CFP Kalamazoo 2013 - "John Lydgate and English Literary History" - DUE Sept. 15th

full name / name of organization: 
Alaina Bupp
contact email: 

In the past few years, scholarship on John Lydgate has undergone a transformation. His works are garnering more and more attention. If Lydgate's centuries old reputation as a poetic dullard is to be revived, the author and his works must be presented and discussed in a venue that can provide opportunities for the unitiated scholar to discover Lydgate's significance to English literary history.

The purpose of this session, then, would be to draw out the ways in which Lydgate contributed to, complicated, or derived his works from the literary history and traditions of England. Topics to consider include but are not limited to:

-Lydgate and Chaucer
-Lydgate's relationship to his fifteenth century contemporaries, such as Hoccleve
-Lydgate's position within the Troy-story tradition in English
-Lydgate's use of ancient sources, such as Homer, or non-English sources such as Guido delle Colonne, for English works
-How or where we can see Lydgate's influence on future writers

In opening the panel up to Lydgate's past, present, and future literary moments, the full impact of his works could be made evident. This would also encourage the examination of connections between Lydgate and other authors and demonstrate the usefulness in examining his works more carefully.

Paper proposals of no more than 300 words are welcome and should be sent with a completed participant form (found at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html) no later than Sept. 15th to alaina.bupp@colorado.edu. Feel free to email with any questions you have about the session.