We are seeking submissions for a book collection that explores literary
Darwinism in the American scene. Essays will examine the ways in which
Darwinian language reinvigorated literary narratives by providing writers
with a new vocabulary to describe human affairs and interactions with
other living organisms. We expect to include articles that address texts
written from the publication of On the Origin of Species (1859) through
the present day. Comparative studies that examine texts of a single
writer before and after publication of the Origin are also welcome.
Submissions should explore the diverse issues that arose as a result of
Darwin’s exploration into the mechanisms of evolution: How, for instance,
did Darwin’s vision of natural and/or sexual selection shape late-century
novels? What role did the Darwinian view of evolutionary kinship play in
late century benevolence literature? How did his work on animal behavior
and communication in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and the
Animals (1872) affect the literary representation of animal consciousness
and animal rights?

Other topics might include:
-Darwin and pragmatism
-Social Darwinism
-Evolutionary psychology
-Darwin and modernism; Darwin and postmodernism
-Sexual selection and the representation of sex and gender
-Intelligent design and Creation ‘science’

Please send a 500-word abstract or completed essay to Tina Gianquitto
(tinagian_at_mines.edu) and Lilian Carswell (carswell_at_biology.ucsc.edu)
by November 1. Inquires welcome.

Submissions should contain the author’s name and contact information
(e-mail, postal address, phone, and fax numbers), and the working
title of the proposed submission. Submitted manuscripts should be
between 20-25 pages and formatted in MLA style.

Dates:
Submission of abstract: November 1
Author notification: December 15
Paper Submission Deadline: April 1

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Received on Mon Sep 03 2007 - 13:20:22 EDT