Call for full chapters for an edited collection for Palgrave Macmillan (contract signed) entitled "The Performativity of Villainy and Evil in Anglophone Literature and Media" Only a few days left/Extention is possible only on request
deadline for submissions:
March 31, 2020
full name / name of organization:
University of Gafsa, Tunisia
contact email:
villainycollection@gmail.com
Call for Chapters for an edited collection on the performativity of villainy and evil in literature and media
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 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 full articles for a collection of academic essays on the performativity of literary villains in literary texts that are conceived in the English language for Palgrave Macmillan. This volume tries to use the emerging interdisciplinary theories of performance to study the literary villain. It attempts to cover a wide range of classical as well as nonclassical and even experimentalist genres. The aim of this collection is to investigate the literary representation of the villain in different literary texts. It tries to emphasize the role of the villains and their performative energy in shaping the texts under scrutiny. The reviewers recommended that we extend the scope of the collection and, therefore, we are seeking full articles on the following topics:
- Beowulf (we need more articles about this classic and its different adaptations)
- Medieval literature (Chaucer, Arthurian Legends, Metaphysical Drama)
- Evil in Everyman
- The figure of Mordred in and Beyond the Arthurian legends
- Celtic and Gaelic (folk)lore and its adaptations
- Witchcraft in Medieval literature
- The Murder of Thomas Beckett in Medieval Literature and Beyond
- Witchcraft and evil
- Fallen angels
- The seven deadly sins
- Evil spirits
- Dark rituals
- Giants
- Monsters
- Evil and body ornaments (Tattoos, branding, piercing, makeup, etc)
- Robinhood Legends
- Evil (and) Hierarchies
- Muslim and Jewish characters as Medieval and Renaissance Villains (not in Shakespeare we got that covered)
- Renaissance writers other than William Shakespeare (we do not accept any articles on Shakespeare we have enough. We only welcome articles on other early modern writers)
- The tool villain in Renaissance drama and beyond
- The plays of John Webster
- The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil
-The History of King Richard the Third by Saint/Sir Thomas More
- The Early Modern representations of King John of England (Other than Shakespeare)
- Dr. Faustus and its different versions and adaptations
- Irish drama and fiction
- Native American lore
- Early American texts (may include early English versions/translations of Native American folklore)
- The Salem Witchhunt and trials in Early American literature (and in contemporary media)
- Milton's Paradise Lost
- Milton's Satan long after Stanley Fish's surprised by sin
- 18th century British Literature
- Evil in the historical fiction of Sir Walter Scott
- Romanticism
- Jane Austin
- The figure of Dracula (in and beyond Bram Stoker)
- Dickens' representation of evil
- Detective fiction
- African American Literature
- African literature in English
- Australian literature
- Canadian Literature
- Evil Indigenous Literature in North America and Australia even if it is not in English (the article, however, should be in English)
- Implications of the fact that indigenous villains in Western literature are not individualized like European villains
- Disney films and cartoon
- Comic books
- Representation of Evil and villainy in musical performances
- Music and evil
- Cartoon
- Caricature
- (silent) Films
- TV series
- Al Capone and El Chapo in films and literature
- Espionage in media (while we have articles on this topic, we would be very interested in an article about the TV series Mata Hari Series (esp. 2016) or Movies and/or James Bond Movies)
- Hitler in British and American Literature, film and media
- Evil intellectuals
- Stories of Holocaust survivors in literature and media
- Stalin in British and American Literature and (literary) media
- Free Masonry and secret societies in literature and media (some focus on the representations of the rites of initiation would be appreciated)
- Evil cults and cultists in literature and media
- Conspiracies and conspiracy theories
-Love as/and evil
- The representation of evil in pornography and eroticism
- Evil Fetishism and fetishized evil in literature and (literary) media
- The vilified and eroticized woman/person in charge
- Seduction as/and evil
- (Eroticized) evil step-parents
- The figure of the homewrecker in literature and film
- The (de/sexualized) figure of the evil teacher/mentor
- Evil philosophies/justifying evil in literature and (literary) media
- video games (with focus on their literary aspect)
- articles about telltale games and BioWare games are very welcome
- contemporary Gothic literature and media
- racialized evil
- Evil and age(ing)
- Evil in Netflix historical documentaries
- evil in (auto)biographic literature
- Children literature
- Evil and the Law
- Evil and the state
- Shady organizations in literature and media
- Marvel cinematic universe
- The Lord of the Rings and its different adaptations
- The Joker movie of 2019
- The Witcher (book, game and movie)
- The ethical controversies surrounding Joker (2019)or another film or video game (we have another article about the notion of the evil text but it is about a novel. Seeing a certain text as evil is worth investigation. Other articles written in this vein would be more than welcome)
- Game of Thrones
- Representation of Medieval evil in contemporary literature and media
- Contemporary Historical Fiction
- Vigilantism and/as evil
- Vigilantes in literature and media
- Philippa Kelly's fiction and its adaptations
- The Song of Ice and Fire and its adaptations
- Star wars and its different adaptations
- fan studies
- Celebrity and evil (also "evil"/mean celebrities)
- Evil, clothing, and fashion in media (we have one article about evil and clothing in literature. One on media would be a great addition to this collection)
- Populism and evil
- Science and evil
- Artificial intelligence and evil in literature and media (we already have an article about Mass Effect but its focus is not on the geth or the reapers or ED or SAM such focus would be welcome)
- The evil imagination of villains
- Evil in/and the natural world in media and literature
- Medicine and evil in literature and (literary) media
- Drugs and drug addiction as/and evil
- Biological warfare and engineered diceases in literature and media
- Genetic modification/cloning as/and "evil"
- Vilifying the media in the age of populism
- The represntation of Evil in "applied theatre"
- The axis of evil in political media and creative discourses during and after the Bush era
- Irani regime in British and US literature and media
- Posthuman evil
- Evil AI
- Futuristic evil
- Contemporary witchcraft in literature and media
- The notion of evil in performance theory (esp. in Judith Butler)
Unfortunately, other areas have already been covered and the reviewers recommended no further additions to them. Because the contract requires that we submit the full manuscript before the end of the year, we cannot consider abstracts. We are seeking full articles. Please send your full article (that has never been published before and is not under consideration elsewhere) and a short bio to villainycollection@gmail.com no later than March 31, 2020. For any query please do not hesitate to contact the editor Dr. Nizar Zouidi e-mail: nizarzouidinizar@outlook.com. We look forward to your contributions. The deadlines are final. However, we may consider a 10-day extension after the deadlines (on request) only for Mediaval literature, Renaissance drama (other than Shakespeare), Evil and vilified teacher in media and literature, Evil in pornography, biological warefare, engineered diceases and genetic modification. Those interested may contact Dr. Zouidi. We will not accept any contributions after the deadlines unless they are granted extension by the editor. They still will go through peer review. Extension requests will not be accepted after the deadlines.
The articles should be between 4000 and 8000 words. You can use MLA or Chicago style but please try to provide as much information as possible. (Please note that there are no publication or processing fees or anything of the kind. The quality of your article is what determines whether it will be published in this collection or not. Please do not inquire about fees) We also procured the help of a proofreader. However, he will only help with the formatting of the final manuscript as I cannot pay for the proofreading of individual articles. The authors should make sure there are no errors, typos or any kind of language problems - including wordiness and other stylistic defects. If they need professional help, they may use a proofreader. If they wish to benefit from the services of the same proofreader that is working with the editor, the latter may put them through to the proofreader but will not be a part of any transactions between them. It would be better that you make sure there are no mistakes or errors in your chapter before sending it. (Please forgive these remarks but since I send the articles straight to the peer reviewers after skimming through them (because the number of articles is quite considerable) and received some complaints that some articles need proofreading, I hope all authors polish their articles before they send them)
Last updated March 21, 2020
