Category: Kalamazoo

Impropriety and Notoriety in Courtly Society
Session for the 55th International Congress on Medieval Studies
(7-10 May 2020 at Western Michigan University)
Sponsored by the International Courtly Literature Society, North American Branch

Paper Length: Roundtable, 7-10 minutes

Deadline for Submissions: 15 September 2019

Justification and Description:

Outrage! Scandal! Works of courtly literature are filled with instances of characters whose improper conduct brings infamy or fame. Nor are literary characters alone in being scandalised or titillated: such emotions have been felt by readers as well, leading to works being censored, indexed, banned, destroyed—and secretly preserved and shared withal.

Impropriety and notoriety have been and remain compelling forces both in establishing and in challenging cultural attitudes. In courtly literature, whether the text enforces a cultural view, or whether it offers an alternative that can coexist with or which seeks to undermine established social norms reflects upon the beliefs that shape the courtly world, suggesting questions about the values of literary characters and readers, then and now.

Proposals should address the topic of impropriety and resulting notoriety in courtly literature. For the purpose of this panel, ‘impropriety’ is broadly interpreted to mean conduct contrary to established social, cultural, political, or religious mores.

Proposals should be of approximately 100-250 words in length, and accompanied by a completed Participant Information Form. Those who are not currently members of the International Courtly Literature Society are welcome to submit to sessions sponsored by the ICLS but are expected to become members upon acceptance. Proposals that are not accepted for the session will be forwarded to the Congress Committee, which will consider them for inclusion in one of the General Sessions.

Organiser/Presider Information:
Shawn Phillip Cooper, Ph.D.
Vice-President, International Courtly Literature Society, North American Branch
Assistant Professor, Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan
spcooper@rc.edu

Arthurian (Im)Piety
Session for the 55^th International Congress on Medieval Studies
(7-10 May 2020 at Western Michigan University)
Sponsored by the International Arthurian Society, North American Branch

Paper Length: 10-15 minutes

Deadline for Submissions: 15 September 2019

Justification and Description:

Arthurian mythos is replete with examples of pious instruction, correction, and devotion, alongside instances of impious disobedience ranging from occasions of trivial disdain to excommunicable offences. The Arthurian world, with its hermits and bishops, its swearing on books and its disingenuous deceptions, its adulteries and devotions, and all of their manifold consequences (or lack thereof) can be read as a contrast between piety and impiety. Such a narrative reading reflects upon the fundamental beliefs that shape the Arthurian world as much as the moral worth of individual characters, giving rise to questions about the intersection of the courtly, the chivalric, and the doctrinal.

Proposals should address the topic of piety and/or impiety in Arthurian literature, film, or other media. For the purpose of this panel, ‘piety’ is broadly interpreted to mean devotion to established religious beliefs or authorities (Christian or otherwise); and, likewise, ‘impiety’ is interpreted to mean a rejection or disobedience of the same.

Proposals should be of approximately 100-250 words in length, and accompanied by a completed Participant Information Form. Those who are not currently members of the International Arthurian Society are welcome to submit to sessions sponsored by the IAS but are expected to become members upon acceptance. Proposals that are not accepted for the session will be forwarded to the Congress Committee, which will consider them for inclusion in one of the General Sessions.

Organiser/Presider Information:
Shawn Phillip Cooper, Ph.D.
International Arthurian Society,
North American Branch
Assistant Professor, Rochester University
Rochester Hills, Michigan
spcooper@rc.edu

CFP for panels sponsored by the North American Branch (NAB)

The International Courtly Literature Society North American Branch (ICLS-NAB) seeks abstracts for the following three panels to take place during the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9-12, 2019:

• Othering in Courtly Literature
  • Panel style: round table; presentation length: 5-7 minutes (max 10)
  • Othering is a relevant and fascinating topic in many academic fields. The objective of this proposed roundtable is to explore this phenomenon in courtly literature. Othering is not solely manifested in the US (courtly society) and THEM (non-courtly society), but rather it can occur in varying degrees and forms in courtly literature, spanning the Middle Ages to the present. The discussion concerning Othering should offer new insights into the power relations as well as the phenomena of inclusiveness and belonging.
• Weather at Court
  • Panel style: standard; presentation length: 15 minutes (max 20)
  • Recent research in medieval studies has begun to focus on environment, climate and climate’s daily manifestation: the weather. Weather is one of the primary interfaces between humans and the natural environment around them. The storm that Chretien’s Yvain unleashes is one of the most famous weather occurrences in medieval literature: storm clouds gather from all directions, daylight fades, lightning and thunder fill the air as hail and rain fall.  This session invites papers on diverse weather or climate phenomena in courtly literature. What weather do we encounter in courtly texts? What is, if any, the role or the perception of weather?  Weather, like landscape, can become or reflect a state of mind. How then can weather phenomena and affect correlate in the courtly environment, both the material and the immaterial?  Sun, cloud, thunder, rain, wind— as a weather occurrence or as metaphor or as visual image— are among the topics this session seeks to explore in medieval courtly literature.
• Belief Systems and the Court
  • Panel style: standard; paper length: 15 minutes (max 20)
  • Courtly society is, by nature, a society intersected by systems of belief ranging from the abstruse to the transpicuous, whether theological, philosophical, social, or political. Consequently, in order more fully to understand courtly society and the culture it produced, it is vital to understand how these intersecting and often vexed (if not explicitly contradictory) beliefs impacted the court and those within it. Abstracts should address the topic of belief systems within or impacting courtly society or culture. For the purpose of this panel, ‘belief systems’ is broadly interpreted to mean organised beliefs which are disseminated and adopted by groups of people, whether those beliefs are theological, philosophical, social, or political in nature.

Submissions should be accompanied by a Participant Information Form (available on the ICMS website). Those who are not currently members of ICLS-NAB are welcome to submit to sessions sponsored by ICLS-NAB but are expected to join or renew ($30 regular, $10 student/independent/retiree) upon acceptance. Proposals that are not accepted for the session will be forwarded to be considered for inclusion in one of the general sessions.

The  ICLS-NAB will provide a stipend equivalent to the early bird registration fee for underfunded presenters. Please send a brief explanation of your financial situation with your abstract, e.g. graduate student, adjunct faculty, or independent scholar status. These stipends will be awarded at our business meeting on Thursday, May 9, at the congress, but you will be informed prior to the congress if you are selected to receive a stipend.

Contact: Susann Samples
Phone: 410-807-0895
Email: samples@msmary.edu
Deadline: September 15, 2018