Carla Zappalà | Trinity Saint David (original) (raw)
Papers by Carla Zappalà
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2015
provide any sort of relevant link between the two national cinemas in the post-communist era, apa... more provide any sort of relevant link between the two national cinemas in the post-communist era, apart from one exception, Persona Non Grata (Krzysztof Zanussi, 2005), a Polish—Russian coproduction with a high degree of actual collaboration that is, nevertheless, considered an example of a recently accentuated narration of the nation in post-communist cinemas (Kalinowska,134–153). With regard to the success of Polish films at the Venice and Cannes film festivals from the 1940s to the 1960s, the question arises whether, and if so to what extent, the ‘Polish School has shaped these festivals in relation to art house cinema—and vice versa, the role played by the festivals in shaping the ‘Polish School’ through their programming choices and critical reception of Polish films? (Ostrowska, 77–95). Furthermore, Polish directors such as Waterian Borowczyk, Andrzej Zulawski and Agnieszka Holland are discussed as ‘outsiders’ to the dominant aesthetic and political tendencies of Polish cinema towards realism; the transnational nature and artistic vision of these filmmakers become evident through detailed analyses of key films that can be located within multiple discourses of contemporary cinema. More than two million Poles left Poland after the country’s accession to the European Union in 2004. Hence, like many countries with a strong emigration history, the Polish nation has become more and more an ‘imagined community’ (Benedict Anderson), and Polish films made in Poland and abroad play an important role in ‘imagining’ this community, by forging links between the homeland and the diaspora and by catering to the tastes of Polish migrants. In this context, the book is a timely contribution to a renewed academic interest in Polish cinema.
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2015
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2015
digitalization) during the last decade, where broadband streaming, social networks and avant-gard... more digitalization) during the last decade, where broadband streaming, social networks and avant-garde communication have become central to the formation of new communities and forms of engagement with existing social conditions. Discussing the interconnection between technology politics, economy, avant-garde experiments and migration, Halle argues that the connection between emigration and avant-garde work ‘has been a central but overlooked part of debates’ (28), starting with the artistic communities of WWI exiles (e.g. DADA movement) through to WWII exiles in New York and beyond, or Europe’s experimental underground film production since the 1960s, who all sought to break with the confining genre patterns of narrative cinema. In this context, Halle defines and advances the concept of interzones as an ‘experience not limited to geographic cartographic proximity but rather an ideational space, a sense of being somewhere that unites two places, if even only transitionally or temporarily’ (5), and to be understood as ‘conflictual dialogic’ spaces of transit, interaction, transformation, and contentious and contested diversity (23). Cinema has been the privileged medium for the imagining of communities, with the representation of interzones in European film (and a dynamic film industry developing in the EU) ultimately used in support of cultural Europeanization. According to Halle, post-1990 European cinema specifically narrates directly international experience of contact and transformation (e.g. in One Day in Europe by Hannes Stöhr, 2005) or that of crossing a Europe without borders (e.g. in Lisbon Story by Wim Wenders, 1994), and subsequently has become a vital mechanism in generating and representing the European Union’s fostering of new networks of cultural interzones. The Europeanization of Cinema is an intelligent and innovative study inasmuch as it connects a range of key concepts from film, border and cultural studies for the examination of (new) imaginative communities beyond the nation-state, and their visual representation and implementation in a post-Wende European cinema.
A detailed reading of the Four Branches illustrating the depiction of the otherworld throughout t... more A detailed reading of the Four Branches illustrating the depiction of the otherworld throughout the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, with examples classified under various headings.
An analysis of the passage in Branch Two of the Mabinogi concerning Efnysien’s discovery of the I... more An analysis of the passage in Branch Two of the Mabinogi concerning Efnysien’s discovery of the Irish warriors hidden in flour bags. This analysis shows the significance and context of the passage and considers a range of relevant factors. There are interesting comments on the style and episodic nature of the text and on the core themes of feud and friendship and recurring motifs. It includes a useful summary of the main content and characterisation in this passage, and suggests that one could consider the passage in the light of Freytag’s dramatic arc framework.
This discussion considers the Arthurian elements presented in De Excidio, Historia Brittonum and ... more This discussion considers the Arthurian elements presented in De Excidio, Historia Brittonum and the Annales Cambriae and analyses to what extent these may be indicative of the religious and political motives of their authors, rather than simplistically accepted as early primary sources recording reliable ‘evidence’ for an historical Arthur. The discussion is conducted using a framework for examining the texts, their wider historical and literary contexts, the authors’ motivations and the texts’ usefulness as historical ‘evidence’. It concisely distills all the relevant arguments and compares and contrasts various viewpoints. Finally it carefully unpicks the primary sources and demonstrates a number of problems concerning dating, later interpolations, inconsistencies, lack of clarity due to brevity (e.g. Arthur or Ambrosius?) and sensibly concludes that neither Historia Brittonum nor the Annales Cambriae can be viewed as reliable historical evidence, and that that the case for an historical Arthur is ‘unproven’.
This essay provides an analysis of how and when St Winefride’s cult became popular; how personal ... more This essay provides an analysis of how and when St Winefride’s cult became popular; how personal and political motives lead to the promotion of the cult (particularly at Holywell, Shrewsbury and Basingwerk) and also how her popularity extended beyond Wales. It includes interesting discussions of cures at the well, royal visitors and the post-reformation cult, and traces the origins of the cult and its development in a chronological fashion.
This essay highlights the main characteristics of the architecture of the Welsh house and provide... more This essay highlights the main characteristics of the architecture of the Welsh house and provides an analysis of the influences on its design over the centuries. The various terms involved in the field are clearly explained before the discussion is expanded, and pertinent examples are used of different forms of architecture in Wales and their locations, demonstrating effectively the factors that influenced design and its development over the years.
This is a useful evaluation of five websites, which may be relevant for those conducting general ... more This is a useful evaluation of five websites, which may be relevant for those conducting general studies into the origins of the Celts. The range of sites chosen offers a good selection – some vast in size and others more restricted to articles in a specific narrow field. A number of important issues are considered (authorship, maintenance, whether the site is updated, whether all of the contributors’ credentials are verifiable, structure and scope of the sites etc.) and the balanced and informative assessments should enable students to make cautious and critical use of the information found on the respective sites.
A fascinating account of the life and works of Turlough O’Carolan, written in the style of entry ... more A fascinating account of the life and works of Turlough O’Carolan, written in the style of entry for the Larousse Encyclopedia of Music. A concise and informative entry, which also includes an image of the composer.
A review of Alan Macquarrie’s Medieval Scotland: Kingship and Nation. The structure of this revie... more A review of Alan Macquarrie’s Medieval Scotland: Kingship and Nation. The structure of this review is based on that of the English Historical Review journal. A clear and succinct introduction to both the author and topic area is followed by a more detailed examination of the book, with pertinent observations regarding strengths and weaknesses. The review also remarks on the focus of the author throughout (along with his writing style) and the relevance of the volume for its potential audience.
This essay examines the processes through which Scotland became part of Britain and Brittany beca... more This essay examines the processes through which Scotland became part of Britain and Brittany became part of France. It compares the amalgamation of the two polities into the larger states, highlighting the similarities and contrasts between the two events, and concludes by considering whether the ‘take-over’ of these formerly independent Celtic countries was by conquest, absorption or through some other means.
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2015
provide any sort of relevant link between the two national cinemas in the post-communist era, apa... more provide any sort of relevant link between the two national cinemas in the post-communist era, apart from one exception, Persona Non Grata (Krzysztof Zanussi, 2005), a Polish—Russian coproduction with a high degree of actual collaboration that is, nevertheless, considered an example of a recently accentuated narration of the nation in post-communist cinemas (Kalinowska,134–153). With regard to the success of Polish films at the Venice and Cannes film festivals from the 1940s to the 1960s, the question arises whether, and if so to what extent, the ‘Polish School has shaped these festivals in relation to art house cinema—and vice versa, the role played by the festivals in shaping the ‘Polish School’ through their programming choices and critical reception of Polish films? (Ostrowska, 77–95). Furthermore, Polish directors such as Waterian Borowczyk, Andrzej Zulawski and Agnieszka Holland are discussed as ‘outsiders’ to the dominant aesthetic and political tendencies of Polish cinema towards realism; the transnational nature and artistic vision of these filmmakers become evident through detailed analyses of key films that can be located within multiple discourses of contemporary cinema. More than two million Poles left Poland after the country’s accession to the European Union in 2004. Hence, like many countries with a strong emigration history, the Polish nation has become more and more an ‘imagined community’ (Benedict Anderson), and Polish films made in Poland and abroad play an important role in ‘imagining’ this community, by forging links between the homeland and the diaspora and by catering to the tastes of Polish migrants. In this context, the book is a timely contribution to a renewed academic interest in Polish cinema.
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2015
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 2015
digitalization) during the last decade, where broadband streaming, social networks and avant-gard... more digitalization) during the last decade, where broadband streaming, social networks and avant-garde communication have become central to the formation of new communities and forms of engagement with existing social conditions. Discussing the interconnection between technology politics, economy, avant-garde experiments and migration, Halle argues that the connection between emigration and avant-garde work ‘has been a central but overlooked part of debates’ (28), starting with the artistic communities of WWI exiles (e.g. DADA movement) through to WWII exiles in New York and beyond, or Europe’s experimental underground film production since the 1960s, who all sought to break with the confining genre patterns of narrative cinema. In this context, Halle defines and advances the concept of interzones as an ‘experience not limited to geographic cartographic proximity but rather an ideational space, a sense of being somewhere that unites two places, if even only transitionally or temporarily’ (5), and to be understood as ‘conflictual dialogic’ spaces of transit, interaction, transformation, and contentious and contested diversity (23). Cinema has been the privileged medium for the imagining of communities, with the representation of interzones in European film (and a dynamic film industry developing in the EU) ultimately used in support of cultural Europeanization. According to Halle, post-1990 European cinema specifically narrates directly international experience of contact and transformation (e.g. in One Day in Europe by Hannes Stöhr, 2005) or that of crossing a Europe without borders (e.g. in Lisbon Story by Wim Wenders, 1994), and subsequently has become a vital mechanism in generating and representing the European Union’s fostering of new networks of cultural interzones. The Europeanization of Cinema is an intelligent and innovative study inasmuch as it connects a range of key concepts from film, border and cultural studies for the examination of (new) imaginative communities beyond the nation-state, and their visual representation and implementation in a post-Wende European cinema.
A detailed reading of the Four Branches illustrating the depiction of the otherworld throughout t... more A detailed reading of the Four Branches illustrating the depiction of the otherworld throughout the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, with examples classified under various headings.
An analysis of the passage in Branch Two of the Mabinogi concerning Efnysien’s discovery of the I... more An analysis of the passage in Branch Two of the Mabinogi concerning Efnysien’s discovery of the Irish warriors hidden in flour bags. This analysis shows the significance and context of the passage and considers a range of relevant factors. There are interesting comments on the style and episodic nature of the text and on the core themes of feud and friendship and recurring motifs. It includes a useful summary of the main content and characterisation in this passage, and suggests that one could consider the passage in the light of Freytag’s dramatic arc framework.
This discussion considers the Arthurian elements presented in De Excidio, Historia Brittonum and ... more This discussion considers the Arthurian elements presented in De Excidio, Historia Brittonum and the Annales Cambriae and analyses to what extent these may be indicative of the religious and political motives of their authors, rather than simplistically accepted as early primary sources recording reliable ‘evidence’ for an historical Arthur. The discussion is conducted using a framework for examining the texts, their wider historical and literary contexts, the authors’ motivations and the texts’ usefulness as historical ‘evidence’. It concisely distills all the relevant arguments and compares and contrasts various viewpoints. Finally it carefully unpicks the primary sources and demonstrates a number of problems concerning dating, later interpolations, inconsistencies, lack of clarity due to brevity (e.g. Arthur or Ambrosius?) and sensibly concludes that neither Historia Brittonum nor the Annales Cambriae can be viewed as reliable historical evidence, and that that the case for an historical Arthur is ‘unproven’.
This essay provides an analysis of how and when St Winefride’s cult became popular; how personal ... more This essay provides an analysis of how and when St Winefride’s cult became popular; how personal and political motives lead to the promotion of the cult (particularly at Holywell, Shrewsbury and Basingwerk) and also how her popularity extended beyond Wales. It includes interesting discussions of cures at the well, royal visitors and the post-reformation cult, and traces the origins of the cult and its development in a chronological fashion.
This essay highlights the main characteristics of the architecture of the Welsh house and provide... more This essay highlights the main characteristics of the architecture of the Welsh house and provides an analysis of the influences on its design over the centuries. The various terms involved in the field are clearly explained before the discussion is expanded, and pertinent examples are used of different forms of architecture in Wales and their locations, demonstrating effectively the factors that influenced design and its development over the years.
This is a useful evaluation of five websites, which may be relevant for those conducting general ... more This is a useful evaluation of five websites, which may be relevant for those conducting general studies into the origins of the Celts. The range of sites chosen offers a good selection – some vast in size and others more restricted to articles in a specific narrow field. A number of important issues are considered (authorship, maintenance, whether the site is updated, whether all of the contributors’ credentials are verifiable, structure and scope of the sites etc.) and the balanced and informative assessments should enable students to make cautious and critical use of the information found on the respective sites.
A fascinating account of the life and works of Turlough O’Carolan, written in the style of entry ... more A fascinating account of the life and works of Turlough O’Carolan, written in the style of entry for the Larousse Encyclopedia of Music. A concise and informative entry, which also includes an image of the composer.
A review of Alan Macquarrie’s Medieval Scotland: Kingship and Nation. The structure of this revie... more A review of Alan Macquarrie’s Medieval Scotland: Kingship and Nation. The structure of this review is based on that of the English Historical Review journal. A clear and succinct introduction to both the author and topic area is followed by a more detailed examination of the book, with pertinent observations regarding strengths and weaknesses. The review also remarks on the focus of the author throughout (along with his writing style) and the relevance of the volume for its potential audience.
This essay examines the processes through which Scotland became part of Britain and Brittany beca... more This essay examines the processes through which Scotland became part of Britain and Brittany became part of France. It compares the amalgamation of the two polities into the larger states, highlighting the similarities and contrasts between the two events, and concludes by considering whether the ‘take-over’ of these formerly independent Celtic countries was by conquest, absorption or through some other means.