This panel seeks to continue the fruitful dialogue about the intertwining of epic, romance and novel in Italian culture we started at the AAIS-CSIS 2017 Conference in Columbus, Ohio. In order to further the scholarship of Bakhtin, Jameson, Doody, and Fusillo among others, we welcome investigations of the widespread presence and reciprocal influence of these three literary forms in the Italian linguistic and cultural space from the Middle Ages to the present day. What motivates their contaminations? What emerges from the collisions of these different styles and worldviews within the Italian context?

We welcome contributions that explore these synergies and contradictions throughout the history of Italian literature as well as different forms of representation including (but not limited to) visual arts, cinema, theatre, television and folk culture.

The primary goal of this panel is to gather innovative contributions on epic, romance and novel (alongside those we already welcomed in 2017) for a collection of essays on the topic.

Please submit a 250-words abstract, biographical information, and technical requirements to Lucia Gemmani (lucia-gemmani@uiowa.edu) and Andrea Privitera (aprivite@uwo.ca). The deadline for submission is February 28th, 2019.