| Author |
Comment
|
Laura
Registered User
(2/4/02 2:19:52 pm)
|
Folklore, Literature, Body Parts
I'm on UPenn's Call for Papers mailing list, and I was quite intrigued by this one:
Discussion Group on Folklore and Literature
"The Corporeal in Fragments: Body Parts in Narrative"
The body has been a popular subject of study for some time, however as the effects of the postmodern era have influenced our perceptions of ourselves and others, we find ourselves examining not only whole bodies, but body parts. Looking at corporeal in fragments in narrative may well serve to more deeply understand the whole, as well as to call into question our tendency to break apart the notion of what a body is. This panel seeks papers that utilize folkloristic approaches to body parts in literature and society ranging from saints' relics to legends of organ theft.
Please send titles and 500 word abstracts by March 10, email preferred:
Camilla Mortensen
<camilla@oregon.uoregon.edu>
Program in Comparative Literature
313 Villard Hall
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Called to mind how many folks on this board love the Girl without Hands tales, as well as all the Freudian readings of what it means when characters start losing their "bits," so to speak. I'm still chewing this one over -- does it spark thoughts in any of you?
Laura
|
Kerrie
Registered User
(2/4/02 6:49:00 pm)
|
Re: Folklore, Literature, Body Parts
It does indeed! I'm trying to create a list of all tales I know that have anything to do with a body part, organ, etc., but I can't see any kind of connection whatsoever! I've never answered a call for papers before: is the "500 word abstract" just a synopsis, the whole paper, how long are they usually in the end? I would love to start at least getting in the habit of writing papers! (Luckily I had a few good experiences with assignments in college to not frighten me away!)
Sugarplum dreams,
Kerrie
|
Laura
Registered User
(2/4/02 9:55:34 pm)
|
Re: Folklore, Literature, Body Parts
Well, this particular one isn't for a print collection -- it's for a session at the MLA 2002 convention in NYC. The abstract is an outline, sort of like the blurb on a book jacket that tells you what to expect. I have yet to attend a conference (my first is in a little over a month), but I hear presentations generally run 15-20 minutes, which is about 8-10 typed pages. You can read or do something a little less formal and staid. Beyond that, I'm afraid I don't know much. :-) I bet if you wrote the woman mentioned, she'd be able to tell you more.
Laura
|
Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(2/4/02 11:19:15 pm)
|
Re: Folklore, Literature, Body Parts
Laura is correct. The abstract is a summary of the paper to be submitted. Check the MLA style guide for examples.
Academic conferences are interesting places and quite fun if you have the right mindset. I have presented at two and enjoyed many. I have never attended MLA, but I have been lead to understand that the audience can be brutal in some subject areas. Hopefully this won't be one of them. I have attended various children's lit conferences and library conferences which tend to be quite friendly--I only witnessed one tense session. Good luck to one and all who submit a paper!
There is always the potential of being asked to submit the paper to a collection of papers for publication. Occasionally someone in the audience will consider a paper to be perfect for a collection they are editing. This is still the world of publish or perish, after all.
Heidi, who really isn't trying to scare anyone away from a unique experience
Edited by: Heidi Anne Heiner at: 2/4/02 11:23:13 pm
|
|
