ISSN 2063-2991 (Online) Founded: 2012 at Kaposvár University. Restarted in 2019.
Examination of story reading and story listening habits in learning disabilities and neurotypical students – focus on the ending of the story
Our pilot research examines the differences between listening/watching fairy tales and completing fairy tales independently among neurotypical and learning disabled students. The theoretical background of the study highlights the importance of the ability to create internal imagery, the decisive role of parents and teachers in the development of imagination, and methods that promote imagination (Kádár 2012; Szekeres 2014; Boldizsár 2016). It covers the development of oral expressiveness and its influencing factors (Kass 2004; Kapitány–Laczkó 2017; Unger-Király – Vass 2021). The research is based on a quantitative methodology, using descriptive statistics. In the story completion, which uses a qualitative methodology, we did not resort to classical text analysis, but mainly used the quantitative comparison of words. The number of subjects in our research: neurotypical students 5th grade n = 58, learning disabilities students 4th, and 5th grade n = 54 people, total number of elements n = 112. Based on the completion of the student questionnaire and the free ending of the story, we sought to answer the question of what difference there is in the ending of the story among those who listen to the story, watch the story or process the content. To determine the differences, we looked at how many words and lines of thought the students in the given group used to finish the story, and whether the ending of the fairy tale contained new elements. The results of the research reflect that there is no one among the students who would not watch television and would only listen to stories. In connection with the analysis of the given aspects, changes can be detected mainly in terms of school type and develop-ment, there is no significant difference in terms of story listening habits.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gelencsérné Bakó Márta, Horti Eszter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Copyright (c) 2025 Z. Kovács Zoltán https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Az iskolába lépő gyermekek fonológiai tudatosságának vizsgálata homogén és heterogén életkorú óvodai csoportokban
Phonological awareness is a key prerequisite for the acquisition of reading and writing skills, and its development in early childhood significantly influences later academic achievement. The aim of this study was to examine the level of phonological awareness among children of compulsory school age entering primary school, with special attention to potential differences between those attending homogeneous and heterogeneous age-group kindergarten classes. The research was conducted on a non-representative sample of 30 children from two urban kindergartens. We used the Phonological Awareness Test developed by Ágnes Jordanidisz, which—although not standardized—provides age-related reference values and allows for the detailed assessment of syllable- and phoneme-level skills. The results indicate that most children performed at or above the expected reference values in syllable-based tasks, particularly in syllable segmentation, synthesis, and deletion. In contrast, phoneme-level tasks revealed greater individual differences. The study did not identify substantial differences between the performances of children in homogeneous and heterogeneous age-group classes; however, age-related variation and differing developmental levels require differentiated pedagogical support. These findings reinforce the importance of targeted, play-based development of phonological awareness in preschool education, which may contribute to the prevention of later reading and writing difficulties.
Copyright (c) 2025 Szili Katalin, Greguricz Natália Piroska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Task types of phonological awareness tests for Hungarian preschoolers, meta-analysis of their measurement results, design of the phonological awareness
In my study, I focus on linguistic awareness, and in particular phonological awareness. I will argue that higher levels of phonological awareness can be developed before school age, which has a positive effect on learning to read and reading acquisition. In my study, I have included measures of phonological awareness in preschool, before school age. I will present the different methods and task types used in various studies to investigate the presence or absence of phonological awareness, and I will interpret the concept of rhyme awareness in relation to the type of the Hungarian language, since Hungarian research has been based mainly on English-language literature. I will first present the results and task formulations found in Hungarian research from the age of four to six, and then I will show the results of studies using different methodologies and task types before school entry on the development of phonological awareness. In these studies, I found one study that measured the development of children's phonological awareness in a group even after a ten-week development period. Ten weeks of development resulted in an overall 60% improvement in children. For all other measures, I basically assume that they measured children's spontaneous development. At the end of my study, I will present some basic exercises for the development of phonological awareness in preschool.
Copyright (c) 2025 Juhász Valéria https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Factors of Readability in Text and Automated Text-Analysis Software
Hard to read content can hinder understanding and learning in educational environments, which can affect students’ academic performance and reading comprehension. Traditional readability formulas are often based in surface-level characteristics of the text, such as average sentence and word length. They disregard further nuances in readability, which is why depending on them can be stifling and shallow (Marulli et al. 2024, Látics–Gombos 2025). This study identifies the major factors, which can determine the difficulty and readability of a text. Hungarian academic literature approaches the subject through student book-analysis, segmenting levels of language – morphology, semantics, syntax (Fóris 2002, Kojanitz 2004a, Domonkosi 2013). To make readability measurable, three methods can be employed (Lukács et al. 2022): Natural Language Processing based machine learning, which is more effective than readability formulas, but more potent still are neural web based deep learning models. Beyond more obvious aspects of text, in this study I present several modern text-analysis software as well. Understanding their operating principles can prove useful in the analysis of Hungarian texts through machine-based processes. They also provide a fuller picture of what categories the different input signals determining readability can be sorted into. There also exist Hungarian language processing tools, such as UDPipe, huspaCy, Magyarlánc, and especially e-magyar, whose latest, 2019 version (also known as emtsv) has already proven useful in practice. From the point of view of this study – to make readability a measurable metric – it can also prove to be an effective tool.
Copyright (c) 2025 Látics Barbara https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Domestic, online measurement and results of morphological awareness among students in grades 2–4
The research results of recent decades increasingly conceptualize reading and comprehension skills as a complex, hierarchical system. Our study focuses on a crucial subskill that remains underexplored in the Hungarian context and language: morphological awareness, a significant factor in the development of reading comprehension. The primary aim of this research was to develop an online assessment tool to measure morphological awareness among students in grades 2–4. During the large-scale study (N=4134), we sought to uncover potential connections between morphological awareness and reading comprehension. The five-subtest assessment tool also included a reading comprehension test. The main findings of our research can be summarized in three points: 1) We developed an online tool that reliably measures morphological awareness for students in grades 2–4., 2) We established and analyzed the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension skills. 3) We demonstrated and examined the development of this subskill across grades 2–4. Our research is novel because it explores the characteristics of a subskill that has been empirically understudied in Hungary, utilizing innovative methods and an online assessment tool. The results provide guidance for future research and practical applications in classroom teaching. This study particularly emphasizes the linguistic characteristics of the Hungarian language.
Copyright (c) 2024 Steklács János, Varga Szilvia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Fűzfa Balázs: Szemben a valósággal – 24 előadás a magyar irodalomról. Szombathely: Savaria University Press, 2023. 486 p.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rajnai László https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Non-mandatory fantasies. On an alternative literature textbook…
Copyright (c) 2024 Domokos Áron https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Integration of science, environmental (green) and literary education through the use of children's and young people's literature (juvenile fiction, young adults' literature) in the practice of primary school teachers
According to the current regulation of the National Core Curriculum in Hungary, science education should be embedded in the field of Hungarian language and literature through the processing of informative texts aimed at text comprehension and knowledge extension in the first two grades of primary education. The teaching of environmental studies starts in the third grade and builds on the developments and activities in the fields of technology and design, Hungarian language and literature, visual culture, mathematics and ethics in the framework of the subjects of technology and design, Hungarian language and literature, visual culture and ethics in the first and second grades. The first cycle of primary education for grades 1–4, which followed the provisions of National Core Curriculum, has been completed in the school year 2023/2024, so it is examining how the aforementioned public education regulation has affected the everyday school practice in grades 1–4, especially seeing into how and in what ways the content of literature teaching has changed with the introduction of science studies content; whether practisioners have the opportunity to introduce pupils to fiction related to nature, environmental studies, environmental protection and the created world through optional reading materials, and to what extent teachers are familiar with contemporary, age-appropriate literature on such topics. The present paper presents the results of an empirical, small-sample (74 respondents) questionnaire survey on whether practising teachers in grades 1–4, when using optional reading materials in classrooms, pay attention to linking literary education with science education.
contemporary children's and young people's literature
Copyright (c) 2024 Szabó Ildikó, Bódis-Nagy Franciska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
In the world of adventure gamebooks the reader is free to move through the plot, and affect change in it. They are capable of choosing where to go, what roles to play, even who to talk to. These choices influence how the story concludes. Gamebooks as a storytelling genre have garnered little scientific attention over the years (Arnaudo 2023). They’re mainly mentioned in foreign literature (Aarseth 1997; Arnaudo 2023; Cook 2021; Fenici–Mosca 2024; Figueiredo–Bidarra 2015). Domestic studies have only concerned themselves with individual entries (Kocsis 2022; Manxhuka 2022; Tisza 2022) rather than the genre as a whole. The subject is not only lacking attention, there have been disparaging, unsubstantiated claims made towards it (Arnaudo 2023). The goal of my paper is to introduce gamebooks as non-linear, complex narratives. First through recounting their characteristics with the help of novels and relevant literature. Then by exploring their connection with hypertext and which of its characteristics they display. Similar genres, like dictionary novels, cinema and even video games will also be highlighted. In regards to historical context, the main focus will fall on the popular Fighting Fantasy and Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 1980s. Contemporarily this genre survives outside of fantasy – in children’s books and young-adult novels. The final focus will be placed on these and their relevance as a tool for pedagogy.
Copyright (c) 2024 Látics Barbara https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The following study examines the presence of various prejudices in William Shakespeare's plays and their film and stage adaptations. It also attempts to utilize the interpretative yield in a way that can be applied well in drama pedagogy classes. During such classes, students become aware of their own limitations, perhaps even unconscious prejudices, and at the same time gain a deeper understanding of the prejudices against them, their functioning, and their internal logic. The examples of the study come from Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Othello and The Merchant of Venice; it is important to emphasize that these are prejudices of varying severity, the more serious of which are only recommended for processing from mature adolescence. In such sessions, attention should always be paid to resolving and processing any possible traumas, emotions and conflicts. The world of Shakespeare's dramas can be a great tool for maintaining a distance from personal involvement, as it also approaches the issue of prejudice in a flexible and nuanced way.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fazekas Sándor, Dávid Péter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The most trivial way of transmitting culture is through oral storytelling, which cannot be exclusively linked to specific periods or social strata. The paper starts from the premise that storytelling in modern urban environment and the stories told in these settings (literary tales, folk- and fairy tales etc.) are also part of the Hungarian narrative tradition. The production and consumption of fictional narratives are not only a prominent social event in traditional folk culture, but also in modern popular culture. With these considerations in mind the present essay has examined the actors, institutions, occasions and customs of artistic, urban storytelling in Hungary at the end of the long 19th century (from the 1890s to the Second World War) based on contemporary Hungarian printed press publications and archival sources. The new urban forums for public storytelling were brought into being by the modern bourgeois which was inextricably linked to the development of children’s literature and the artistic demands of children’s entertainment were organized by the capital’s intelligentsia, artists, writers, poets and actors in Budapest. At the turn of the 19th century, an international trend towards artistic storytelling based on library institutions has emerged and subordinated to public education in Anglo-Saxon countries. These library efforts were also adopted by Hungarian professionals, but a different kind of Hungarian storytelling movement, based on theatrical, artistic children’s entertainment, dates back much earlier and was much more significant. Children’s magazines such as Az Én Ujságom [My Newspaper], edited by Lajos Pósa, were an important step in the institutionalisation of Hungarian children's literary culture. Pósa has organized storytelling events from the early 1890s that have served the interests of the publishing house of the newspaper as well as the promotion of children's literature and authors alike. These events in the following decades provided an inspiring model for a wide range of independent cultural children’s storytelling occasions in which marketing and charitable functions are effectively combined. The paper examines the storytelling events organized by literary children’s magazines, by the Magyar Telefonhírmondó [Hungarian Telephone Herald, a long life telephone newspaper system] and a special outdoor children’s storytelling-series in the Budapest Zoo. In addition, the paper draws attention to the fact that the Hungarian acting education system included the teaching of stage storytelling from 1900, in which Jenő Balassa, the professional storyteller known as Basa bácsi [Uncle Basa] played a huge role.
folklorisztika, néprajztudomány, művelődéstörténet, narratológia, médiatudomány
Copyright (c) 2024 Domokos Mariann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Bibliotherapy as a tool of personality development
Reading, and engaging with literary works in general, can be exceptionally significant for an individual’s development and social integration, as reading motivation can be a key factor in lifelong learning. Motivated readers connect more deeply with various texts, show greater persistence, and possess better comprehension and critical thinking skills. In the field of reading pedagogy, there is an increasing emphasis on developing critical reading skills. These skills encourage students to analyze, question, and evaluate the information they read, thus equipping them to navigate a complex and information-rich world. Closely related to the above is the method of developmental bibliotherapy, which utilizes a wide range of texts to help solve everyday problems and facilitate overall progress in our lives. Bibliotherapy sessions use the language of literature, which describes human nature and phenomena in their complete, universal phenomenological sense. This method can assist with various issues, such as processing grief, improving socialization, and enhancing self-actualization. Through it, we can find a balance between individual and communal values and foster self-awareness and social sensitivity. This study outlines the steps of the bibliotherapeutic process and explains how literary works can be used for personal development in response to the challenges of a post-modern society. Books and texts can strengthen an individual’s autonomy and contribute to improving and maintaining long-term mental well-being. The ultimate goal of therapeutic work is for clients to develop their unique life paths through deep self-reflection and self-knowledge, finding meaning in their lives. Under the guidance of a bibliotherapist, clients receive safe boundaries during their personal development work, as the negative contents depicted in literary works are presented as natural parts of life. This buffering effect can make personal issues more relatable and manageable. Texts thus function as tools for identity testing, facilitating vicarious experiences and model learning. The conflicts depicted in the works and their personal parallels serve as therapeutic signposts, appropriately guiding the possibilities for reframing and reparative experiences, thus helping the full integration of all parts of the self. The study also addresses the regulation of therapeutic depth and the conscious management of therapeutic time and perceptual focus. During bibliotherapy sessions, readers can undergo personal development that enables them to become active participants in their own lives, begin rewriting and revising their life stories, and find new meaning in them. This process aids in becoming more conscious not only in relation to ourselves but also in our relationships with others, as the method increases levels of acceptance and empathy.
Copyright (c) 2024 Rajnai László https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
It is estimated that by the beginning of the 1940s, 200,000 copies of one-pound novels, 150,000 copies of fifty-penny novels, 1,200,000 copies of twenty-penny novels, and 2,000,000 copies of ten-penny novels were published. The interwar period of the pulp and the 1940s ("the golden years of the pulp") can be examimed from various angles. The works in question can be approached from the point of view of institutional structures (publishers, strategies, series), from that of the relationship between the state and the market ("culture war": regulations, decrees) as well as from that of the discourse patterns of the public (debates about the pulp). Alternatively, pulps can be classified on the basis of genre-related criteria (western, legionary, adventure, youth, fantastic etc.) and their readers' expectations. The study at hand investigates the Colour Novel Library of the Hungarian daily newspaper Friss Újság. More specifically, the more than 200 titles, sold for 10 pennies each, that appeared every second week in this pulp series between 1935 and 1942. A brief look at Friss Újság and pulps published elsewhere in the same period will also be part of the overview. We will see how pulps published in Friss Újság bear traces of the war atmosphere. Furthermore, a wealth of classification criteria will be presented on the basis of which a firm typology of pulps could be set up.
Utopias and dystopias in Hungarian fiction between the two world wars
The study presents the appearance of two genres, utopia and dystopia, in Hungary between the two world wars. First of all, I shall briefly clarify the relationship between the genres, also justifying why they cannot be considered the same. In the next section, I shall present the historical background. This is justifiable if only because the connection between the state of the country and the style, toolkit and generally low number of novels of the genre in question is clearly visible. "The living and greatest pain of the nation inspires historical sciences and journalism, but it does not find a worthy expression in fiction." – Antal Szerb wrote (1991) about this. In the main part of my writing, I shall discuss Frigyes Karinthy's Capillaria (1921), György Kürthy's Mars (1926), Árpád Sebes' Doktor Gulliver a sarkvidéken (Doctor Gulliver in the Arctic) (1930) and Mihály Babits' Elza pilóta vagy a tökéletes társadalom (Elza pilot or the perfect society) (1933). I shall analyse the work of Karinthy and Babits in somewhat more detail - this is due to their colourfulness, elaboration and importance. In comparison with the masterpieces of the two great writers, the stories of Kürthy and Sebes seem less original and witty. At the same time, the dystopias of Babits and Karinthy are hardly comparable, since humour and irony define the atmosphere in one, while hopelessness in the other.
Copyright (c) 2024 Gombos Péter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
On an emotional rollercoaster on the way to becoming a reader
Vass Dorottea: Olvasásmotiváció : Stratégia az olvasóvá váláshoz óvodásokat és iskolásokat nevelő szülőknek és szakembereknek. Budapest: Tea Kiadó, 2023, 176 p.
Copyright (c) 2023 Erzsébet Kopházi-Molnár https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Domokos Mariann (sajtó alá rend.): Grimm-mesék magyar ponyvákon (1850–1900). Budapest: Reciti Kiadó, 2022, 496 p.
Copyright (c) 2023 Gombos Péter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
This paper calls attention to some elements of a decades-long storytelling practice we consider effective and of model value in a complex children’s programme run at the Hungarian Heritage House with the title ’Encounter with Folk Tradition’. Faithful to the traditional storytelling technique, the outstanding storyteller, folk singer, educator Fábián Éva tells her stories from memory, with improvisations and interactively, involving the audience, at the same time following the circumstances of revival storytelling and the characteristics of the pedagogical situation, she makes self-reflective gestures. Applying humour, taking the ages and composition of the school groups into considedration, she introduces the audience to the world of the lingo of folk tales and the Bukovina Székely regional dialect, and by ‘breaking the fourth wall’ she leads the children and the accompanying adults back into the now-forgotten story-listener etiquette and forges the audience into an ad hoc community. Besides the magic of her storyteller-human personality, the linguistic and non-verbal indirect and direct ‘messages’ together create a methodology, parts or the whole of which are recommended for every educator in preschools or primary schools or any adult who loves children and stories. In order to place all this into the context of the past two decades, before analysing storytelling and its communication we shall present the development of folk story telling connected to the dance house movement by many threads, the role the Hungarian Heritage House played in this and also a children’s programme of our institute called ‘Encounter with folk tradition’.
Copyright (c) 2023 Németh Nóra, Dala Sára https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The vocalisation of the visible as a tool of self-situation: Van Gogh
The study attempts an interpretation of Pilinszky János’s poem ’Van Gogh’, mainly based on criteria of the philosophy of language and language-poetry. This poem of Pilinszky’s, which was received minor attention, yet, has been considered relevant at the same time is examined against a background of the philosophical and theological findings of Heidegger and Simone Weil. Also, an effort is made to examine the characteristics of the poetry of prayer and the immobile commitment manifesting itself in the oeuvre, their effects on poetic language, the reduction of poetic speech and personality appearing in impersonality. After a brief overview of the traditional starting points of the reception and the philosophical and theoretical statements, the study subjects the poem to a textual analysis.
Copyright (c) 2023 Sárközi Balázs https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Search for Readership and Identity in Hungarian Libraries
There is a kind of generational shift happening in reading research in Hungary. Fortunately, the "pioneers" who initiated the domestic investigations - Gereben Ferenc and Nagy Attila, whose names must be mentioned - are still active. However, in the field of reading sociology, the research and writings of Péterfi Rita and later Tóth Máté indicated that there are others who are taking up the baton. The latest Hungarian representative reading study was conducted by the Szabó Ervin Metropolitan Library, and it is often referred to in the literature and conferences as the "Tóth Máté-style research" because he was the project leader. This survey provided a wealth of data for professionals, and there is still information to be processed. Tóth Máté's new book primarily works with these results, although not exclusively. As the author indicates in the first chapter, international data (see the ALMPUB project), previous measurements by the National Széchényi Library, and Cultural Statistics are also used, in addition to the above. At the beginning of the volume, there is a relatively extensive overview of the literature, followed by statistical data - but of course, this publication is valuable and interesting not only because of that. In the following chapters, the author explores various topics and formulates conclusions and lessons based on the research findings. Furthermore, we will present some particularly important and interesting facts and statements from the book, striving for a kind of thematic coherence - which can also be observed in Tóth Máté's work.
Enhancing reading competence through drama-based pedagogy
Students' reading comprehension difficulties are a serious challenge that we encounter every day both inside and outside the school environment. Several comprehensive studies (e.g., the Hungarian National Assessment of Basic Competencies – NABC, and the Program for International Student Assessment - PISA) have shed light on that problem and its seriousness. The improvement of reading competence in school is, therefore, a particularly important task. And the methods that improve reading competence play a crucially important role. One such method is drama-based pedagogy. The purpose of this study is to emphasize how the methods of drama-based pedagogy can be used to help the development of reading comprehension. The study highlights that the use of drama-based pedagogy methods strengthens both the motivation and the reading competence. The described drama-based pedagogic methods and games can be used not only within various school lessons but also beyond the classroom setting.
Copyright (c) 2023 Balogh Renáta, Józsa Krisztián https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The History Salesman, or How (not) to Teach History via Graphic Novels. Part Two
This is the second part of a paper examining and assessing, as a tool for education, the published volumes of the graphic novel adaptation of Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari’s popular science book on world history. In the first part, which appeared in the previous issue, we briefly entered the decades-long debate on the educational benefits of graphic novels and comics as cool media in the McLuhanian sense. In stating our position, we started from the insights and aims of Paolo Freire’s radical critical pedagogy but we also considered the most recent contributions to the pedagogy of comics and graphic novels. Subsequently, we reconstructed the hard-to-sart publishing history of Harari’s best-selling books including Sapiens and Sapiens. A Graphic History. We showed them to have been lifted on the recently detected rising tide of demand for “brainy books”. However, we found this explanation incomplete, requiring further factors to be provided during analyses in the other two parts. In the second part, appearing here, first we survey the reception of Harari’s oeuvre in three scenes: among the global political, business and cultural elite, on the part of the Hungarian print and electronic mass media, and finally, among the general reading public both worldwide and in Hungary. We also start our critical assessment in this part, from comics studies and educational angles, showing some excellent narrative, artistic and didactic techniques applied by the creators. We proceed in our analysis along the following lines: the narrative structuring, world building and handling of time in the work; the characters depicted; the genres and popcultural references; humour and self-references; and finally the intended audience. In the final part of the paper, we continue our analysis by providing philosophical and ideology critical assessments of the original book. We explore its vision of humankind, society, and history, its fundamental philosophical premises as well as the ideological commitments of the book, which we see as one of the most characteristic contemporary representatives of the mainstream liberal vision of history. We also examine how, during its rendition into the new genre of discourse, graphic novel, the above mentioned features of Harari’s original book change: whether they get amplified, distorted, lost or absorb new difficulties and contradictions. We focus on the overt purpose of, as well as the detectable hidden agenda behind, the change of medium, and how successfully they are met in the books. We also show examples of where and how the educational purpose aiming to reach younger generations turns into more or less concealed propaganda.
Copyright (c) 2023 Domokos Áron, Molnár Gábor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Jókai Mór and the prelude of the Hungarian comics
In the study, an attempt is made to interpret the peculiarities of Jókai’s career, which can serve as an explanation as to why Mór Jókai can be the creator of the Hungarian comic book, or at least the forerunner of the discursive characteristics of the Hungarian comic book (that is, not the 19th-century antecedents of the Hungarian comic book culture of recent decades are revealed through the creation of a historical development narrative). The essay attempts to present literary historical contexts that can contribute to the interpretation of the genesis of the Hungarian comic through the interpretation of Jókai's career: the development of the livelihood editor's mode of operation; sequel fiction publication practice following the method of the portfolio novel; appreciation of the role of anecdotes in terms of national character; the illustrations/caricatures becoming primary and then sequential.
Copyright (c) 2022 Zoltán Kovács https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Sandman, Neil Gaiman’s comic series opened a new chapter in the history of the genre; it came to a new life in the form of a Netflix series proving to be a new hit with the public. These works, which have also been published in Hungarian, create an interesting alloy of references to world literature with popular genres. This study examines the elements that are combined in Gaiman’s world, and how its lessons can be utilized within the domestic cir-cumstances. The genre of comics has a handful but fanatic camp of supporters – not among the young generation but mainly the adults (30-40 years of age). While recently adaptations of American comics and comic versions of novels dominated the market, this situation has now changed: there are promising initiatives that make better use of the opportunities pro-vided by the genre like Lakatos István’s Lencsilány representing stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Csáth Géza recycling Tim Burton’s visual world. Among many other elements, Gaiman includes Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest in his work as sig-nificant key components; this method may also prove inspiring for Hungarian comic artists.
Copyright (c) 2022 Sándor Fazekas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
In 1968, recognising the audience’s powerful demand for topics on national history, Várkonyi Zoltán filmed „Stars of Eger”, based on real events and a novel considered part of the literary canon. The South Korean director Kim Kwang Sik must have built on a similar basis when he created The Great Battle (Ansisaeng = The Ansi fortress) in 2018. In spite of the cultural-normative differences and as many as fifty years between their production, the two films do show definite resemblances. This study endeavours to follow up the factors that cause these similarities, also the obviously marked differences, and to what extent a mass cultural product made specifically for entertainment purposes can influence the development of national identity in the audience.
Copyright (c) 2022 anita belovari https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The History Salesman, or How (not) to Teach History via Graphic Novels.
This is the first part of a paper examining and assessing, as a tool for education, the published volumes of the graphic novel adaptation of Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari’s popular science book on world history. In the first part, appearing here, we briefly enter the decades-long debate on the educational benefits of graphic novels and comics as cool media in the McLuhanian sense. In stating our position, we start from the insights and aims of Paolo Freire’s radical critical pedagogy but we also consider the most recent contributions to the pedagogy of comics and graphic novels. Subsequently, we reconstruct the hard-to-sart publishing history of Harari’s best-selling books including Sapiens and Sapiens. A Graphic History. We show them to have been lifted on the recently detected rising tide of demand for “brainy books”. However, we find this explanation incomplete, requiring further factors which will be provided during analyses in the other two parts. In the second part, first we survey the reception of Harari’s oeuvre in three scenes: among the global political, business and cultural elite, among the general reading public and, finally, on the part of the print and electronic mass media. We also start our critical assessment in this part, at first from an educational angle, showing some excellent narrative and didactic techniques applied by the creators. In the final part of the paper, we continue our analysis by providing philosophical and ideology critical assessments of the original book. We explore its vision of humankind, society, and history, its fundamental philosophical premises as well as the ideological commitments of the book, which we see as one of the most characteristic contemporary representatives of the mainstream liberal vision of history. We also examine how, during its rendition into the new genre of discourse, graphic novel, the above mentioned features of Harari’s original book change: whether they get amplified, distorted, lost or absorb new difficulties and contradictions. We focus on the overt purpose of, as well as the detectable hidden agenda behind, the change of medium, and how successfully they are met in the books. We also show examples of where and how the educational purpose aiming to reach younger generations turns into more or less concealed propaganda.
Copyright (c) 2022 Áron Domokos, Gábor Molnár https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The cooperation of author and illustrator in popular strorybooks in English language
This study tackles the relationship between the texts of children’s books and their illustrations, the possibilities and traditions of cooperation between author and artist, while attempting to provide insight into the world of criticism published in the field in the past two decades. Though the corpus of literary theory and criticism created in connection with children’s books and their illustrations still owes us major reference material, as frequently mentioned by advocates of the theme, this study is confined to mentioning the most exciting points of discussion. This is supposed to build a background for the browsing which attempts to illustrate the theoretical treatises with a reminiscence on a few outstanding participants of the history of British, American and international children’s books, their work and the interesting developments of author-artist cooperation.
Copyright (c) 2023 Csizmadia Gábor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
Theater in Hungarian comics between the two world wars
This study focuses on the theatre related cartoon comics of Theatre Life (1912–1938), a decisive representative of contemporary report magazines which also undertook the dissemination of quality information on art. In terms of journalism, the columns of the magazine were characterised by high quality editing and rich visual material in the field of photos, caricatures and early drafts of comics. The process examines how the relationship system, characteristic theatre genres and layers of taste of the theatre actors of the given era are reflected in these strips. The review pays special attention to the style of the illustrators, the typological description of the published comics, and their relationship to other genres of imagery in the magazines. In addition, the study briefly presents the character, structure, main sections and topics of the paper in question, as well as the contemporary connections between theatre and the press.
Copyright (c) 2022 Erika Nagyné Mandl https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
My study focuses on an outstanding artist of the history of Hungarian comics – Korcsmáros Pál – and his most important work: Rejtő-adaptations. In my paper I introduce the domestic launch and the first successful authors, artists of the genre. Also, I highlight the path that Rejtő comics travelled from the beginning (1961) to the present day. The term "evolution" used in the title intentionally points in two directions: I am not only referring to the spectacular development taking place in the 1960s, but also to how the Korcsmáros adaptations, which had become classics by then, were reborn and renewed in the 21st century.
Copyright (c) 2022 Gombos Péter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu
The Use of the Comic Novel in Primary Education
The new digital culture increasingly relies on the right hemisphere of the brain, while traditional literacy has so far strengthened the left hemisphere of the brain (Gyarmathy 2011; cited by Szalay 2016). In a comic book, it is possible to synthesize writing and imagery, verbality and visuality (Szalay 2016). Some researchers, who examined more abstract and complex scientific thinking, did not find a significant improvement in the knowledge of the studied students when reading and using comic books (Spiegel et al. 2013; Ahmad et al. 2017; Rofii et al. 2018; cited by Phoon et al. 2020), while others observed a significant improvement (Lin et al. 2015; cited by Phoon et al. 2020). They all agree that children like reading comics, they are influenced by the visual appeal of the graphic presentation, the reading of comics effectively influences and positively shapes the students' attitude and commitment to science, thus comics can be an effective tool for education. In our research, we prepared a questionnaire survey on the frequency of comic book use in education and its areas of use among teachers working in primary schools. In the interviews, we mainly sought for an answer as to what proportion of teachers use comics as an educational tool and method in education, as well as for which subjects and how often they do so. The questionnaire was distributed primarily in a format published on social media platforms, in various professional groups, with the help of an external practice institution and using a snowball method to share with teachers who voluntarily and anonymously undertook to fill it out. The number of respondents was 96. Our results are not representative.
Copyright (c) 2022 Schlichter-Takács Anett, Csimáné Pozsegovics Beáta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.hu