3-7 July 2018
Institute of English Studies, Senate House, London
Keynote: Mariaconcetta Costantini, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara
Keynote: Carolyn Oulton, Canterbury Christ Church University
Keynote: Cathy Waters, University of Kent
Round Table on the State of the Field: Juliet John, Andrew King, Julia Kuehn, Kate Newey, Catherine Pope
Exhibition: ‘How Novel Was the Novelette? Fiction, Gender and Popular Nineteenth-Century Periodicals’, curated by John Spiers
Reading Group: ‘Invasion Fiction’, hosted by Andrew King and Beth Gaskell
Call for Papers (VPFA 2018 CFP – downloadable here)
The Victorian Popular Fiction Association is dedicated to fostering interest in understudied popular writers, literary genres and other cultural forms, and to facilitating the production of publishable research and academic collaborations amongst scholars of the popular. Our annual conference is now in its tenth year and aims to celebrate with a five day extravaganza! Alongside the usual keynotes, special panels, reading group and exhibition, there will be trips out to different events around London.
The organisers invite a broad, imaginative and interdisciplinary interpretation on the topic of ‘War and Peace’ and its relation to any aspect of Victorian popular literature and culture which might address literal or metaphorical representations of the theme.
We welcome proposals for 20 minute papers, panels of three papers affiliated with an organisation or a group of scholars and non-traditional papers/panels, on topics which can include, but are not limited to:
War:
War: colonial wars, war heroes, battles, war poetry, staged battles, invasion and conflict, violent death, war reportage and illustration/photography, war painting, medicine, infirmaries, surgery
Material culture of war
Britain vs the Continent: conflicts of views, customs, civilizations
Us versus Them: Empire and colonialism, ‘otherness’, abject, uncanny
Wars of ideas
Class war: Chartism, war on poverty, socialism
War between the sexes: The New Woman, women as workers and consumers
Science and technology: Darwinism, technological advances, train travel
Religious controversies and crises of faith: Darwin, religion vs science, Higher Criticism
War is personal: personal rivalries, the threat of crowds and mobs, anarchism, nihilism, terrorism, assassination plots
War of mind and body: disease, nervousness, phobias, anxieties
Violence: crime and punishment, domestic and sexual abuse, child abuse
News and print culture: professional rivalries, periodical debates, book sales, the best seller
Genre wars: realism, sensationalism, Gothic, detective, science fiction
Travel writing/writing travel in times of war and conflict
Conflict as a narrative force
Exclusion of popular fiction from the canon/struggle for recognition in the academy
Peace:
Domestic harmony: love, romance and sex
Childhood innocence: the ‘romantic child’ and the Golden Age of children’s literature
Anniversaries: birthdays, weddings, christenings, deaths
Peace of mind/finding peace: religious movements, beliefs, spirituality/Spiritualism
Peace of body: rest cures, convalescing, R.I.P.
Social reform: global treaties, armistices, resolution, utopian communities, Pax Britannica, Britain as a guardian of the peace
Enforcing the peace: police, legislation, army, suppressing rebellion
Design reform movements: Arts and Crafts, the Victorian home, collections and collecting
Peace with our neighbours: the Great Exhibition, the grand tour, cosmopolitanism, relations between countries, food, animals
Material culture of peace
News and print culture: literary networks, co-operations, collaborations, authors, publishers and printers, image and text, the development of the book market: triple decker, single volume, yellowback, French novels
Narrative and poetic harmony: plot vs. character, poetry vs. prose, the art of the novel
Harmony and discord: music in popular fiction
Victorian values and nostalgia/costume drama
Republication of popular fiction/increasing recognition in the academy
Special topic panels: following our successful formula, we are continuing the special panels which will be hosted by guest experts; therefore we especially welcome papers about the following topics:
Topic 1: ‘Class War, Conflict and Reconciliation’ hosted by Tara Macdonald
Topic 2: ‘Religious Controversy and Reconciliation’ hosted by Naomi Heatherington
Topic 3: ‘The First War of Indian Independence’ hosted by Éadaoin Agnew
Please send proposals of no more than 300 words and a 50 word biography in Word format to Drs Janine Hatter, Helena Ifill and Jane Jordan at: vpfainfo@gmail.com
Deadline for proposals: Friday 2nd March 2018
