Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Letter From The Editor, Lauren R. Yanase

Anthós

Letter from Lauren Yanase, Editor-in-Chief, offering a brief background of this issue of Anthós and thanking people who have been instrumental in its publication.

Table Of Contents, Lauren R. Yanase

Anthós

This document includes the front matter and table of contents for this issue of Anthós.

Literary Lepidopterology: Nabokov And The Book That Was A Butterfly, Dave Patterson

Anthós

In this paper I examine Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, arguing that contrary to many interpretations, the book does not assert a moral lesson, and is instead a work of art for art’s sake. I examine its formal structures to demonstrate this claim. First I look at a Doppelgänger motif between the characters of Humbert Humbert and Clare Quilty. Since this motif is independent of Humbert’s character arc, it is narratively insignificant and becomes merely one of many themes related to doubles, twins, and mirror images. I also explain how Nabokov was a lifelong scientist studying butterflies and moths, and saw …

Black Transnationalism And Diaspora In Hip Hop: An Analysis Of Billy Woods’ “Asylum”, Rayli Dornan

Anthós

This paper examines Billy Woods' 2022 song, "Asylum" from the album Aethiopes, situating it between the frameworks of Black transnationalism and diaspora. Woods critiques colonialism and constructs a collective Black cultural identity through lyricism and sampling, despite the universally destructive effects of colonialism. The methodology of this paper involves close reading and listening to "Asylum," supported by theoretical perspectives on Black transnationalism and diaspora. This research also incorporates historical context and Woods' personal background to frame the song's narrative. Key materials include the song's lyrics, its samples, and relevant academic literature on colonialism and Black identity. "Asylum" critiques colonialism …

Diabolical Or Masculine Men? Opposing Views Of Male Witches In Early Modern England, Giuliana T. Mintiero

Anthós

Accused witches in early modern England were predominantly female, with historians often connecting the witches’ gender to these accusations. However, a small but substantial number of males were also accused of witchcraft. This has sparked debate in the discourse community over whether gender plays a role in witchcraft accusations against males. In their respective articles, witchcraft scholars Millar and Kent both ask how ordinary people during the English witchcraft trials of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries viewed males accused of witchcraft, arriving at very different conclusions. Millar determines that male witches’ gender is not important, while Kent decides that it …

Dinesen’S Diana: The Transformative Power Of Symbols In Ehrengard, Aishwarya A. Marathe

Anthós

This analysis of Dinesen's Ehrengard aims to illuminate the subversive transformation of the titular character of the novel, using the literal and symbolic application of artistic power.

“For The Right To Live”: Radical Activity In Portland’S Parks During The Great Depression, Eliana Bane

Anthós

During the Great Depression, Portland's working class joined in the national surge of radicalism to fight for economic relief and social justice. One of organized labor’s most effective strategies was to stage mass demonstrations in highly visible public spaces, such as Plaza Park adjacent City Hall in downtown. Rallying in city parks represented workers’ determination to exercise their free speech in spite of Red Scare suppression of leftist radicals. This essay explores the role of public parks in the history of the labor movement in Portland during the Depression, primarily focusing on Plaza Park since it was a hub for …

Postpartum And The Pressure To Work, Summer Brother

Anthós

In the United States, the lack of availability and support around maternity leave results in mothers rushing back to the workforce soon after childbirth. Topics such as breastfeeding, physical trauma, postpartum depression, and working while in the postpartum period, all pile together to paint a picture of what it means to be a new mother in America. Through the use of qualitative data and academic sources, the article's findings conclude that health and bonding between the mother and baby are interconnected. The rush to begin work again also affects all aspects of one's health, often beyond the six to eight …

Dancers Of The Book: Yemenite, Persian, And Kurdish Jewish Dance, Quinn Bicer

Anthós

Despite the cultural significance of dance in Jewish communities around the world, research into Middle Eastern Jewish dance outside of the modern nation-state of Israel is sorely under-researched. This article aims to help rectify this by focusing on Yemenite, Persian/Iranian, and Kurdish Jewish dance and explores how these dancers have functioned and been received within the societies they have been a part of. The methods that have gone into this article are a combination of analyzing primary source recorded dances and existing secondary source research into the dance of these communities. Through these methods, this article reveals how Yemenite, Iranian, …

Nella Larsen’S Passing: Ambiguous Symbology & Weather, Sara Casten

Anthós

Nella Larsen wrote Passing in 1929, a novella that explored the relationship between two women of mixed race: Irene and Clare. This article highlights the complimentary weather elements with the emotional turbulence experienced by Irene as she tells the story; Clare’s warmth and beauty to Irene’s cold and lack thereof. This article also explores the skills of Larsen to write these ambiguous complimentary weather elements in Passing by highlighting her other novella Quicksand, published the year before.

Back To Nature: Marie Antionette And The Cottagecore Fantasy, Rose Caughie

Anthós

This essay is an examination of the legacy of Marie Antionette's Chemise a la Reine. At the end of the 18th century, a portrait of the queen in this dress caused scandal and outrage. Despite, or perhaps because of this, the Chemise a la Reine became a staple in the wardrobe of the Western woman. Today, this style continues to be popular. This is particularly notable in the Cottagecore aesthetic movement. Much like Marie Antionette's use of this style, Cottagecore fashion carries deep ties to an escapist pastoral fantasy. However, more important is the continued legacy of Neoclassicism and the …

Hit By Cupid's Arrow: Hidden Violence In Love Metaphors, Isis Dornbrook

Anthós

Love is an emotion that typically brings joy. However, the ways in which society talks about love suggest otherwise. The process of metaphor analysis makes the violence in societal expressions of love salient. Additionally, metaphor analysis shows that violent metaphors can inform the way people interact with one another throughout the stages of relationship formation, such as using metaphors to justify sexual and other types of physical abuse. Thus, this paper argues that metaphors, by shaping our attitudes and expectations about love, sex, and relationships, have observable social and cultural implications.

Passing Down: Nella Larsen's Questioning Of Eugenic Ideology, Sky R. Mcleod

Anthós

This article looks at Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel Passing and examines how eugenic ideology of the time period are explored and critiqued through the story and characters. The novel follows two light skinned black women who grew up together and are reunited as adults. This reconciliation takes place under the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance where the expectations of New Negro womanhood mix with a growing wave of eugenic thought and practices. In the 1920’s many influential thinkers, including black leaders such as W. E.B. Du Bois, were convinced that the only way to move the human race forward was …

Dossier Cover, Tye Raymond

Anthós

This is the cover image for the 2022 Anthós Dossier about the novel Passing.

Data Visualization: Analyzing An Evidentiary Archive, John Kohlepp

Anthós

This paper summarizes my approach to analyzing the evidentiary archive of Lisa Mendelman’s article “Character Defects: The Racialized Addict and Nella Larsen’s Passing” as part of Dr. Brenda Glascott’s HON 399 class in the Portland State Honors College. My teammates for this project were Joshua Allen, Elizabeth Estrada Torres, and Daman McConnell—I thank each of them for the hard work and insightful analysis they contributed to our collective work.

The 1929 novel Passing by Nella Larsen is a Harlem Renaissance masterpiece touching upon New Negro aspirations and the societal and psychological minefield of managing (and transgressing) racial boundaries as they …

Dignity, Respect, And Freedom, Lindsey Abercrombie

Anthós

This paper looks at Irene Redfield, a character from Nella Larsen's Passing, analyzing how dignity is prioritized above all else in her life. Viewing Irene through the lenses of race, sexuality, and class, this paper delves into the intricacies of Irene's mind, attempting to contextualize her by her overt and repressed desires. Passing is a nuanced novel with complicated characters. Many scholars have attempted to understand the symbolism Larsen has imbued the novel with, producing insightful works to challenge the reader's initial perceptions of the novel and the characters. Through taking a deep-dive into Irene's mind, readers can become …

Color And Descriptors To See A Deeper Meaning In "Passing", Dani Szafran

Anthós

A small glimpse into the novel “Passing” by Nella Larsen. A fictional story of Irene Redfield, a black woman living in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, and her unraveling life brought on by a chance meeting of an old friend. This is a look at the latent lesbian feelings as shown by the use of descriptive words to paint a picture of a desire that was forbidden during those times.

Letter From The Editor, Eliana Bane

Anthós

Letter from Eliana Bane, Editor-in-Chief, offering a brief background of this issue of Anthós and thanking people who have been instrumental in its publication.

The Power Of An Unreliable Narrator And The Distortion Of Fear In Nella Larsen’S Passing, Sonia Comstock

Anthós

This article studies Nella Larsen’s Passing through the unreliable narration of the novel’s key character, Irene. It goes on to explore her relationships and her judgements, which expose the twisted nature of her psychology and demonstrate that Irene is driven by fear and resentment. Irene hates the act of wanting and constantly crushes her husband’s aspirations, yet deeply desires the other focal character of the novel, Clare. She lies to herself about her tense, racially fraught relationship with her husband, as well as her repressed homosexual attraction towards Clare. These lies, combined with her deep-seated fear and hatred of desire …

Table Of Contents, Eliana Bane

Anthós

This document includes the front matter and table of contents for this issue of Anthós.

Before Beachie Creek, Raine Welterlen

Anthós

An account of the biodiversity observed on a hiking trip in July 2020, three months before devastating wildfires destroyed much of the Opal Creek Wilderness

Of Homespun Opulence: An Analysis Of Jane Freilicher's Pastoral Abstraction In Parts Of A World, Grace Wolfe

Anthós

During a period of bold abstraction and American individuality, Jane Freilicher’s landscape and still-life paintings stand out for their figurative nature. Her use of color and tone to conjure the simple pleasure of life at home enrapture the viewer in a simultaneously universal yet personal experience. Upon closer inspection of her work, it becomes clear that although figurative in nature, Freilicher’s paintings abstract the pastoral to express identity in an urban environment. This essay examines Freilicher’s 1987 work, Parts of a World, in context with pastoral works throughout art history to understand the ways in which Freilicher both reflected …

Understanding Visibility Of Queer Bodies Through Discursive And Materialist Schools Of Thought, Evelyn Birnbaum

Anthós

Queer bodies have had a constant and consistent struggle to be seen as valid in capitalist societies and often find themselves teetering between invisibility and hypervisibility. This essay works to analyze Rosemary Hennessy and Judith Butler’s contributions in the 1990’s to the discourse on queer (in)visibility as well as address present-day viewpoints on the issue. Hennessy’s Marxist materialist perspective that points to capitalism as the reason for invisible queer bodies is compared and contrasted with Butler’s discursive perspective which emphasizes the semantics of human language that defines our bodies. Both schools of thought are found to be critical and necessary …

The Velvet Glove: Virtuousness And Class In Balzac’S Paris, Nicholas C. Peters

Anthós

This piece has attempted to select a key passage in Père Goriot, and identify textual elements in order to create a taxonomy which reveals patterns from which possibilities of meaning stem. Balzac creates this scene as a condemnation of the current state of the aristocracy, as well as the greed and ambition of the middle class which further corrupts the values and integrity of the ruling class. This essay uses textual explication to analyze the descriptions, and diction used in the chosen passage to explicate a larger meaning in the novel, as well as offering a new understanding of …

Arthur Clennam’S Navigation Of Social And Physical Setting In Little Dorrit, Danielle Jochums

Anthós

While Charles Dickens is most often noted for his portrayal of squalid urban conditions, he is also able to design and describe a wide variety of settings related to every echelon of the social hierarchy. This literary inquiry delves into Dickens’ world of Little Dorrit. In particular, it investigates how Dickens implements the reciprocal development between setting and character. Focusing on the character of Arthur Clennam, the protagonist of the story and the reader’s guide through the world of Little Dorrit, this query evaluates how Dickens introduces and teaches the reader about the classed and value-laden settings featured …

Snowfall On Orhan Pamuk's Literary Canvas, Jane Eden Hartle

Anthós

In the novels Snow, My Name is Red, and The Black Book, and the memoir Istanbul: Memories and The City, Orhan Pamuk uses the symbolism of snowfall the way a visual artist would use paint. It is used to blur and define boarders on a micro and macro level, both covering and revealing historical, cultural, and political content. Snow simultaneously hides and announces, shelters and exposes. These equally powerful, often contradictory, and ultimately interdependent concepts, symbolized by the use of snow, are characteristic of the duality and identity conflict explored throughout these literary works. The readers’ interpretation of …

Letter From The Editor, Blake Horner

Anthós

Letter from Blake Horner, Editor-in-Chief, offering a brief background of Anthós and thanking people who have been instrumental in this issue's publication.

Table Of Contents

Anthós

This document includes the front matter and table of contents for this issue of Anthós.

Table Of Contents

Anthós

This document includes the front matter and table of contents for this issue of Anthós.

Introduction

Anthós

Introduction by the Editors, offering a brief background on Anthós and thanking people who have been instrumental in its work.