenty-first-century imaginary has conjured monsters that appear to have much in common with early twentieth-century cosmic horror stories. Considering the renewed interest in Lovecraft and the weird, such developments raise the question: what can (weird) monsters tell us about the Anthropocene moment? This paper maps the ‘monstrous’ in the discourses emerging from the Anthropocene epoch and ‘The Age of Lovecraft’ by considering (new) weird narratives fromcontemporary literature, graphic novels, film, TV, and video games. Mindful of on-going discussions within ecocriticism, philosophy, and critical theory, the paper discusses a handful of unconventional texts to investigate the potential of the weird for expressing Anthropocene anxieties and for approaching nonhuman realities from new angles

Comparison of anxiety symptoms in spouses of persons suffering from dementia, geriatric in-patients and healthy older persons

Fagfellevurdert, vitenskapelig tidsskriftartikkelObjective:To describe and compare anxiety symptoms in spouses of persons suffering from dementia, geriatric in-patients and healthy controls, and to study possible risk factors associated with anxiety in these groups of older people. Method: The participants were 70 years and above: 1) 76 spouses of persons with dementia recruited from a memory clinic, 2) 98 in-patients without dementia but suffering from one or more chronic diseases, who were admitted to a geriatric department of an acute hospital, and 3) 68 healthy elderly people recruited from day-centres. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-X-1, 12-item) was used to tap anxiety symptoms. Results: Spouses of persons suffering from dementia expressed the same degree of anxiety symptoms as geriatric patients, and anxiety in these two groups differed significantly from the healthy elderly persons. In an adjusted linear regression analysis, anxiety, expressed as a high score on STAI-X-1, was associated with female gender (ß 0.16, p=0.01); being a spousal carer (ß 0.49, p <0.001) and being a geriatric patient (ß 0.57, p<0.001). Conclusion: Spouses of persons suffering from dementia reported as much anxiety symptoms as geriatric in-patients and both groups reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety than healthy older persons without caring obligations. The mental health nurses should include assessment of carers’ anxiety as routine

Zooming through Covid : fostering safe communities of critical reflection via online writers’ group interaction

Writers’ groups, in virtual or physical forms, can create communities of practice, which have been shown to offer emotional support to writers during vulnerable times. Noticing that the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated emotional vulnerability in our undergraduates who were writing 10,000-word reports, we initiated an online writers’ group using the Zoom electronic platform. A focus group held at the closing of the semester revealed that students valued most the feelings of safety nurtured by the group. An examination of the interaction in the sessions, via video recordings, revealed that it was precisely this safety that stimulated critical reflection among participants, which helped them manage their writing processes

Dementia in the family

Å være pårørende til personer med demens er forbundet med økt risiko for stressrelaterte helseplager. Nasjonalt kompetansesenter for aldring og helse anbefaler kartlegging av pårørendes situasjon i forbindelse med demensutredning. I studien Demens i Familien ble en belastningsskala for pårørende (Relative’s Stress Scale, RSS) brukt for å måle forskjellige aspekter av omsorgsbyrde. Nær halvparten av de pårørende rapporterte klinisk relevant stress, hvorav 25 % hadde en sannsynlig depresjon. Pasientens atferdsendringer og psykiatriske symptomer (APSD) var hovedårsaken til pårørendes emosjonelle påkjenninger, sosialt stress (følelse av å være bundet) og negative følelser rettet mot familiemedlemmet med demens. Pasientens funksjonssvikt i det daglige og tiden pårørende brukte til å hjelpe og assistere pasienten var også viktige forklaringsvariabler. Ektefeller og pårørende med daglig kontakt med pasienten var mest belastet. Stressresponssymptomer som gjenopplevelse og unngåelse var mest uttalt hos ektefeller og pårørende som hadde daglig kontakt med pasienten. Disse symptomene var assosiert med depresjon, angst og belastning knyttet til pasientens atferdsendringer. I en randomisert, kontrollert studie hadde undervisning om demens og opplæring i bruk av strukturert problemløsning hadde ingen effekt på de to primære effektmålene, belastning og pasientens APSD. Belastningen økte i både intervensjons- og kontrollgruppen i løpet av oppfølgingsåret, men mest i kontrollgruppen. I en subgruppeanalyse fant vi en statistisk signifikant forskjell på APSD hos kvinnelige pasienter i intervensjonsgruppens favør. Sammenhengen mellom APSD og omsorgsbyrde er stor og det er behov for mer effektiv behandling av disse symptomene. En mulighet er å lære pårørende teknikker for å takle APSD. Denne studien viser at dette kan oppnås hos omsorgsgivere til kvinnelig pasienter (ektemenn og voksne barn), mens mannlige pasienter representerer utfordringer som sannsynligvis må møtes med mer intensive, individualiserte tilnærminger