Tenth Annual EGSA Conference at

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

"That Which Moves: The Kinetic Nature of Language and Literature"  

January 29th, 2010 ● 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

All things change, nothing is extinguished. There is nothing in the whole world which is permanent. Everything flows onward; all things are brought into being with a changing nature; the ages themselves glide by in constant movement.

~Ovid, 43 B.C.

A human act once set in motion flows on forever to the great account. Our deathlessness is in what we do, not in what we are.

~George Meredith, 19th Century Novelist                

Nothing at all of this is fixed.               

Each element [is] able to move, to stir, to oscillate, to come and go in its relationships with the other elements in its universe.                                               

~Alexander Calder, 20th Century Sculptor

The theory of kinetic art emerges from the notion that all the components of a sculpture are moved by its environment, the artist, or the viewer.  Like kinetic art, language and literature are also defined through dynamic movement, as their reflexive relationships present the motions of a dialectic: a discourse which both challenges and responds to its own queries. In the same manner that one sees the motion of time—actions of the past reflected and transformed by the movements of the present—one may see the motion of language and literature, as theories and meta-narratives of the present constantly shape and change how we interpret knowledge. In Calder's words, "Nothing at all of this is fixed."   

The 10th Annual EGSA Conference invites submissions from all areas of English studies, including literature, linguistics, creative writing, rhetoric and composition, and technical writing. Although we encourage a wide variety of interpretations for our theme, the following topics represent acceptable—but certainly not exhaustive—explorations of "The Kinetic Nature of Language and Literature": 

·         How ideological shifts in history are represented through literary works

·         How the perceptions and interpretations of fictional worlds  has changed over time

·         How the relationship between language and literature has transformed through the ages

·         How linguistic theory has progressed or changed throughout history

·         How the concept of "literary genre" has been perceived throughout various periods

 ·         How political and historical movements are represented in literary works

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We ask that you please submit an abstract or synopsis of approximately 300 words to egsa@uncc.edu no later than December 18, 2009.  Abstracts and synopses should be sent as an MS Word attachment with "EGSA Conference" in the subject line of the e-mail.  All submissions should include the presenter's name, the presenter's affiliated university, and the title of the piece. 
 

UNCC Department of English
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28213