The fourth issue of Victorian Network, guest edited by Dr. Beth Palmer (University of Surrey), will explore the various ways in which the Victorians related to concepts of performance and theatricality. The theatre held a central place in the Victorian imagination. Nineteenth-century investments in theatrical culture, as well as in theatrical modes of marketing and consuming literature, reflect in particularly interesting ways on the diverse performances – of class, gender, racial and national identities etc. – which shaped Victorian everyday life. We are therefore inviting submissions of no more than 7000 words investigating any aspect of this theme. A prize of £50, which we reserve the right to withhold, will be awarded for the best paper submitted.

A liberal approach to the topic is encouraged, and prospective contributors may wish to consider, among other things:

The permeation of theatrical tropes and attitudes into non-literary areas of society (science, politics, religion etc.)
Theatrical performances of authorship
Actors, actresses and Victorian celebrity culture
Spaces and politics of Victorian theatrical performances
Victorian popular culture and the theatre
Victorian theatre's interfaces with written culture
The effects of the physical and technological limitations of performance
The role played by the theatre in forging a distinctly Victorian culture
The effects of performance culture on the practice of reading
Precedents set by the Victorians for our own theatrical culture
All submissions should conform to MHRA style conventions and the in-house submission guidelines. The deadline for submissions to our next issue is November 1, 2010. Contact: victoriannetwork@gmail.com