Sorry for the gobbledegook.  I swear I had it set on "Plain Text."  Computers 
hate me, and the feeling is often mutual.  Here it is again, typed in afresh, 
with no pasting, in sincere hope that it is in English this time.

Because Twain is a master of satire, I wanted to share this call for papers with 
you all.  In the "Chronicle of Young Satan," he wrote that "Against the assault 
of Laughter nothing can stand."  What this panel seeks to explore is how sure 
you can be that a satirist and his audience are laughing at the same thing and 
what that uncertainty might imply.  I think that this question is at the heart 
of some of the recent controversies about the pain that words can cause.

Cheers,
Sharon

*************************
Modern Language Association Annual Convention 2012
Seattle, 5-9 January 2012

Satire's Double-Edged Irony

The American Humor Studies Association is seeking papers that explore the often 
ambiguous nature of satire's object, the lines that blur between satire and 
celebration, and the difficulty of predicting or controlling audience response.

Recent studies, such as "The Irony of Satire," suggest that the perception of 
satire's object often rests in the reader's or viewer's own biases.  This panel 
is interested in exploring the implications of this ambiguity in the production, 
deployment, and teaching of satire.  How does this affect satire's admittedly 
subversive purpose?  Is this satire's power, its limitation, or both?

250-word abstracts by 15 March 2011.
Sharon McCoy
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