Abstract
This panel welcomes papers on the topic of foreign – defined here as non-Anglophone – fantasy works, with the goal of exploring how different cultures and languages mark and distinguish their approach to fantasy in relation to the dominant Anglophone fantasy and its Tolkienian roots. As the fantasy genre grows in popularity in our globalized world, this panel questions the extent of this globalization within the genre itself. Are there specifically French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, Chinese,… types of fantasy? If so, how can these different types of fantasy be characterized? And how and why do they distinguish themselves from the Anglophone fantasy genre? These analyses will allow not only for the deeper understanding of individual fantasy works and specific cultural or linguistic approaches to the fantasy genre, but also will provide a means of investigating the essential elements of the fantasy genre as a whole. For, if a work is still considered to be of the fantasy genre without following in the steps of the dominant trends, what remains must necessarily be the essence of that genre. This panel will therefore explore the boundaries and outskirts of the genre of fantasy, both to examine these areas outside of the center and to better define the genre itself.
Description
The growing popularity of the fantasy genre in our globalized world provides a cause for reflection. Does this globalization extend to the genre of fantasy, with its frequently cited English-language roots in Tolkien’s works? This panel will explore fantasy works that are outside of the Anglophone world to see whether and how different cultures and languages mark and distinguish themselves in the fantasy genre from the dominant Anglophone fantasy.
https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/15949
Primary Area / Secondary Area
Comparative Literature / Interdisciplinary Humanities
Chair
Elisabeth Buzay (University of Connecticut)
Submissions
All abstracts must be submitted by September 30, 2015, via the NeMLA website only: https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/Login?s=15949
Convention Information
Local Host Institution: University of Connecticut
Hotel: Marriott Hartford Downtown
Dates: March 17-20, 2016
#NeMLA2016 #Hartford
The Northeast Modern Language Association will meet in Hartford, Connecticut, for its 47th annual convention and will feature approximately 400 sessions, as well as dynamic speakers and cultural events.
Hartford features some of the most significant historic and cultural sites in New England: the adjacent and interconnected Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe Houses; the artistic and cultural collections at the Wadsworth Atheneum; classic and contemporary performances at the Hartford Stage, Theater Works, and the Bushnell Center for Performing Arts; archives and research opportunities at the Connecticut Historical Society and Connecticut State Library and State Archives; unique and offbeat museums for kids and families such as the Connecticut Science Center and the CRRA Trash Museum; and much more. Both Adriaen's Landing (the newly completed area around the convention center) and the historic downtown feature a variety of restaurants, shops, and parks.
For information about Hartford, visit http://www.hartford.com/ or http://www.hartford.gov/visitors
Special thanks to the generous support of:
The University of Connecticut Department of English
The University of Connecticut Department of Literatures, Cultures, & Languages
The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
The University of Connecticut College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Dean’s Office)
The University of Connecticut Creative Writing Program