cfp.english.upenn.edu

The aim of the conference is to explore the spoken word and its power in a broad range of various contexts:
Street life (orality in any European urban context 1400-1700); Reading aloud (using the lectern for dissemination of written text in convents and monasteries, public proclamation of misdemeanour and laws, 1400-1700);Teaching and learning in University schools 1400-1700; Declamation and discourse in Parliament; Incantation and magic; Performance (theatre, court poetry, poetry competitions);Preaching (history of the preaching orders, biographies of preachers; Parley and discourse of war; Women’s speech

Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches including literature, art history, musicology and the history of language, the conference will bring together scholars from an international field, working in different languages and cultures. The language of the conference will, however, be English.
Proposals for papers, accompanied by abstracts of no more than 200 words in both the original language and in English, should reach the organizers by January 4 2010. We are planning to request financial support for speakers, although this cannot be guaranteed at this stage.

For further information, contact Dr Alex Cowan (a.cowan@northumbria.ac.uk) and Dr Lesley Twomey (lesley.twomey@northumbria.ac.uk)