Rhesis. International Journal of Linguistics, Philology and Literature

Double Visions

David Ian Lucking — 2025-04-03

This article examines Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India from the point of view of the religious elements, deriving from Buddhism and Hinduism respectively, contained within them. What is entailed by the clash of cultures depicted in both works is a confrontation between different conceptions of the world, and more especially of the value of action within that world. If the story of the Buddha, and more particularly of the Bodhisattva, provides Kipling with a metaphor for the complementary quests of Kim and the lama in Kim, it is I suggest one of the cardinal religious texts of Vedantic Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita, that provides the metaphorical underpinnings of A Passage to India.

Ecocritical perspectives:

Gioiella Bruni Roccia — 2025-04-14

The divide between the humanities and the natural sciences is often seen, still nowadays, through the lens of the famous “two cultures” controversy surrounding C. P. Snow’s 1959 lecture. The purpose of this paper is to reconsider this much debated question in the light of the emerging field of ecocriticism, which is devoted to understanding and explaining the literary representation of the relationships between human beings and the natural environment. From this standpoint, Charlotte McConaghy’s debut novel, Migrations (2020), may be considered as an exemplary case of eco-narrative and, more specifically, of climate fiction. The analysis aims at showing how this narrative text is able to embody the core values and specific conditions of the human and physical worlds. The main purpose of this study is to underline how the ecocritical perspective, through genre hybridization and blending, helps bridge the gap between natural sciences and humanities.

The Future of Family in Dystopia: E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops and Liam Brown’s Skin

Carolina Celeste Granini — 2026-01-13

This article explores the intersection of technology, dystopian settings and family dynamics through a comparative analysis of E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops (1909) and Liam Brown’s Skin (2019). It investigates how both texts portray technology as a double-edged force, simultaneously enabling connection and accelerating alienation, especially within familial relationships. Forster’s early 20th-century vision anticipates the psychological and emotional costs of mechanized life, while Brown’s contemporary novel reflects the deep impact of digital overdependence during prolonged lockdowns. The study considers how the media, particularly digital screens, mediates communication and exacerbates isolation, turning technology into both a lifeline and a mechanism of control. Special attention is given to the roles of parenthood, especially motherhood, as a site of resistance and emotional endurance. Through the characters of Vashti, Angela, Kuno, Amber and Charlie, the article maps the emotional toll of confinement and surveillance, while also addressing issues of mental health, body image and identity in technologically saturated environments. By comparing narratives from distinct historical contexts, this work highlights the ongoing relevance of dystopian literature in interrogating our digital present and imagining future societal trajectories. The conclusion emphasizes the critical need for human connection amidst growing technological dominance.