The Great Pittsburgh Fire occurred on April 10, 1845, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fire destroyed over a thousand buildings and caused significant damage to the city's commercial district, including the destruction of warehouses, businesses, and homes. The disaster left thousands of people homeless and caused millions of dollars in property damage.

Samuel Young uses the events of the Great Pittsburgh Fire to bookend his gothic city mystery The Smoky City: A Tale of Crime (AA Anderson 1845). According to Leslie Przybylek, senior curator at Pittsburgh’s Smithsonian affiliate the Heinz History Center, despite, the book “[finding] a ready sale and [providing] for the times a profitable enterprise”, The Smoky City is largely considered to be a lost novel.

The Smoky City presents a vivid vernacular portrayal of a bustling industrial city and the lives of its inhabitants. A university press has expressed strong interest in the project, and, as we prepare to publish a critical edition of this forgotten text, we invite scholars to contribute essays that delve into various aspects of the novel.

 Possible topics for essays include, but are not limited to:

1. Representations of Racism: The Smoky City provides a rich tapestry of characters and settings, offering opportunities for exploring themes of race and racism. Essays may examine how the novel portrays racial tensions, discrimination, and the experiences of marginalized communities within the context of the 19th-century industrial landscape.

2. Genre Exploration: Situating The Smoky City within literary genres such as Gothic fiction or City Mystery, essays can explore how the novel embodies or subverts the conventions of these genres. Contributors may analyze elements such as atmosphere, plot structure, and characterization to illuminate the novel's relationship to broader literary traditions.

3. Pittsburgh History in The Smoky City: Pittsburgh serves as a central backdrop in the novel, and essays can delve into the historical context of the city during the 19th century. Scholars may examine how the novel reflects the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of Pittsburgh at the time of its setting, offering insights into urban development, industrialization, and community life.

 4. Representation of Gender

Submission Guidelines:

Please submit an abstract of approximately 200 words along with a brief 50-word biography, your institutional affiliation, and contact information.

Completed essays should not exceed 5,000 words in length, which include footnotes and bibliography and would be due by August 31, 2024.

Ensure that your citations follow the MLA 9th edition guidelines.

PDF files of the novel itself are available upon request for proposal preparation. Please contact mike.dittman@bc3.edu with any questions.