The topic of this colloquium, "Fossilization and Evolution," isbroadly conceived to encourage contributions from a wide range ofdisciplines and theoretical perspectives. Contributions dealing withhow F&E enter into the literary discourse, visual rhetoric,political, social and personal realms of nineteenth-century France areparticularly welcome. All abstracts will be considered.
General Theme: Fossilization and Evolution (Stasis and Progress)
Fossilization and Evolution are two competing concepts that define andare defined by the nineteenth century. The work of Cuvier generalizedthe study of fossils in the early nineteenth century before Balzacexamined the social fossils of the Restoration. In linguistics as well,the scientific words fossilisation and fossiliser appear in 1832followed by the expression moeurs fossilisées by 1845. Fossils of theancien régime appear in literature throughout the nineteenth centurywhile debris from the past fills up antiquary shops and novels.Ironically, the discovery of the cro magnon fossils in 1868 contributedto the popularity of an evolutionary model of human and socialdevelopment. From Darwin's naturalist theory to Taine's and Comte'ssociological applications to Zola and Maupassant's fiction, evolutioncame to mark scientific and artistic thought, particularly in the latenineteenth century.
Fossilization implies digging up thepast, organizing the past and the present into static categories.Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Caricature
- Classification
- Collectors
- Typesand Social Strata (Aristocracy, Bourgeoisie, Ouvrier, Femme et hommecomme il faut, Commerçant, Forçat, Parisian, Provincial, etc.)
- Moeurs fossilisées
- Historical models (Pre-History, Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, etc.)
- Literary –isms
- Dead languages
- Petrification
- Phrenology
- Idées reçues
- Underground (Subterranean, Subtextual, Subconscious)
- Legitimism
- Historical Novel
- Theater
- Fashion
- Le Démodé
- Species
- Archeology
- Cuvier, Balzac, Daumier, Mérimée, etc.
- Lavater
- Classicism
Evolutionimplies a biological progression as well as social, political, moral,linguistic and economic transformation. Possible topics include (butare not limited to):
- Change
- Movement
- Le Progrès
- Positivism
- Futurism
- Social mobility
- Revolution
- Utopianism
- Socialism
- Sociology
- Darwin, Taine, Comte, Zola, Verne, Maupassant, etc.
- Fashion
- Republicanism
- Science
- Slang
- Dynamism
- Impressionism
Submissions
Submissionsfor individual papers or sessions (for session proposals, eachparticipant should submit their own abstract to be evaluatedseparately) may be in French or English and should be in the form of anabstract (250-300 words) sent as an e-mail attachment in Word® (.doc or.rtf preferred). The deadline for all submissions is 15 March 2009.Please indicate your A/V requirements on your abstract.
Colloquium Email: NCFS@byu.edu
Colloquium Organizers: Corry Cropper and Daryl Lee
Telephone: (801) 422-4484
The Colloquium will be held 22-24 Oct., 2009 in Salt Lake City