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Call for Papers:
Evil Children in Film and Literature _________________________________________

LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory solicits papers that examine the role of evil children in film and literature. From the possibly wicked Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw to the feral children in Lord of the Flies to the demonic Damien in The Omen, evil children take on various forms. Some are corrupted or possessed by external influences—violent media, abuse, or Satan himself. Others, as William March's novel and film suggest, are simply "bad seeds," inheritors of morally deficient genes and rotten to the core from birth. What function do depictions of wicked offspring serve in texts and on screen? Are they repositories for particular cultural anxieties? Emblems of historical changes to the family unit? Responses to juvenile crimes? Markers of developments in scientific and psychological theories of selfhood? How do evil children demonstrate shifting views of innocence and depravity, redemption and sin? Are they a contemporary phenomenon, a product, perhaps, of Freudian thought? If not, do pre-Freudian evil children differ from their post-Freudian counterparts? LIT welcomes essays that consider the role of evil children in film and literature and that are theoretically grounded but also engaging and accessible. Contributions should be from 5,000-10,000 words in length.

LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory publishes critical essays that employ engaging, coherent theoretical perspectives and provide original, close readings of texts. Because LIT addresses a general literate audience, we encourage essays unburdened by excessive theoretical jargon. We do not restrict the journal's scope to specific periods, genres, or critical paradigms. Submissions must use MLA citation style. Please send one hard copy of your essay, along with a 100 word abstract, to Regina Barreca, Editor, LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory, University of Connecticut, Department of English, 215 Glenbrook Rd., Box 4025, Storrs, CT 06269-4025, USA. Please also email an electronic version of your essay to litjourn@yahoo.com.

Guest Editor: Karen Renner

Deadline for submissions: October 1, 2010

LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory also welcomes submissions for general issues