The Works of Elena Ferrante: History, Poetics and Theory

Call for Papers  

The Works of Elena Ferrante: History, Poetics and Theory

Volume to be edited by: Grace Russo Bullaro (Professor, City University of New York-Lehman College) with Stephanie Love, CUNY Graduate School

    In recent years, the novels of Elena Ferrante have drawn impressive popular and critical attention throughout the world. Rich in complex historical content, interesting structural and stylistic choices, and insightful portrayals of relationships and growing up, Ferrante’s novels evoke important questions around history, poetics, language, politics and social and literary theory. This edited volume aims to give texture to some of the important issues, themes and concerns that constitute all of Elena Ferrante’s novels. This call for papers seeks abstracts from authors across the fields of comparative literature, history, Italian studies, women’s studies, linguistics, anthropology, English, sociology and others.

Some of the critical questions, themes and issues to be addressed include, but are not limited to:

Literary criticism and social theory

• feminist theory—representation of the evolution of feminism, motherhood, divorce, sexuality, marriage
• literary theory (Cognitive Poetics, heteroglossia, double-voicing, etc.)
• critical reception both in Italy and the Anglophone world

Poetics     

• structure of narrative
• style and language

History

• economic and class history—Italy’s “economic miracle”, wealth, class divisions, and the terrorism of “gli anni di piombo”
• social movements—representation, memory, nostalgia, consequences and connections with contemporary social movements 

The “Neighborhood”

• intersections with criminality
• the concepts of “belonging” and community.

Language

• language, gender, and class
• translation studies
• language and education—history, class, gender, opportunity

Please send an abstract of 500 words, with a tentative short bibliography and a bio sketch, to:    

Grace Russo Bullaro, gmandarin49@gmail.com 

    and Stephanie Love,  slove@gc.cuny.edu 

Deadline: March 15, 2015