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First Call for Papers
INTERNATIONAL JANE AUSTEN: Jane Austen’s Comedy

La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
November 29th – December 2nd 2007

http://austen2007.net

‘Remember the country and the age in which we live. Remember that we are English, that we are Christians.’ Henry Tilney’s rebuke to Catherine Morland can be read in many ways, but it is certain that Jane Austen, unlike many of her contemporaries - Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Smith, Maria Edgeworth or Scott - never ventures outside England, and never presents a foreigner. Yet her novels are increasingly read, enjoyed and studied in cultures quite distinct from the one in which she wrote.

This conference addresses this paradox, and aims to bring together readers and students of Jane Austen from around the world to discuss the variousness of Jane Austen’s appeal across cultures. The theme of the conference is Jane Austen’s Comedy. This theme has been chosen because it promises to bring to the fore both the universality of Austen’s appeal and the difficulties of translation between languages and cultures. Delegates are invited to focus on this theme, or comment on it in the course of papers on other aspects of the novels.

Proposals for papers of 25 and 40 minutes duration are invited. Along with a title, please supply a brief description of your paper, and indicate its contribution to the conference theme and focus. Expressions of interest are welcomed. The deadline for proposals is 1 June 2007.

Bursaries

Delegates from the Asia-Pacific region are especially welcome. La Trobe University has provided funds for a small number of bursaries to support speakers to attend the conference from outside Australia. If you would like to be considered for a bursary, please supply us with a brief CV, indicating the degree of support you could expect from your own institution (if any). Applications for bursaries will need to be made before January 10 2007.

Possible topics might include:

Is comedy transnational?
Comedy and romance
Jane Austen’s comedy compared with other writers – Cervantes, Shakespeare, Burney, Stendhal, Oscar Wilde, etc
How translatable is Jane Austen?
Wit in Jane Austen
Austen’s comedy and the theatre
Forms of comedy in Jane Austen: satire, parody, burlesque
The influence of Jane Austen’s comedy on later writers
The novel as entertainment
Comedy and cruelty

Papers addressing Northanger Abbey or Austen's minor works are particularly welcome.

Proposals may be lodged by regular mail or by email. Send email proposals in the body of the message (no attachments, please.)

Further information

Conference Website: http://austen2007.net

IJA Conference
c/- Laura Carroll
English Program
La Trobe University
Melbourne VIC 3086
AUSTRALIA

Email: L.Carroll_at_latrobe.edu.au
Phone: + 61 (03) 9479 2398

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Received on Mon Jul 31 2006 - 22:01:19 EDT