renaissance

The Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, in keeping with the MMLA conference’s theme of “Cultures of Collectivity,” is sponsoring panels on collecting and manuscripts, broadly conceived. Possible foci include, strictly by way of example: specific archives, collections, or even gatherings of texts in particular manuscripts; reading communities or scribal centers; book markets; and the collections of material resources involved in manuscript production. We invite all approaches—including hermeneutical, textual, art historical, codicological, and paleographical—across all time periods.

The Spanish I (Peninsular Literature before 1700) permanent section of the Midwest Modern Language Association seeks proposals for the upcoming MMLA Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (November 5-8, 2020). Though proposals on any topic related to Medieval and Early Modern Spanish Literature are welcome, we also seek proposals that specifically engage with the 2020 MMLA theme of “Cultures of Collectivity.” The conference theme includes, but is not limited to: cultural movements, subcultures, authorial collaborations, literary circles, and interdisciplinary networks. Please submit a 250-word abstract and a brief bio (or brief CV) to John McCaw at rjmccaw@uwm.edu by April 5, 2020. Papers may be in Spanish or English.

This guaranteed roundtable will bring together brief responses to the question, “What linkages did early modern narratives see between trauma and disability?” 250-word abstracts by 3/15/2020; John Garrison (garrison@grinnell.edu) and Lynn Enterline (lynn.enterline@vanderbilt.edu).

The Medieval and Renaissance Student Association (MaRSA) of California State University, Long Beach is seeking individual papers as well as panel submissions for their graduate student conference. The conference will be held at the Karl Anatol Center on the campus of CSULB on March 12th, 2020.

Executive Committees for the Forum on Medieval French Literature and the Forum on Sixteenth-Century French Literature, Joint Call for Proposals:

In 1992, James Shapiro discussed ‘Shakespeare and the Jews’ in the James Parkes Lecture at the University of Southampton, a lecture that would form one of the cornerstones of his ground-breaking book of the same title. Thirty years later, in 2022, the journal Shakespeare pays homage to his research, both by looking back and reflecting on the issues Shapiro raised, and by looking around us in today’s world where the topic is as relevant as ever. Shakespeare and the accusation of anti-Semitism have long been intertwined, with The Merchant of Venice being central in this discourse. Today, the evidence of rising anti-Semitism has become almost impossible to ignore.

15th ESSE Conference, August 31 – September 4

Lyon, France

Seminar 57 "Genre, gender and nation in early prose fiction in English (1600-1700)"

Convenors:

Dr. Sonia Villegas-López (University of Huelva, Spain) villegas@uhu.es

Professor María José Coperías-Aguilar (University of Valencia, Spain) maria.j.coperias@uv.es

Professor Karen Gevirtz (Seton Hall University, US) karen.gevirtz@shu.edu

Traditionally attributed to King Solomon and defined by Rabbi Akiva as the “Holy of Holies” among the sacred scriptures (Mishnah Yadayim 3:5), the Song of Songs is one of the most fascinating and controversial Biblical books. Fervently read and carefully explained, celebrated as a key to the supreme mystery of the union between God and men, the Song of Songs, the primary source for the Christian pervasive metaphor of the sacred marriage and eros, was a text crucial not only to the Middle Ages, but also to the Renaissance period. This ambivalent book, which combined a sensual celebration of love with a well-established tradition of allegorical interpretation, held a particular appeal for poets.

“Queer Crossings, Unruly Locales, 1500-1800”  

University of California, Santa Barbara 

Conference Date: February 28-29, 2020 

Abstracts Due: December 5th, 2019 (Extended Deadline)

*Extended Deadline* 31 December 2019

The Witch in Medieval and Early-Modern Literature

In our supposedly disenchanted world, depictions of witches follow fairly standard aesthetic and ideological criteria the role of which is to maintain or, on the contrary, to challenge societal considerations regarding gender roles or normative female bodily depictions. But such standardization does not do justice to the heterogeneity of representations that pre-modern witches actually possessed.

William Shakespeare was Emily Dickinson’s favorite writer and her letters abound with references to him and his works. Dickinson’s allusions to Shakespeare’s writings evidence his pervasive presence in her life but also signal his ubiquitous place in her culture.

In collaboration with the Emily Dickinson Museum, the 2020 EDIS Annual Meeting will be held July 31 to August 1 in Amherst. This year’s focus is Dickinson’s great love of Shakespeare and this theme will shape the usual features of our Annual Meetings such as reading groups, tours of the Dickinson Museum, performances, readings, seminar-style discussions, and talks.

Paul Brown aptly described Thomas Becket as a tripartite figure: historical, legendary, and
literary. 2020 marks the triple jubilee of Thomas Becket: 900-year anniversary of his birth, 850-
years since his murder, and 800-years since his translation. We invite proposals for papers on all
things Becket related for the panel “Commemorating Thomas Becket.” I will be submitting a
proposal for a session at the beginning of January for the General Meeting of the Canadian
Society of Medievalists conference held at the 2020 Congress in London, Ontario, at the
University of Western Ontario, June 3-5. Proposals which address the political, religious,

The London Shakespeare Centre & Shakespeare’s Globe Second Graduate Conference

Negotiating Boundaries: Early Modern Texts and Cultures

 14-15 February 2020

 Shakespeare’s Globe & King’s College London