On Wed, Oct 2, 2019 at 6:37 PM Michael Torregrossa, Medieval in Popular Culture <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi. > > I'm new to the list. I'm a medievalist working primarily on the reception > of the Arthurian legend in the post-medieval world. Some of my research has > been devoted to adaptations of Twain's *Connecticut Yankee* in comics and > on film/television. > > Recently, I've had a session on the general topic of "afterlives" of the > novel approved for NeMLA, which meets next March in Boston. > > I have three proposals to date; however, one presenter has had to pull out > due to a lack of funding, and I need to locate at least one more panelist > (two more would be ideal) to complete the session. > > I'd appreciate the list's assistance in making the session a reality. The > papers that are included so far are devoted to the *Connecticut Yankee > *episodes > of *MacGyver *and my own paper on comics versions of the novel/story. It > would be great to have something on other types of illustrated texts, other > film and television adaptations, and/or dramatic retellings. > > I append the full call below, and I do also welcome your suggestions for > correctives to the observations included within it. I am also always on the > lookout for examples of the novel's afterlife and any studies about it that > I might have missed. > > Thanks for your help, > Michael > > > Call for Papers for Afterlives of *A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s > Court* > > 51st Annual Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Association > > Boston Marriott Copley Place, in Boston, Massachusetts, from 5-8 March 2020 > > DEADLINE EXTENDED: Paper abstracts are due by 7 October 2019 > > Session organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, The Alliance for the Promotion > of Research on the Matter of Britain > > Writer Mark Twain and illustrator Daniel Carter Beard’s *A Connecticut > Yankee in King Arthur’s Court* (1889) has had a long history of adaptation > in popular culture, but the full scope of its reception remains untold. > There are, of course, the obvious texts, both in print and on film, that > merely retell the story. Of these, more work is needed on the illustrative > tradition. Along with retellings, there are also a small number of works > that continue *Connecticut Yankee*. These appear entirely unknown to > Twainians but offer a unique approach to the author’s legacy. More > importantly, *Connecticut Yankee* itself or its story as mediated through > one of its many retellings has also stimulated new narratives detached from > Twain and Beard’s telling that recast characters and restage events. Also > relatively unknown by scholars of the novel, these materials can be found > throughout modern popular culture, and, although Elizabeth S. Sklar > somewhat derisibly labels these as “spinoffs and ripoffs” of the novel, > they are of value (as she suggests) and perhaps more so than the retellings > because such items serve as the base for an extensive corpus of > transformations of the novel that send various protagonists, all characters > more familiar to contemporary readers and viewers than Twain’s Hank Morgan, > into the medieval past and set a common pattern for time travel stories. > > In the end, this session will offer a broad view of adaptations of the > *Connecticut > Yankee* story to situate both retellings and the lesser known and/or > hitherto unknown continuations and recastings into a new continuum to offer > a more complete picture of the novel’s effect on popular culture and > provide fresh insight into the various ways that the producers responsible > for these re-imaginings have appropriated the story and its time-travel > motif for their own purposes. > > This session is a paper panel in traditional format, which will include 3-4 > participants, reading a formal paper of 15-20 minutes (2500-3000 words) as > set by the chair, followed by Q&A. > > The direct link for this session is > https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/18029. Please contact the organizers > at [log in to unmask] with any questions or concerns. > > > > Abstract submissions must be made through NeMLA’s official site. Applicants > will need to login or create an account at > https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/login. Submissions must begin with a > paper title of not more than 100 characters (including spaces) and adhering > to the following: capitalize titles by MLA formatting rules unless the > title is in a language other than English; do not use quotation marks in > the session title or abstract title itself but please use only single > quotation marks around titles of short stories, poems, and similar short > works; italicize the titles of long works mentioned in the paper title; and > do not place a period at the end of the title. Submissions should also > include an academic biography (usually transferred from your NeMLA profile) > and a paper abstract of not more than 300 words; be sure to italicize or > use quotation marks around titles according to MLA guidelines. > > Please be aware that NeMLA membership is not required to submit abstracts, > but it is required to present at the convention. In addition, note that it > is permissible to present on (1) a panel (or seminar) and (2) a roundtable > or a creative session, but it is not permissible to present on a panel and > a seminar (because both are paper-based), on two panels or two roundtables > (because both would be the same type). Further information on these and > other policies can be accessed at > http://www.buffalo.edu/nemla/convention/callforpapers/submit.html. > > Chairs will confirm the acceptance of abstracts before 15 October 2019. At > that time, applicants must confirm the panel on which they wish to > participate. Convention registration/membership for 2019-2020 must be paid > by 1 December 2019. > > > > > -- > Michael A. Torregrossa, M.A. > > > *Founder, The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching > of the Medieval in Popular Culture: > https://medievalinpopularculture.blogspot.com/ > > *Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of > Britain: https://kingarthurforever.blogspot.com/ > > *Founder, Northeast Alliance for Scholarship on the Fantastic: > https://northeastfantastic.blogspot.com/ > > Area Chair, Monsters and the Monstrous Area, Northeast Popular > Culture/American Culture Association: > https://popularpreternaturaliana.blogspot.com/ > > 34 Second Street > Smithfield, RI 02917-3627 > United States of America >