While labor economics and political theory regularly engage the phenomenon of class conflict, literary study often glosses over it. This roundtable seeks to resuscitate the vexed question of class-bias in the academy, as reflected in the absence of or meager attention given to literary representations of working class consciousness. Papers drawing from any literary chronology and any genres are welcome.  The purpose of this roundtable is  first to explore the marginalization of working class life but then to  propose a remedy. How can literary studies acquire cross-class agency, recognizing  working class subjectivity within a traditional literary canon?  This will be the roundtable's culminating question for presenters and attendees. A recognized publisher haa expressed interest in an edited collection of essays emerging from the Baltimore conference.  Abstracts of 250-500 words to dbender @ pace.edu.