Book review: Michael Calabrese, An Introduction to “Piers Plowman” (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida 2016), xxx + 355 pp. by Glover, T

“…Buoyed by his obvious enthusiasm for the poem, Michael Calabrese gives clarity to the poem’s frequently disorientating narrative, analyses its political and social commentary, and cajoles his readers into appreciating the poem’s artistry.…”

‘Qu’il est loin mon pays’: staging (be)longing in Massenet’s Sapho by Kavanagh, E

“…At first glance, Jules Massenet's opera Sapho (1897) might appear to water down its source material, substituting the searing social commentary of Alphonse Daudet's novel (1884) with idealised tropes of the Midi. …”

Caste and its histories in colonial India: a reappraisal by O'Hanlon, R

“…In particular, the juxtaposition between Brahman and non-Brahman itself was anticipated in a tradition of conservative social commentary that emerged in the Deccan Sultanate state of Ahmadnagar, and came to circulate widely through Banaras and western India during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. …”

Exploratory study on the role of emotion regulation in perceived valence, humour, and beneficial use of depressive internet memes in depression by Akram, U, Drabble, J, Cau, G, Hershaw, F, Rajenthran, A, Lowe, M, Trommelen, C, Ellis, JG

“…Forty-three individuals presenting clinically significant depressive symptoms (indicating ≥15 on the PHQ-9) and 56 non-depressed controls (indicating ≤4) rated the emotional valance, humour, relatability, shareability, and mood improving potential of 32 depressive and control (depicting general neutral or positive social commentaries) internet memes. Measures of depression and emotion dysregulation were also completed. …”