Verba iuvenium
Permanent URI for this collection
ISSN 2682-9460
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item MODELING OF THE MAN FROM THE ONE STATE IN THE NOVEL “WE” BY Y. ZAMYATIN(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Ananiev, Ivan; Ананиев, ИванThe subject of this study is the portrayal of the human in the One State – his depersonalization and transformation into a means for achieving the “idealsˮ of a totalitarian society. The fictional world in the novel reflects the modern conception of the infinite mechanical Universe, governed solely by physical laws. Technological civilization introduces a mechanistic principle, hostile to humanity, and the means of manipulating human consciousness become ever more powerful and global. The idea of collectivism was born, which suppresses and destroys the individual, turning them into a “cogˮ in the vast mechanism of the State. The novel “Weˮ is a response to the total pressure of the ideological “monophonyˮ proclaimed by the Russian Revolution of 1917, and resonates with present dystopian literature, which warns: the danger of totalitarian regimes has not disappeared.Item DESEMANTIZATION THE AESTHETICS OF DECADENCE IN “THE CRIMSON BOOK OF BLUSHING“ BY LYUBOMIR MILCHEV(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Nikolova, Silvia; Николова, СилвияThe current paper aims to explore Lyubomir Milchev's “The Crimson Book of Blushingˮ (2018) through the possibility of approaching and pushing away from the models of decadent aesthetics, represented through the exemplary figure of Huysmans's Des Esseintes. The kinship of Dandy with decadence is constructed by virtue of the postmodern game, which relativize the order of existence. The use of Christian religious discourse and the rethinking of the modernistic solitude are key conceptual points.Item MANIFESTATIONS OF NEOREALISM IN THE NOVELLA “ALIENATION” AND THE SCREENPLAY “A PEASANT ON A BICYCLE” BY GEORGI MISHEV(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Savov, Ivan; Савов, ИванThe aim of this paper is to trace the influence of the aesthetics of Italian neorealism in cinema on two works by Georgi Mishev – the novella “Alienation” and the screenplay “A Peasant on a Bicycle”. The historical emergence and diverse influences on neorealism are outlined, as well as its specific features. The manifestations of neorealism in Georgi Mishev's work are studied – its characteristic cinematic quality, unadulteratedness, etc., as well as its interaction with the dogmas of socialist realism.Item THE BLOOM OF THE DESERT. THE MATTER OF THE MISSION OF THE ARTIST IN THE NOVEL „THE GREEN GRASS OF THE DESERT“ BY DIKO FUCHEDZHIEV(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Biserov, Boris; Бисеров, БорисThe current study emphasizes the role of the creator of arts and its paramount importance as a literary motif in the 1970s in Bulgarian literature. The paper is based upon the ambiguous message of the title of the novel, which can be interpreted either as a reference to an actual natural phenomenon, or as a metaphor of the main character’s life. Either way, there is a point of intersection where the two interpretations meet and which the study aims to explicit. The paper casts light on other narrative techniques, typical for the 1970s in Bulgaria, which can contribute to a further comprehension of the novel „The Green Grass of the Desert“.Item ASPECTS OF THE PATHOLOGY IN BLAGA DIMITROVA’S NOVEL “FACE“(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Boneva, Bozhana; Бонева, БожанаThe purpose of this paper is to examine Blaga Dimitrova's novel „Face“ through the illness as a metaphor. An attempt is made to discover and analyze the pathological and its functions: both in the individual – mainly through the main female figure Bora Naydenova, who is simultaneously a "patient" and a "diagnostician" in the novel, as well as in society, which actually appears to be the subject of Naydenova's sociological survey. The only healthy organism that has preserved its „humanity“ turns out to be Bora’s indoor ficus which is able to influence the characters psycho-emotionally, guiding them to their healing. The novel is documentary when it comes to the fact that it creates a „medical report“ of the Bulgarian society from the end of the 1950s. Highly stylized, „Face“ is the kind of a diagnosis that instills fear into those in power, whose reluctance to admit the pathology of their own actions results in the banning of the novel.Item SIN AND SELF-DESTRUCTION IN THE NOVEL “SIN” BY GEORGI RAYCHEV(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Raycheva, Denitsa; Райчева, ДеницаThe current study focuses on the sinful nature of Georgi Raychev’s characters and their inherent propensity for self-destruction, emphasising the intricate portrayal of morality within the context of human behaviour and ethical dilemmas. From both philosophical and religious perspectives, it aims to clarify how the characters' emotional states affect their actions and to what extent a committed sin can be justified by a specific psychological condition. Sin appears to be the most pernicious and yet certain path to self-destruction.Item TO SPIN YOUR DESTINY: OBSERVATIONS OF “THE SPINSTERS” BY ATANAS DALCHEV AND “SPINNER’S SONG” BY ELISAVETA BAGRYANA(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Vasileva, Lydia; Василева, ЛидияThe following text will attempt to explore the parallels between Dalchev’s poem “The spinsters” and Elisaveta Bagryana’s “Spinner’s song”. Despite the common motif – spinning and the similarities or equivalence of the employed imagery, Dalchev and Bagryana derive entirely contrasting conceptions regarding human existence: discontent stemming from a stifled lifestyle versus feeling joy in life and striving towards freedom and latitude. At the same time we will discover that in spite of their tangible differences the two texts fit together rather uniquely by producing the story of the circle of life, the natural correlation between beginning and end.Item THE PROBLEM WITH THE CHILDREN’S EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE BOOK SERIES “PATILANSKO TSARSTVO” BY RAN BOSILEK AND THE NOVEL “EMIL OF LÖNEBERGA” BY ASTRID LINDGREN(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Dimisheva, Alice; Димишева, АлисThe aim of this paper is to explore the problem of empiricism as an educational method for children, focusing on its representation in children’s literature in two different historical and geographical contexts. The comparing of these literary works reveals the relevance of this problem, and the existential importance of understanding it. The beginning of the argumentation is based on the famous work on the philosophy of empiricism “An essay concerning human understanding” by John Locke, and the purpose is to define the specific terms of the paper, to create a “frame” that explains why this problem exists. The rest of the article points out certain moments in Lindgren’s novel and in Ran Bosilek’s series which clearly show how children learn through experience, and why empiricism is such a successful parenting method. Both authors, no matter how different from each other they are, advocate the idea of freedom and logical consequences as the most effective way to raise a child.Item POWER IN THE WORKS OF GEORGE ORWELL. THE PANOPTICUM IN LITERATURE AND IN REALITY(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Alexiev, Tihomir; Алексиев, ТихомирThe research aims to show the ability of authors, who face the harsh reality, to predict events, convey them to their audience and even warn the world about the dictatorship and abuse of power that affects various social circles. The main works presented and discussed in this report are the two immortal novels of the English writer, journalist and critic George Orwell, as well as part of his rich essayistic oeuvre. Literary comparisons are used as well as historical events and figures that put into practice what those who opposed totalitarianism wrote. In order to fully complete the study, the views of Michel Foucault, Noam Chomsky, and references to archetypes are presented in order to explain certain elements in the works.Item THOMAS MANN'S NOVEL “BUDDENBROOKS” BETWEEN CLASSICAL REALISM AND THE AESTHETICS OF MODERNISM(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Radilov, Samuil; Радилов, СамуилIt is widely believed that the “disjuncture” of Thomas-Mann's work between high modernism and social (critical) realism is due to the efforts of certain Marxist critics, most notably György Lukács, to find in modern Western literature a phenomenon that reflects their understanding of the progressive role of realism in art; and that proves the rightness of certain aesthetic concepts. However, if we leave the presence of social criticism in the novels of the writer in the background and take the aesthetic and aesthetic-philosophical foundations of artistic objectivity as the starting point of the analysis, it becomes clear that the issue is far more complex. The present paper considers Thomas Mann's first novel, The Buddenbrooks, precisely as a dialectical unity of subjectivist aesthetic grounding and objectivist-realist artistic realization; as a non-modernist text by a writer with a formed modernist aesthetic disposition.Item AUTOTEXTUAL LEITMOTIFS: THOMAS MANN(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Georgiev, Ivan; Георгиев, ИванIn the article, Radosvet Kolarov's notion of autotextuality and the notion of leitmotif, shared between music and literature, meet in a peculiar creative mechanism, called autotextual leitmotif technique. At the same time, Radosvet Kolarov and Thomas Mann are ideologically aligned in a particular way on the question of the unity that the individual works of an author achieve in his oeuvre. The main aim of the paper is to provide various examples of the motivic nucleus that “Death in Venice”, “The Magic Mountain” and “Doctor Faustus” share among each other.Item THE SILENT WAVE AND THE FACE OF THE WATER IN “THE LOVER” BY MARGUERITE DURAS(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Gencheva, Maria; Генчева, МарияHere the unfolding paper details the theme of the natural element of water in literature and psychoanalysis, complemented by its roles in the life of the individual. The main spectrum of references at the core of the text is situated in the works of Mikel Dufrenne, Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung, whose theories help to understand one of the two inherently fluid protagonists in Marguerite Duras's “The Lover”. Numerous quotations are used in order to more fluidly flow into the conceptual emphases of what is being explored. Leading the way in this imaginative scholarly journey will be Gaston Bachеlard and his overall contribution with the work “Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter”.Item FRANKENSTEIN – SHELLEY’S CAT(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Kolev, Milen; Колев, МиленThe article examines the Frankenstein theme as an issue of categorizing the monster from Mary Shelley's novel. It emphasizes that the attempts to definitively classify the monster as either a type of artificial intelligence or an automaton are not only unsuccessful but fundamentally flawed, as something always remains beyond the imposed boundaries. This leads to the conclusion that the problem lies not in the creature itself but in the attempt to categorize it. The article raises the question of the monster’s true nature and introduces the idea of Frankenstein – Shelley’s cat, comparing the creature to Schrödinger’s experiment.Item “THE BEAUTIFULL CASSANDRA” FROM JANE AUSTEN – A PARODY OF THE PARODY IN NOVEL FOR ENTERTAINMENT(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Dimitrova, Kristin; Димитрова, КристинThis article investigates one of Jane Austen's early children's works – “The Beautiful Cassandra”. The purpose of this paper is to study the influence that the novel “Sentimental Travels in France and Italy” by English writer Laurence Sterne had on the young Jane Austen. Utilising a comparative approach, parallels and discrepancies between the two novels become evident. This paper also highlights both these similarities and differences, with a focus on identifying “The Beautiful Cassandra”’s unique elements. This article outlines the relationship between both books, highlighting that “The Beautiful Cassandra” could also be seen as a parody of Laurence Stern’s novel. The remarkable approach and style of the young writer and her use of different genre spectrums in a novel of 4 pages are also briefly analysed. The report also dives into the suspected purpose of Austen’s book – it is personally dedicated to the writer's sister in order to entertain and humour her.Item BEGINNINGS AND BIRTHS THROUGH DEATH: A HEIDEGGERIAN READING OF THE CHILD’S CONSCIOUSNESS OF TIME IN CHARLES DICKENS’S DAVID COPPERFIELD(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Yasenova, KristinaThe following text aims to offer a reading of Charles Dickens’s novel David Copperfield (1850) through the paradigm of thinking outlined by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) in his key work Being and Time (1927). Such an interpretation is mindful of certain signs indicating a possible phenomenology of the child’s consciousness. The stress shall be laid upon the child’s conception of time as presented in the novel viz. under two conditions within which it becomes activated – autobiographical and fairy tale elements.Item INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD WILL FROM SONNET 135 BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE IN FOUR BULGARIAN TRANSLATIONS(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Mileva, Nevena; Милева, НевенаThe paper takes a closer look at four different Bulgarian translations of the word “will“ from sonnet 135 by William Shakespeare. The word itself has numerous meanings, one of them being also the nickname of the poet. This raises many questions when it comes to decoding the text. Translating “will“ has produced various interpretations through the years. The four translators use different and unique tactics to make sense of the wordplay, not only for themselves, but also for the Bulgarian reader. In their attempt they play around and break the boundaries of established semantics. Shakespeare, amongst other things, is famous for his paranomasias, still being the base of many disputes to this day. Sonnet 135 has brought forth a theory that the word “will“, if read subtextually, can indicate errotic intention. This is a well-known hypothesis and one of the many unresolved mysteries surrounding the poet. Whether the translators support this speculation or not is another topic this paper comments on.Item PARODY AND IRONY IN THE GENEALOGY OF GARGANTUA AND PANTAGRUEL(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Andreeva, Adriana; Андреева, АдрианаThe purpose of this research is to present the reason for the existence of the genealogical list in F. Rabelais’s novel “Gargantua and Pantagruel”. The approach is directly referencing M. Foucault's ideas of historicism and genealogy. This research focuses on the family tree in the second volume, first chapter in the novel “Gargantua and Pantagruel”, titled “The Origin and Antiquity of the Family of the Great Pantagruel”. The characters in the list are presented through multiple intertextual connections in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the parodied and ironized characters. The paper does not aim at a complete analysis of the genealogical list, but at outlining trends in the listed images. Both literary and religious texts are used.Item HOW AI COULD TRANSFORM MEDICAL ENGLISH LINGUISTICS: BIOMEDICAL TEXT TOKENIZATION OF THE DISEASE IS ENEMY METAPHOR WITH BioBERT(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Goranova, SlaveyahThe development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many aspects of our lives. In the present paper, as part of the emerging theories for AI application in healthcare and medical sciences, we suggest that AI can be applied to the study of medical metaphors. In particular, we examine the possibility of biomedical text tokenization using BioBERT of the DISEASE is ENEMY metaphor. The present research is an initial stage of a much larger research in the context of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Discourse Analysis as applied to war metaphors in medical discourse.Item ON THE CONCEPTS OF MEMORY AND TEXT (IN RUSSIAN AND BULGARIAN SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE)(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Koleva, Kristiana; Колева, КристианаThe report outlines the main points of the theoretical framework guiding our research project, The Verbalization of Cultural Memory (Based on Materials from Russian and Bulgarian Languages). It focuses on the terminology of key concepts such as memory, cultural memory, text, discourse, intertextuality, and interdiscursivity. The concept of memory is examined from various perspectives, with particular emphasis on cultural memory. Cultural memory plays a central role in preserving cultural identity and is conveyed through various forms of communication, primarily through texts. Text is identified as one of the main carriers of cultural memory and a means of its verbalization. Discourse is described as a collection of texts and a form of verbalized cognitive activity. In this context, intertextuality and interdiscursivity are key concepts that describe the interactions between different types of texts and discourses.Item NOTES ON THE JOINT USE OF VERB FORMS IN SPANISH AND BULGARIAN COMPLEX SENTENCES(Plovdiv University Press, 2025-05-16) Tabakova, Polina; Табакова, ПолинаThe subject of the present study is the problem related to the principles of syntactic agreement of tenses in the Spanish and Bulgarian complex sentence, as well as the lack of agreement in some cases. This analysis provides further evidence for the hypothesis that a verb form in the target language that appears structurally similar to its counterpart in the source language does not always serves as an adequate (or exclusive) functional translation equivalent. The study raises important questions related to the rationale behind the operation of the law on the coordination of tenses, as well as the existence of coordination in the Bulgarian language.