CFP: Race and Literary Appropriation in Southern Fiction
A Panel for the Biennial Meeting of the Society for the Study of Southern Literature
The College of William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA April 18-20, 2008
Our panel will explore the (often vexed) relationship between race and literary appropriation in nineteenth and twentieth century Southern fiction. Although we are soliciting papers that approach this topic from a variety of perspectives, we are primarily interested in work that examines how Southern authors borrow from—and, inevitably, transform—literary conventions and traditions that differ from their own. Some papers may address how Southern authors borrow, with or without permission, from other Southern writers and storytellers. Other papers may examine how Southern authors appropriate and/or re-shape the work of non-Southern authors. We are especially interested in those writers whose literary appropriation crosses assumed boundaries of race, class, gender or sexuality. Ultimately, we hope our panel will foster a deeper understanding of how the South functions as a literary “borderlands,” exposing how historical processes of migration and cultural exchange are reflected in Southern literary production.
Panelists might explore the following topics, among others:
- Contemporary authors who revisit the literature of the Old South
- Southern writers and Native American culture
- Transatlantic, Caribbean, and/or Transhemispheric influences on Southern fiction
- Signifying and issues related to African American authorship in the South, including inter-racial and intra-racial artistic collaboration and exchange
- Southern authors who draw upon the work of Northern authors, such as nineteenth century abolitionist texts.
- Literary feuds, rivalries and debates over artistic property
Please send 300-word abstracts and a brief bio or CV to both Kristen B. Proehl (firstname.lastname@example.org) and John D. Miller (email@example.com) at the College of William and Mary by November 15, 2007.
Kristen Proehl, American Studies Program, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA, 23187 Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
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