Call for papers, International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, 5/12 – 5/11.
Panel Title: "Rhetoric of Prayer in Medieval Poetry"

The portrayal of prayer in medieval verse allows us to see how it was conceived outside of strictly theological discussions in ways such as Karen Jolly's examination of the role of prayers in Anglo-Saxon charms. Papers will examine what the depiction of prayers reveals about the underlying cultural conceptions of prayer as an act and could consider such wide-ranging topics as:

The role of prayers as charms or petitions.

The conditions necessary for a prayer's efficacy.

The possible disparities between secular and theological conceptions of prayer.

Please send 200-250 word abstracts for papers of 15 minutes, in addition to a 50 word bio (include your area of study, institution, and contact information) and AV requests, to ewade@uoregon.edu by 31 August 2010.