cfp.english.upenn.edu

Curious, If True: The Fantastic in Literature
Graduate Student Conference 2011

University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
March 10-12, 2011

The fantastic has occupied the literary imagination of readers and scholars across historical, theoretical and cultural contexts. Representations of the fantastic in literature rely on formal and generic types, tropes, and archetypes to mediate between depictions of "fantasy" and "reality." Present in myth and folklore, the gothic and neo-gothic, and contemporary and mainstream fantasy, the fantastic reach stretches into many conceptions of literature over time. This graduate student conference encourages discussions of the fantastic to make connections across literature. Participating scholars will connect with other researchers through a variety of events with writers and academics. Graduate students will have the opportunity to present papers on several aspects of the fantastic in literature to bring together divergent research methods. Creative writing consistent with the conference themes will also be accepted. Collaboration and communication will further the dissemination of new and interesting research on the fantastic in literature.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

- Gothic and Neo-gothic
- Supernatural
- Depictions of the supernatural in nature
- Liminality and border-crossing
- Fantasy and the body
- Anthropomorphism
- Representations of the afterlife
- Folktales and legend
- Mythology
- Mysticism
- Haunting the domestic
- The trickster
- Supernatural representations of animals
- Imaginative truth
- Graphic novels writing/illustrating the fantastic

Submission Guidelines
Submissions of both academic and creative writing will be considered for this conference. For all academic papers, please submit a proposal/abstract between 300 and 500 words by January 20, 2011. Creative writing should not exceed ten double-spaced pages and can be sent in its entirety. Please note that presentations should be a maximum of twenty minutes in length. For additional information about the conference, including presentation format, submissions, submission guidelines, speakers, or any other considerations, please contact egpro@uvic.ca.

How to Submit
Please submit proposals via email to egpro@uvic.ca
All proposals must be submitted by January 20, 2011.