Autobiography and the Body

We are seeking papers that will focus on the role of the body in autobiography for a panel that will be held at the Northeast MLA Conference March 2-5, 2006 in Philadelphia, PA. This panel will focus on the recent trend among feminist scholars to examine the prevalence of the body in the autobiographies of women and its noticeable absence in autobiographies of men. Often in women’s autobiography, the physical self contributes largely to the author’s own identity. For example, Lucy Grealy’s Autobiography of a Face equates her physical appearance with her definition of self, while more tradition autobiographies of men, such as Benjamin Franklin and Henry Adams, emphasize a life of intellectual accomplishments.

We welcome papers that explore the significance or insignificance of the body in autobiography and/or the role of the brain and its chemistry in perceptions of self.

Possible genres may include:

Classic/traditional autobiography
Slave narratives
Women’s autobiography
Disability/disease autobiography
Ethnic autobiography

Please include the following information with submissions:
 
Author's name, telephone number, address, e-mail address, and author's institutional and departmental affiliation

Please send papers or a 500 word abstract by September 15, 2005 to:

Dr. Christopher Stuart
Department of English, #2703
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403

Or you may e-mail your submissions to:

Chris-Stuart_at_utc.edu

Stephanie Todd
Adjunct English Instructor
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

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Received on Sun Jul 03 2005 - 14:00:41 EDT