CFP The Evolution of Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction, Academia Lunare (11/30/2018)

Here's an interesting call:

The Evolution of Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction, Academia Lunare
https://www.fantastic-arts.org/2018/the-evolution-of-evil-in-fantasy-and-science-fiction-academia-lunare/
July 9, 2018

Academia Lunare

Academia Lunare is the Luna Press Publishing academic branch for Fantasy and Science Fiction.

One of the most exciting aspects of fandom is the critical assessment of literature, as a way to show one’s love for a particular author or body of work. Speculative non-fiction is also a mirror for society, with an eye cast into the future.

The Evolution of Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction
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We are very proud to announce our third Call For Papers. The theme of the 2018 CfPs is: “The Evolution of Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction”.

Our first call for papers, “Gender and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction” received 2 BSFA Awards nomination and one BSFA Awards shortlist. The second call for papers, “The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction”, will be out this summer.

It is time for a new challenge!

Writers are invited to explore the concept of evil in all its shapes and developments, in literature, games, movies and TV.

Here is some food for thought, though it should not restrict your own ideas:

• ​Focus on a specific character which has embodied the concept of evil
• The development of a specific archetypal character which, over the course of the centuries, has undergone a transformation from neutral/positive figure into an evil one, or vice versa – historical and socio-political influences that brought about this transformation
• Development of a representative type of evil over time (trolls, fairies, mad gods, dark lords, vampires, demons, etc.)
• The impact of religion on folklore
• Latest incarnations of evil mirroring socio-political changes
• Latest incarnations of evil in general
• Evil as an embodiment of modern society
• Evolution of evil through the ages
• Possible representations of minorities as evil
• Creating evil – what makes a successful villain?
• Heroes as villains
• Other representations of evil, e.g. hostile environments. Music as a tool for implying threat and hostility

​
Before you start, get in touch! Send us an email either with your abstract or simply to let us know what topic you intend to explore: it is perfectly fine to have more than one author discussing the same topic, as long as the angle is different.

Word Limit: up to 6,000 words.

Full references for citations must be included using Harvard referencing style. Download the full guide and the quick guide on the Academia Lunare page.

Closing Date: 30th of November 2018.

Publishing contract for all participants, with shared royalties from each sale and a free copy of the book.

Do not fear if this is your first non-fiction work: if you love research, you need a chance to start somewhere. Take a look at the past two Call For Papers blog posts and explore the articles submitted – it may help you decide your course of action.

For more information, please see https://www.lunapresspublishing.com/academialunare. FacebookTwitterGoogle+

CFP To Prove a Villain: On the Performativity of “Evil” Characters in Anglophone Literature Collection (7/30/2018)

An interesting idea:

To Prove a Villain: On the Performativity of “Evil” Characters in Anglophone Literature
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/05/25/to-prove-a-villain-on-the-performativity-of-%E2%80%9Cevil%E2%80%9D-characters-in-anglophone

deadline for submissions: July 30, 2018

full name / name of organization: University of Gafsa, Tunisia

contact email: villainycollection@gmail.com


Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile,
And cry 'Content' to that which grieves my heart,
And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
And frame my face to all occasions.
I'll drown more sailors than the mermaid shall;
I'll slay more gazers than the basilisk;
I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,
Deceive more slily than Ulysses could,
And, like a Sinon, take another Troy.
I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.

(Henry VI Part III, 3.2)

The emphasis on “the performativity of texts” (Skinner x) has now become common in literary studies. “The notion of literature as performative” (Culler 96) is now entrenched. It pervades many of the recent studies of the theory of literature. This is why the concept of performance is no longer confined to literary forms that are traditionally written to be performed on the stage, the pulpit or the podium, like drama, songs and sermons. Every form of literature can be considered as performative. Moreover, the works of Judith Butler, Quentin Skinner, Richard Schechner, Jonathan Culler, Jacques Derrida, Richard Rorty and others have shown that performativity characterizes all the aspects of literature. The writing, marketing, reading and analysis of literature are performative. It is quite common to describe them as acts, esp. the act of reading. This performativity extends the concept of literature irrevocably beyond the boundaries of the written text. It also proves that we need to cope with the looseness of the term literature that can no longer be confined to the classical genres. Many traditional and new (non)-discursive practices started to fall into the category of literature, from which they have long been excluded. Probably the most intriguingly appealing characters in traditional and contemporary literature, the representations of evil characters – be they villains in drama, antagonists in fiction and cinema, bosses in video games or corrupt public figures in satirical writings – has always been connected with the notion of performance. Evil characters, real or/and fictional, are – for the most part – defined by their deeds. This is why the notion of performance can be quite helpful in understanding them. To further contribute to the articulation of this interconnection between performativity and the literary representation of evil characters, we are seeking detailed proposals for a collection of academic essays entitled:

To Prove a Villain: On the Performativity of “Evil” Characters in Anglophone Literature

The proposals may address one or more of the following topics or other relevant topics within the scope of the literature written (conceived, developed, created, etc.) in English:

- Villains and villainy in literature

- Characterization of the evil characters

- Representations of crimes and evil deeds in literary discourses

- The role of evil characters in shaping the plot

- Villains and evil doers in mythology and religious literature

- The secular villain

- Magic, sorcery and devilish arts

- Technology and evil

- Evil characters in science fiction

- Evil in performance studies

- Visibility and invisibility in evil characters

- Temptation, seduction and the “virality” of evil

- Evil characters in children literature

- Ethnicity, gender, sexuality, difference and the evil character

- The (post)colonial villain

- Eroticizing evil (characters)

- Evil characters in Gothic literature

- Vampires, undead and other creatures as evil characters

- Dystopia, tyranny, ideology and “evil” leadership

- Satire

- Spectacular evil

- Graphic depiction of evil characters in visual literature

- The cult of literary villains (e.g. Dracula)

- Rehabilitation of literary and historical villains

- Physical portrayal of evil characters

- Evil characters in their own words (soliloquies, autobiographies, dialogues, etc.)

- Adaptations of literary works


Please send your proposals along with a short bio as Word attachments to the following email: villainycollection@gmail.com by July 30th, 2018

This email only accepts formal proposals

For queries and for further information please contact Dr. Nizar Zouidi (University of Gafsa, Tunisia): nizarzouidinizar@outlook.com


The chapters should be from 5000 to 8000 words in length and should be formatted according to the guidelines that will be provided after the abstracts are accepted by the peer reviewers. Upon completion, the chapters will be peer reviewed again and proofread by the committee in order to ensure their compliance with the publisher’s requirements. However, no change shall be made without the explicit consent of the authors.

CFP Villains In Medieval And Early Modern Life And Lit (7/2/2018)

Finally, a call of relevance to post:

Villains In Medieval And Early Modern Life And Lit
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/03/26/villains-in-medieval-and-early-modern-life-and-lit

deadline for submissions: 

July 2, 2018

full name / name of organization: 

Center for Medieval-Renaissance Studies, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise

contact email: 

sa2je@virginia.edu

 

This panel of the 32nd Medieval-Renaissance Conference (UVA-Wise, Sept. 13-15, 2018) invites papers on medieval and early modern villains and the dynamic ethical codes assigned them by authors, audiences, and critics. By villains we mean criminals, tricksters (such as professional beggers), political careerists, or poets and their characters, charismatic or not. Some viable threads: villains as likable (anti-)heroes; villains as reflections of med-ren political and social audiences; the vices, virtues, and skills of villains; the ethical implications their very existence conjures. Submit abstracts to Sherif Abdelkarim at sa2je@virginia.edu. Deadline July 2, 2018.

Last updated March 27, 2018