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This article introduces characterisation of the tender narrator concept by Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk, which was a central point in her Nobel Prize lecture (2019). During the identification, three key elements of Tokarczuk’s project are specified: the bond of diegetic forms with climate and environmental crisis of the Anthropocene; dynamically changing, fragmented collective and individual perspectives; and the titular narrative tenderness manifested in sensitivity to more-than-human voices, networks, and relations. Through this, the potential of this idea is included in the repertoire of econarratological research and, more broadly, non-anthropocentric narrative theories. To detail the manifestations of the fourth-person narrative, as the tender narrative is also called, this paper problematises spatiotemporal experiences based on the example of Tokarczuk’s novel The Empusium (2024). In the analysis of how representations of time and space are mediated in the tender story, aspects such as interdependencies, despatialisation and fragmentation are brought to the fore.

The article tackles the function of the narrator in contemporary fiction. After outlining the position of the narrator in classical and post-classical narratology, it analyses several innovative approaches to this category as found in contemporary Slovenian novel. The article outlines general determinants of the narrator and attempts at showing that the category is still viable and offers possibilities for systematising. It looks at the narrator in the context of narratology and provides a definition and typology of this category. Given the syncretic character of the category of narrator, the knowledge of its multiple types – not restricted to the ones outlined by structuralist narratology – proves to be fruitful. The wider current definition of the narrator is most concisely outlined in the standard model of communication and consists of such elements as the real author, implied author, narrator, narratee, implied reader and real reader. The model, unlike older conceptualisations, is based on mediation and the activity of the narrator, not on the notion of the narrator as the speaker.

“Hideous Kinky” presents the story of an English mother travelling in Morocco with her two daughters. As expected, this exotic journey is about the woman’s pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Less expected, the story is narrated by her youngest daughter who constantly denies the story to the reader. Starting from the issue of unreliable homodiegetic narration, this paper proposes to analyse the effects of missing information in the text, and the reader’s subsequent responsibility for filling the gaps and disambiguating the story. As a method, the essay establishes connections between its theoretical investigations and Esther Freud’s novel.

Advances in virtual reality present opportunities to relive experiences in an immersive medium that can change the way we perceive our life stories, potentially shaping our realities for the better. This paper studies the role of virtual reality as a tool for the creation of stories with the concept of the self as a narrator and the life of the self as a storyline. The basis of the study is the philosophical notion of the self-narrative as an explanatory story of the events in one's life that constitutes the notion of one's self. This application is suitable for cases when individuals need to recreate their self, such as during recovery after traumatic events. The analysis of the effects of virtual reality shows that it enables a person to engage in a process of deeper self-observation to understand and explain adverse events and to give meaning to these events to form a new story, which can complement the therapeutic outcomes of exposure treatments. This study proposes concrete examples of immersive scenarios used to reconstruct personal stories. Several possible levels of experience are proposed to suggest that recovery can be achieved through the gradual retelling of the self-narrative, addressing all of the underlying narratives. Considering the ethical challenges that might arise, this paper explores the ways in which immersion in virtual reality can benefit a person's view toward life as a story and his or her self as its author, comparing this idea with previous research on the application of virtual reality for trauma treatment. The analysis also emphasizes the perception of narrative authorship in virtual reality as an essential method for recovering the self-narrative and improving a patient's mental health during self-actualization.

This research aims to add to the critical discussions of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun by bridging the disciplines of narratology and cognitive science. First, the article traces the presumed voicing of Klara’s robotic cognitive processes, connecting her machine vision to the idea of a non-anthropocentric self and the fictional possibilities of nonhuman un/consciousness. Secondly, it looks at the cognitive-affective interdependencies in the assemblage that artificial intelligences create with the humans in the novel. Drawing on N. Katherine Hayles’s idea of cognitive assemblages and Marco Caracciolo’s theorisation of strange narrators, this research considers how Ishiguro’s novel invites readers to navigate interpretive tensions when engaging with nonhuman perspectives, while exploring whether the text participates in a paradigm shift from a human-centred cognitive subject towards a relational configuration that bridges the ontological divide between human and nonhuman “minds.” Esta investigación, que pretende tender un puente entre las disciplinas de los estudios de narratología y las ciencias cognitivas, tiene como objetivo contribuir a los debates críticos sobre la novela Klara and the Sun de Kazuo Ishiguro. En primer lugar, el artículo se centra en el análisis de la voz narrativa y en las capacidades cognitivas de la robot Klara, conectando su visión artificial con la idea de un ser no-antropocéntrico, así como en las posibilidades ficcionales de la (in)consciencia no-humana. En segundo lugar, este estudio examina las interdependencias cognitivo-afectivas en el ensamblaje que las inteligencias artificiales crean con los humanos en la novela. Utilizando la idea de “ensamblaje cognitivo” de N. Katherine Hayles y la teorización de Marco Caracciolo sobre “narradores extraños”, esta investigación considera cómo la novela de Ishiguro invita a los lectores a navegar tensiones interpretativas al adentrarse en perspectivas no-humanas, mientras explora cómo esta participa del cambio de paradigma desde un sujeto cognitivo centrado en el ser humano hacia una configuración relacional que supera la tradicional división ontológica entre “mentes” humanas y no-humanas.  

Point of view in narrative is a focal angle of seeing, hearing, smelling, and sensing the story’s settings, characters, and events. Researchers within the fields of language, linguistics and literature, assert that there are three main types of narrator: first-person, second-person, and third-person. The current paper depicts the three types, highlighting each in terms of aim, use, and potential for narrative effectiveness. Linking the paper to narrative stylistics, aspects and markers of point of view such as locative expression, thought and speech presentation, mind style, dis-narration, and modality are discussed. To examine point of view in narrative through discussing areas of relevance to the topic, the paper sheds light on socio-pragmatic and cognitive dimensions within narrative contexts. Finally, the paper concludes with a number of essential factors for shaping the construct of effective point of view in narrative.

Sarjana hadis memberi perhatian khusus terhadap rantaian perawi (sanad) dalam al-Kutub al-Sittah. Kitab-kitab ini adakalanya menggugurkan nama penuh atau ulasan terhadap perawi, terutamanya ketika menukilkan nama perawi yang dinasabkan kepada keturunan bapa ke atas. Ini menyebabkan pembaca terkeliru, kerana menyangka individu sama yang disebut dengan nama berbeza adalah dua individu berlainan. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti dua perawi patronimi bernama Hilal dan riwayat hadis mereka daripada Nabi. Dengan menggunakan kajian kualitatif, analisis teks hadis dan karya rijal, hasil kajian menunjukkan faktor nama patronimi Arab adalah sebab utama pengulangan berlaku. Kajian mendapati tiga perawi dinasabkan kepada nama bapa, dua perawi dinasabkan kepada gelaran bapa (kunyah), seorang perawi dinasabkan kepada nama datuk, seorang dinasabkan kepada gelaran moyang (kunyah) dan seorang perawi dengan nama gelaran (laqab). Kedudukan muktabar al-Kutub al-Sittah yang dicapai pada zaman dahulu tidak menghalang kajian berterusan pada masa kini dan bagi para pengkaji hadis, keahlian mereka menganalisis dan mengkritik dibuat bertujuan untuk memelihara warisan hadis Nabi Salla’Llahu ʻalaih wa sallam

The article proposes a reevaluation of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955), considering the controversy surrounding the novel’s theme: the sexual obsession of an adult man with a preadolescent girl. It questions whether the text is addressed to a male, heterosexual public. Furthermore, it shows how readership has shifted with the rise of feminist, gender and sexuality studies as it debates the relevance of the novel in terms of its formal choices. As such, the article considers Nabokov’s exilic condition and adoption of English as a language for literary production, examining how these issues contribute to the development of Lolita, particularly with regard to the figure of its unreliable narrator. Additionally, two filmic adaptations are analyzed: Stanley Kubrick’s (1962) and Adrian Lyne’s (1997), taking into account representations of misogyny and narrative voice.

This article serves as an introduction to broader research into the poetics of memory. Against the backdrop of the prevailing orientation of the humanities toward cultural and historical memory, the author turns to the question of individual memory and its literary articulation. Poetics is understood primarily as the \"made-ness\" or \"crafted-ness\" of a text, and the article examines how the subject’s individual recollections are disclosed at this level of literary expression. The discussion draws on the concept of a new poetics, conceived simultaneously as a poetics of existence. This approach entails respect for human physicality and, in this sense, for the physicality of memory itself. These considerations are linked to the process of \"revealing\" the contents of memory, the manner of this \"revelation,\" and its reception. Particular attention is paid to the question of language and literature as forms of \"use,\" and the author therefore explores the possibilities and modes of language use within memory processes. Paradoxically, inspiration for this methodological move comes from a non-literary domain that nevertheless makes intensive use of literary and literary-critical tools—namely, the field of gerontology, and more specifically narrative gerontology. The argument is illustrated through a literary-theoretical interpretation of Silvester Lavrík’s novel Nedeľné šachy s Tisom (Sunday chess with Tiso, 2016).

Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel delves into the intricacies of memory, self-deception, and denial through the lens of its protagonist, Stevens, a devoted butler. This article meticulously examines the interplay of these themes within the novel, elucidating their profound impact on Stevens’ identity and worldview. By meticulously dissecting Ishiguro’s narrative, the paper elucidates how memory functions as a tool for constructing personal narratives, particularly evident in Stevens’ selective recollection of events to maintain his idealized butler persona. Furthermore, it explores Stevens’ unwavering commitment to duty, which leads to his blindness towards his employer’s moral failings and the subsequent isolation and regret he faces. Through a comprehensive analysis, this paper argues that Stevens’ self-deception and denial emanate from a quest for dignity and purpose, underscoring Ishiguro’s critique of sacrificing integrity for societal conformity. Moreover, it elucidates how Ishiguro’s exploration resonates with broader philosophical discourse on memory, identity, and ethical considerations, accentuating the imperative of acknowledging past errors for individual growth and societal advancement.