'Pictures of Every Posture in the Mind': Judging Sidney's Characters

Throughout the long history of its reception, Sidney's Arcadia has been consistently distinguished from other examples of Renaissance prose fiction by claims on behalf of its lifelikeness or proto-novelistic "realism." Presenting a legal analysis of the Old Arcadia, this article suggests that Sidney's representational methods, however, do not so much anticipate the novelistic mode, as draw heavily on the classical resources of forensic rhetoric and probable argument. Reading both in the trial scene of Book V and beyond, this article shows how forensic status theory informs the plotting even of non-legal scenes, and explores the implications of Sidney's preoccupation with motive and intention for readerly engagement with his fiction. Neoclassical debates concerning poetic unity and representational verisimilitude are also discussed, alongside Arcadia's sources in Roman New Comedy and Greek romance

Attention bias for negative semantic stimuli in late life depression and clinical research portfolio

Background: Recent studies indicate that depressed individuals may have difficulties disengaging visual-spatial attention from negative information. Preliminary studies in depressed older adults provide evidence for the existence of biased attention to negative stimuli. However, the specific components of attention driving the detected bias effects in this population are not known. Aims: This study examined the mechanisms underlying attention biases in Late Life Depression (LLD). It was predicted that depressed older adults, like their younger counterparts, would demonstrate an impaired ability to disengage attention from negative stimuli relative to neutral and positive stimuli, as compared to non-depressed older adult controls. Methods: 16 clinically depressed older adults and 22 older adult controls matched for age, gender and pre-morbid verbal IQ performed an emotional spatial cueing task that required classifying a target stimulus. The location of the target was correctly or incorrectly cued by a neutral, positive or negative word. Results: Planned comparisons did not support the primary hypotheses. However, participants in the depressed group, in general, were slower to respond than participants in the control group. Conclusions: Results suggest that the ability to disengage attention from negative words is not impaired in LLD; however methodological limitations prevent firm conclusions being drawn. Possible explanations for the results are discussed along with directions for future research

Shakespeare\u27s use of letters in twelve representative plays

The purpose of this study of Shakespeare\u27s use of letters is twofold. First, representative plays will be examined to determine some of the ways in which letters contributed to such important elements as plot structure, character delineation, creation of atmosphere, heightening of suspense, or a combination of two or more of these and possibly other uses. In addition, the letters will be studied for the evidence they may furnish in themselves, of the development of Shakespeare\u27s dramatic technique and artistry

On \u3cem\u3eConvivencia\u3c/em\u3e, Bridges and Boundaries: Belonging and exclusion in the narratives of Spain’s Arab-Islamic past

References to the history of al-Andalus, the medieval Muslim territory of the Iberian Peninsula, in what is today the region of Andalusia (Spain) still have a palpable presence and relevance. This dissertation examines diverse accounts of the Arab-Islamic past, and the ways and contexts in which they are invoked. Based on a year and a half of fieldwork in Granada, Spain, I conducted interviews with ordinary Andalusians, academics and researchers (primarily historians), tour guides, historical novelists, high school history teachers, Spanish-born Muslim converts to Islam, Moroccans, and others involved in the contemporary production of this history. Moreover, I conducted participant observation at national and regional commemorations, celebrations and historical sites, areas where this ‘Moorish’ history, as it is commonly known, is a central feature. I argue that: (1) historical accounts of al-Andalus cannot be reduced to the two polarized versions (or “sides”) dominant in political discourse and in much academic debate – one that views the Reconquista as liberation and another that views it as a tragedy – rather, there is a broad and often neglected spectrum between these opposing versions; (2) Andalusia draws on the Arab-Islamic past to promote its tourist industry, and its economic, political and cultural relations with the Arab world. It is safe to suggest that Andalusia is pulled between a history that bridges Europe and the Arab world, and a contemporary European border that reminds us of contemporary geopolitical divisions and separations; (3) Andalusian history and historical sites are commodified to maintain revenue from the tourist industry. Yet, in the process, inhabitants of the Albayzin, the Moorish quarter, adopt similar tourist practices to learn about their own history and appropriate global heritage tourism discourse to contest governmental decisions that benefit tourists to the detriment of residents; (4) commemorations and celebrations in the city weave together a dominant narrative that reinforces the national narrative and its myth of origin; concurrently, these annual rituals provide spaces for alternative versions to circulate, including those that are opposed to the official versions. Importantly, the Día de la Toma (Day of the Capture) commemoration symbolizing national unity is the most publicly contested