Vol. 4 (2024)

This fourth volume of Gaudeamus, the journal of ASYRAS (Association of Young Researchers on Anglophone Studies), is the product of a long and hard process of work carried out by the editorial team behind the scenes in order to consolidate this publication. This journal started as a little shelter from contemporary academia where young scholars could share their work, and while it is now evolving into a more ambitious project, it brings me great joy to say that it still maintains that spirit.

We could say that the field of English Studies is cemented upon three main pillars of knowledge, which are linguistics, literature, and history. This backbone is further intertwined with other aspects, such as gender, culture, or the sociocultural context, thus leading to the configuration of many different areas of research that are also part of this field. Normally, one simply focuses on one of the aforementioned pillars and barely has contact with the others. And, following that logic, the majorityof research journals tend to keep a very straight aim and scope in order to avoid combining them. Nonetheless, Gaudeamus does not view these as opposing or differing fields–instead, they constitute a meeting point for the different personalities that conform an English Studies researcher. The journal represents a symbiosis of research areas that have the same basic aim at their core: to advance the search for knowledge and information surrounding English Studies, the area that unites us at the root. In other words, Gaudeamus does not view interdisciplinarity as something to be penalised, but rather to be praised.

The manuscripts that conform this volume accept that challenge and make it their own, thus sharing the spotlight with other peers and generating a shared feedback of informationand,most importantly, companionship. Whether it be through the examination of literary texts or the investigation of linguistic trends, each of the articles here presented has the potential to kindle a fire of inspiration among English philologists.

We hope that these pages will ignite the flames of curiosity and creativity among readers. Let these explorations in English Studies not only enrich your understanding but also propel you towards your own research endeavours and intellectual pursuits. May you find within these articles the motivation to delve deeper, to question the world (even) more fervently, and to embark yourself on your own quest for answers, thus contributing to the ever-expanding tapestry of the field of English Studies.

María García Gámez

Co-Editor of Gaudeamus