cfp.english.upenn.edu

Bridging the Gaps, Minding the Context is a conference hosted by and designed for PhD and Postgraduate students. It seeks to address a number of issues related to literary studies today, in an attempt to bring together early-career researchers from different disciplines. As the title suggests, this conference proposes to discuss the intersection between literature and culture, and how such connection can successfully reflect deeper changes at other levels: how can borders be crossed in literature? And, how do we cross them when encountering a written text? The fragility and ever-changing nature of meaning and textual veracity will also serve as the starting point from which to explore shifting perceptions of power and authority in the text.
Delegates are expected to reflect on the present state of research in English literature and offer distinct pathways to challenge classical interpretations of literary works from a theoretical or analytical point of view. Therefore, this conference aims to provide a stimulating environment for postgraduate researchers and other students to present their work and get in touch with current avenues of research in the field of literary studies. We do hope to encourage researchers from a variety of disciplines, working across historical, theoretical and ideological borders to come together and discuss the direction of literary studies today while profiting from scholarly contact.
Confirmed plenary speakers include Dr Francisco Álvarez-López (University of Manchester), Dr Teresa Prudente (Universitá di Torino), Marisa Fernández López (Universidad de León) and Dr Maggie Ann Bowers (University of Portsmouth).
Suggested topics and interdisciplinary approaches include (although they are not restricted to):
- (Neo)Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Children and Young Adult Literature
- Victorian and Modernist Studies
- Postcolonial and Diaspora Studies
- Graphic Novels and Picture Books

200-word abstracts for papers not exceeding 20 minutes should be submitted before the 1st of December, 2010 and sent to the organisers at: bridging-the-gaps@uvigo.es . Abstracts should contain the title of the paper, full name and institutional affiliation as well as a 100-word biograpical note containing a summary of research interests.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by the 10th of January, 2011.
It is envisaged that a selection of papers will form the basis of a co-edited volume.