Henry Miller in New Contexts
A combination of global transformations within cultural and political perspectives have germinated fresh theoretical approaches to all fields of inquiry. Moving into the third decade of the Twenty-First Century, how does a controversial author like Henry Miller (1891-1980) fit into our current conversations? We could ask some of the following questions: in the era of #MeToo does Miller’s literature and personae alter significantly? How might we approach Miller’s extensive published and/or archival correspondences in terms of Life Writing or the Archival Turn? Miller received copious amounts of fan mail over numerous decades; how do fan mail studies help reveal Miller’s impact on American (and global) readers? New approaches to Miller’s life, letters, and literature will help determine how his work should be repositioned in this current age. By utilizing new academic methods, this panel seeks to explore how Miller might move into new contexts of critical discussion.
Much of Miller’s writing has been examined from perspectives of the biographical, gender studies, or his historical milieu. Critical to this reevaluation, authors of accepted papers will be expected to make use of little-known documents preferably with groundbreaking archival research into the vast number of archives containing Miller’s material, or related and relative databases.
For the 2021 Northeast Modern Language Association Conference, in Philadelphia, PA, the theme is “Tradition and Innovation: Changing Worlds Through the Humanities.” This panel hopes to field constructive theoretical approaches that utilize developments within a wider variety of academic fields as it pertains to Miller’s oeuvre; therefore, we desire submissions that examine ways in which Miller should be reconsidered through a more encompassing sphere of cultural and global significance.
Please submit a 200-300 word abstract to the Northeast Modern Language Association portal (https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/18625) by September 30. You can email questions to either James Decker and/or Wayne Arnold: JDecker@icc.edu; Waynearnold55@gmail.com.