CALL FOR PAPERS
17th Annual Postgraduate Medieval Studies Conference
25th-26th February, 2011
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bristol, UK
Shaping Narratives
Master Class with Professor Karen Pratt, King’s College London
‘How useful is the concept of genre for the study of medieval romance?
The strange case of Gautier d’Arras’s Eracle’
The University of Bristol hosts the longest-running international medieval
postgraduate conference in the UK. Each year we offer medievalists the opportunity
to present their research, discuss ideas, and foster links bridging disciplinary and
geographical boundaries. In 2011 the conference will be in its 17th year, and we are
inviting proposals for papers from postgraduates and early career scholars on the
theme of ‘Shaping Narratives’.
Our conception of the Middle Ages is shaped by the narratives we uncover in the
rich range of medieval cultural artefacts that survive (or have failed to survive) to
the present day. Narratives ? both medieval and modern ? can be shaped by
religious, political or didactic ideas, by questions of identity, or by constructions of
authorship and creation. This interdisciplinary conference will consider the use of
narrative in the formation and interpretation of the textual, visual, musical and
material cultures of the Middle Ages.
Topics may include but are not limited to:
The notion of medieval authors/creators
Medieval readers and listeners: interpretation, orality and performance
Material and visual narratives
Critical interpretations of the past: narrative and genre theory in both
contemporary and medieval scholarly discourse
Biography, life stories and exempla
Narrative through music and lyric
Hiding and suppressing political and religious narratives
Narratives in manuscript culture: discerning textual communities from
miscellanies and compilations
Papers must be no more than 20 minutes long
Abstracts of 250-300 words should be sent by email (by preference) to:
Johnny McFadyen (Jonathan.McFadyen@bristol.ac.uk)
Or to Johnny McFadyen, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bristol, Graduate
School of Arts and Humanities, 7 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1TB, UK.
Deadline for receipt of abstracts: 10th December, 2011
Registration deadline: 21st January, 2011
For further information please visit our website:
www.bristol.ac.uk/medievalcentre/postgraduate-conference