Multimodal techniques (meaning the use of narrative modes signalised by various typographies etc.) enable a fuller presentation of Caravaggio’s mental dysfunction (in the novel the focalizing role is ...performed by, among others, the notes of the painter who is falling into obsession and madness – it is these that form his internal storyworld). Confrontation with the journalistic account, provided by the alter ego of the very author of the novel (so called sylleptic narrator) – that is the second level of narration – constitutes the modal frame for the presentation of the artist’s fate and contributes to showing the mental state of Caravaggio who is obsessed with “black sun” (this obsession might be the source of the chiaroscuro technique), and who sees in hallucinations his own severed head. This way, Camilleri creatively exploits the motif of decapitation, found in Caravaggio’s paintings, following many research studies showing that the heads found in the paintings could have been the painter’s self-portraits and expressions of his expiation. This context is supplemented by reproductions of Caravaggio’s paintings, which are embedded in the narration and “commented upon” in his fictional journal, thus constituting yet another layer registering (and illustrating) what takes place in the artist’s mind.
Multimodal techniques (meaning the use of narrative modes signalised by various typographies etc.) enable a fuller presentation of Caravaggio’s mental dysfunction (in the novel the focalizing role is ...performed by, among others, the notes of the painter who is falling into obsession and madness – it is these that form his internal storyworld). Confrontation with the journalistic account, provided by the alter ego of the very author of the novel (so called sylleptic narrator) – that is the second level of narration – constitutes the modal frame for the presentation of the artist’s fate and contributes to showing the mental state of Caravaggio who is obsessed with “black sun” (this obsession might be the source of the chiaroscuro technique), and who sees in hallucinations his own severed head. This way, Camilleri creatively exploits the motif of decapitation, found in Caravaggio’s paintings, following many research studies showing that the heads found in the paintings could have been the painter’s self-portraits and expressions of his expiation. This context is supplemented by reproductions of Caravaggio’s paintings, which are embedded in the narration and “commented upon” in his fictional journal, thus constituting yet another layer registering (and illustrating) what takes place in the artist’s mind.
In the past few years there has been a growing interest in depicting permanently sieged strongholds, secluded last stands, or quarantined asylums within a post-apocalyptic world so as to strengthen ...the sense of the ultimate isolation and disconnection from the desolated world outside. The majority of those narratives share a similar world-model, featuring an over-crowded, fortified refuge and its ruler turning a utopian sanctuary into a dystopian confinement. This means that the society in such a world faces two actual threats: one imminent, be it a zombie apocalypse, bands of scavengers, or epidemic that forces people to take refuge – and the other one, concealed, which reveals itself when everything seems to be under control.
The article focuses on the analysis of the concept of multimodality in the context of zombiecentric stories. The article attempts to indicate the variety of narrative techniques in works a priori ...perceived as belonging to a lower aesthetic category due to their common (though unfounded) inclusion in the horror genre. Various aspects of multimodality, expressed in the visual dimension (e.g. typographic or illustrative) or in the use of focalization, were subjected to close analysis. These aesthetic procedures are employed not only to depart from the cliché plot schemas of zombie pandemic, but are also used for worldbuilding as tools enabling construction of credible and deeply immersive communications. The high creative competence of the authors of zombie-centric narratives attests to the research potential these texts have to offer.
The article deals with the stereotypical ways in which game players are represented in various TV series whose characters are constructed on the basis of well-worn (and not necessarily authentic) ...patterns. As a result, one-dimensional motifs of games and players lead to unvarying representations which tend to be bipolar. The screenwriters seem to be convinced that the only function of video games is escapism. The TV series characters are, therefore, constructed on the basis of definite patterns limited to specific personality models ranging from the genius to the simpleton with a low IQ. The article exemplifies stereotypes of games and players. It argues that the monochromatic way of presenting the players results – among others – from the fact that producers and screenwriters are willing to favour the expectations of average viewers and attempt to mirror some universally-acknowledged convictions which are not true.
The article Zombie Apocalypse in Contemporary Children’s Literature tackles a subject which has scarcely been mentioned in Polish research on children’s literature: that of catastrophic ...zombie-centric narratives, elements of which – especially the motif of the zombie apocalypse – are increasingly common in works targeted at children of pre- school and early school age. Three popular English-language picturebooks are interpreted: A Brain Is for Eating (2001) by Dan and Amelia Jacobs with ilustrations by Scott Brundage, Joe McGee and Charles Santoso’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Brains (2015), and Zombie Cat. The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty (2012) by Isabel Atherton and Bethany Straker. The dominant features of these books are respectively: dark carnivalisation and a drastic representation of bloodthirsty monsters; mild carnivalisation and a zombie-child as a humanised phantom; dark carnivalisation with an animal zombie leitmotif. The texts present a multidimensional, grotesque-macabre depiction inspired by children’s folklore and apocalyptic gore cinema, as well as its significance in the context of discourses focused on post-humanism and social issues of importance in the present day. The article also seeks to answer the question of why these subjects are less popular among Polish authors, and what makes them so important in Anglo-Saxon children’s literature.
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