Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 20:44:52 -0500
Call For Papers for a Special Session for the 2002 M/MLA Annual Conference
in Minneapolis, Minnesota (November 8-10).
"Transworld Identity: History, Literature, and Popular Culture "
Prospective panelists are invited to present 20-minute papers that explore
transworld identity, the representation of real-world figures in fictional
settings and situations. From the great epics of the past, such as The
Iliad and Beowulf, to Shakespeare's history plays and the classic historical
novels of Scott and Tolstoy, transworld identities have been a subtle
presence throughout our literary and cultural history. Even a cursory look
at the novels of Barker, Pynchon, DeLillo, & Doctorow (among others), the
films of Oliver Stone and Spike Jonze, and television series such Seinfeld
and The Simpsons reveals that our contemporary literary and popular culture
is saturated with transworld identities. Yet, we have only recently begun
to investigate the political, historical, and theoretical implications of
transworld identities. Do they create an "ontological scandal," as Brian
McHale suggests, disrupting the boundary between real and imaginary worlds?
Do they cause irrevocable harm to history by confusing fact and fiction? Do
they rob people-present-day or historical figures-of their true identities?
Or is transworld identity simply a benign literary practice? Papers
included in this session may address these questions specifically or begin a
broader theoretical inquiry into the place of transworld identities in the
post-identity era. Also encouraged are papers on the various implications
of transworld identity in particular works of fiction, film, or across a
range of literary and popular genres.
Please submit 2-page abstracts by April 19, 2001 to:
Jeffrey Gibson
The University at Albany - SUNY
Department of English
Humanities Building, Room 389
Albany, New York 12222
Abstracts can also be submitted by email to: anhjeff@msn.com
Please include the text of the abstract in the body of the message.
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Full Information at
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or write Erika Lin: elin@english.upenn.edu
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