CFP: Wharton and Material Cultures of the Book (7/1/06; collection)

full name / name of organization: 
SSTowheed_at_aol.com
contact email: 

CFP: Edith Wharton and the Material Cultures of the Book edited collection:
deadlines extended‎
‎(abstracts, 7/1/2006; contributions, 12/31/2006).‎

Contributors are encouraged to interpret the idea of the material culture of
the book as widely as they wish, ‎drawing upon research from sociology,
economic and social history, literary theory, bibliography, book ‎history,
philosophy and anthropology. I would particularly welcome contributors seeking to
examine ‎Wharton’s publication, production, dissemination and place in book
history and material culture outside of an ‎American context. Some topics that
you might wish to discuss include:‎

Wharton’s relationship with her publishers in the USA, UK, France and
elsewhere
The economics of the book trade and its impact on Wharton’s writing
Wharton and her literary agents
The representation of the book as ‘material culture’ in Wharton’s fiction
The production and distribution of Wharton’s books (especially during WW1)‎
Wharton’s libraries, real and fictional
Propaganda and the material and moral utility (or economy) of the book
Wharton’s own understanding of the material culture of the book vis-à-vis
visual art, music, drama or ‎film
Contemporary theories (from economics, politics and philosophy) of the
material value of literature ‎that impinged upon Wharton and her writing
Contingent serialisation vs. the definitive volume: a material or immaterial
distinction?‎
Expatriation vs. domesticity: the material freight of literature
Wharton’s bibliophilia: material or sentimental?‎
When is a book a book? Material culture, ‘dry goods’ and the idea of the
book in the American ‎‎‘Gilded Age’ and after‎
Recent theoretical work by Bourdieu, Chartier, Darnton etc and its relevance
to Wharton scholarship
Advertising Wharton’s books
Material culture and the mass market for fiction: elite vs. popular
consumption patterns
Wharton’s sensitivity over the presentation (binding, paper, punctuation
etc) of her books
‎ ‎
Please register your interest in this project by sending an abstract of
c.500 words and a brief CV by the ‎deadline of 1 July 2006 to the editor, Dr
Shafquat Towheed at SSTowheed_at_aol.com. Accepted ‎contributors will have until 31
December 2006 to submit their manuscripts, which should ordinarily be ‎
c.7000-8500 words in length. If you wish to discuss this project, feel free to
contact me.‎

Dr Shafquat Towheed, Institute of English Studies, The University of London‎
E-mail: SSTowheed_at_aol.com

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Received on Tue Apr 04 2006 - 11:03:02 EDT