Transversal Textures

In recent years, scholarly discourse has extensively examined retranslations, yet non-retranslations have received insufficient attention. The term non-retranslations refers to works in translation that persist in a literary system without undergoing retranslation. This study examines a concise bibliography of non-retranslations to gain a better understaning of the idea and its dynamics within the Turkish literary system. The bibliography of nineteen works by five Nobel laureates examines instances of non-retranslation through Antoine Berman’s notion of “great” translators. Another key notion used in this study is that of non-translation, which is also explored in the works of six modernist authors. Debates on the lack of (re)translation are compared to the significant increase in retranslations during the 2000s. This study’s findings reflect a tendendy that within the translated literary system Türkiye, non-translations and non-retranslations coexist alongside retranslations.Keywords:...

This paper examines the absurdist trope in chase cartoons, focusing on Tom and Jerry and its parallels to the chase sequences in silent films. Absurdism, often defined by the breakdown of logic and the embrace of the irrational, is a key element in both media, shaping their comedic appeal. By analyzing the episodes of Tom and Jerry alongside iconic silent films, this research explores how physical comedy and surreal exaggeration are used to evoke laughter. The study draws on absurdist theory to argue that Tom and Jerry amplifies the absurdist tradition established in silent films, using the limitless possibilities of animation to exaggerate violence, physicality, and illogical outcomes far beyond the constraints of live-action cinema. The paper also highlights how both forms of visual media use repetitive cycles of pursuit and escape to create a sense of futility, reinforcing the absurdity of their scenarios. A deductive, comparative, analytical, and objective method has been used in t...

From ancient times, with the adoption of the Chinese cultural framework, to the modern era of introducing Western culture, Japan has defended its cultural boundaries with the image of a distinctive self. This paper will question some of the established interpretations of classical Japanese poetry by examining the thoughts and ideas of the Japanese scholar Kamo no Mabuchi. Mabuchi wrote his most important works during the Meiwa era (1764-1772) and is, among all, famous for his interpretation of Man’yoshu, an ancient collection of Japanese poetry, from which the new Japanese era name Reiwa was recently taken. This paper will attempt to deconstruct some of the mechanisms of how classical Japanese literature and images of the past continue to be used as a means of “nation-building” in times of crisis.Keywords: Man’yoshu, kokugakusha, Kamo no Mabuchi, Reiwa, Japanese nationalismJapan uses eras, or nengo (??), as part of its traditional calendar system. Although the Gregorian calendar is off...

This essay delves into the relationship between legal justice and the lived experience of trauma following sexual violence, using Alice Sebold’s memoir, Lucky, as its central case study. Through a detailed textual analysis of the narrative, this study investigates the efficacy of the judicial system in providing meaningful recourse for rape survivors. It examines the journey of seeking legal justice, from the initial reporting of the crime and the subsequent investigation to the emotionally taxing courtroom trial and the ultimate verdict. The analysis pays close attention to the methods employed by defense attorneys, the pervasive influence of societal rape myths on the jury’s perception, and the ways in which the victim’s identity and experiences are scrutinized and often delegitimized within the legal framework (drawing on insights from scholars like Jordan and Rich). Furthermore, the essay extends its scope beyond the courtroom to explore the long-term psychological and emotional af...

In 2024, Netflix aired its new addition to the already flourishing genre of dystopian TV series. Ready, Set, Love is a Thai comedy romance show set in a world where an epidemic has all but wiped-out men and lowered the birthrate of baby boys to just 1%, turning men into a coveted treasure. Protected at all times, men live in an isolated area called The Farm, and they find partners via the eponymous dating show. The plot intertwines the love story with a gradual exposure of sinister governmental machinations ubiquitous to dystopia. This article aims to analyze how both the game show and the governmental regime objectify and commodify people to gain commercial profit and biopolitical power. The levels of objectification will be examined through the lens of Marxist postulates and reality television scholarship on the one hand and Foucauldian biopolitics on the other.Keywords: biopolitics, commodification, dystopia, Ready, Set, Love, reality television

Alongside decadent style, form, imagery, and political imagination, decadent subjectivity is one of the defining features of the decadent novel. In Arthur Machen’s texts, various types of decadent characters appear – ranging from occult monomaniacs and cursed men of letters, to hedonists and degenerating youth, all the way to dandies and aesthetes. However, the question arises: are all decadent characters necessarily decadent subjects? This article analyses three dominant types of decadent characters – the Faustian occultist, the flâneur detective, and the martyr of decadence – in Machen’s most well-known decadent works: the novella The Great God Pan (1894) and the novel The Hill of Dreams (1907). It will be demonstrated that while the Faustian occultist and the flâneur detective are undoubtedly constituted as decadent seekers of meaning in modernity, they ultimately do not evolve into reservoirs of decadent antimodernism. On the other hand, the character of the saintly martyr of decad...