cfp.english.upenn.edu

The production, consumption, composition, and bodily effects of food and eating have been studied from many vantage points recently. It is not surprising, therefore, that food has continuously played a large role in American literature. Whether it becomes important in a text because of an obsession with weight or body image or with the formative impression food has on the psyche (mothering, oral development, etc.), food and eating can drive a text or more subtly help to explain a character’s motivations. This panel calls for papers that address the ways food is utilized in American Literature. In keeping with SAMLA’s theme for 2011, preference may be given to papers that approach poetry, though papers on fiction, drama, etc. will also be considered. Please submit 250-500 word abstracts and brief CVs to Victoria Bryan (VMBryan@olemiss.edu) by May 15, 2011.