CALL FOR PAPERS 

POETICS BEFORE MODERNITY CONFERENCE 2017

Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CRASSH)

University of Cambridge, 14-15 December 2017

http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/27241

Papers are invited for a two-day conference on the history of poetics and literary theory in the West from antiquity to 1700, discussing any aspect of the subject, in any national tradition, by researchers of any disciplinary background. Topics transcending the traditional disciplinary and period boundaries (classical, medieval, Renaissance/early modern) are particularly encouraged, but single-period papers will also be considered. Discussions of non-Western and/or post-1700 materials which illuminate the pre-1700 Western corpus are also invited.

Poetics before Modernity aims to encourage and consolidate new work on developments in Western poetics and literary theory from antiquity to 1700. The project provides a variety of outlets—seminar series, conferences, publications—for the most exciting and compelling research in the field, and hopes to foster a community of scholars working on the subject across traditional disciplinary, national, and period boundaries. The conference follows the eponymous seminarseries taking place at the University of Cambridge over 2016-17. For further indication of the range of possible topics and approaches, please see the abstracts of the talks in this series, available at www.english.cam.ac.uk/seminars/poetics/index.html.

This will be a closed conference with pre-circulated papers of around 10-15 pages. Presenters will not read out their papers but will deliver a brief (5-10 minute) summary of the thrust and broader consequences of their argument, followed by a response by a designated respondent and general discussion. Familiarity with all papers will be required from the delegates. All papers (around 150 pages in total) will be circulated shortly after the submission deadline of 25 November 2017. The conference proceedings will be published as an edited volume or special issue. 

Papers by early- and mid-career scholars, including advanced doctoral candidates, are particularly encouraged. Limited support for scholars traveling from overseas will be available, with details to be confirmed at a later date. If you would like to request support, please include, along with your abstract and CV, a brief description of your circumstances and need for funding.

There will be a flat conference fee of £30 for all delegates, covering accommodation, conference materials, meals, and refreshments.

Organizers: Dr Vladimir Brljak (Trinity Hall, Cambridge) and Dr Micha Lazarus (Trinity College, Cambridge).

Please send abstracts of up to 500 words with full-length CVs, as well as any inquiries, to poeticsbeforemodernity@gmail.com by 15 June 2017.