Announcements

Call for Papers – ICLS @ ICMS (Kalamazoo)

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

Call for Papers – ICLS Exeter 2019

XVIth Congress
of the
International Courtly Literature Society
XVIe Congrès
de la
Société Internationale de Littérature Courtoise
 
22-27 July/juillet 2019, University of Exeter/Université d’Exeter, UK
 
Courtly Communities/Communautés courtoises
 
The network as a subject of study has blossomed in Medieval Studies in recent years. The notion of ‘textual community’ coined by Brian Stock has focused critical scrutiny on the ways in which literature calls communities into being. Renewed attention has been paid to the links between different authors and texts, but also to the social dimension of reception – who owned and read literary texts, what motivated owners and audiences’ interest in them, and how literature contributed to binding different communities together. Meanwhile, conceptual tools such as Bruno Latour’s actor-network model are proving to offer productive and increasingly popular ways of thinking about the connectedness of medieval texts, their creators, and audiences.
The International Courtly Literature Society proposes to recognise the vibrancy and timeliness of this topic by making it the central theme for its next International Triennial Congress, which will be held at the University of Exeter (UK) from 22-27th July 2019. We invite proposals of up to 200 words for 20-minute papers in English or French, to be submitted by 1 June 2018. We are also interested to welcome full panel proposals of up to 4 papers.
 
Potential paper/panel topics include (but are not limited to):
–          Courts as communities
–          Textual communities
–          Literary and artistic collaboration
–          The network as a concept
–          Linguistic communities
–          Material communities at court
Alongside the main business of scholarly exchange and debate, the conference will include visits to local medieval landmarks and other places of interest. All these activities will take place in a spirit of collaboration, community, and friendship, which will allow participants to build and renew their own professional and personal networks.
Please send your proposals (in English or French) for papers or full panels to the following address, by 1 June 2018: e.j.cayley@exeter.ac.uk
…..
 
Le réseau est devenu un sujet de prédilection pour les médiévistes au cours des dernières années. La notion de ‘communauté textuelle’ définie par Brian Stock a eu l’effet de focaliser l’attention des chercheurs sur les divers moyens à travers lesquels la littérature donne naissance aux communautés. La critique s’est évertuée à relever les rapports entre différents auteurs ou textes, mais aussi à détailler la dimension sociale de la transmission : la nature de l’intérêt porté aux textes littéraires par leurs publics, l’identité et les motivations de ceux qui commanditaient ou collectionnaient ces textes, et la capacité de la littérature à créer et à nourrir les communautés. En même temps, divers modèles conceptuels tel que la théorie acteur-réseau développée par Bruno Latour se sont révélés utiles pour analyser les liens entres les textes médiévaux, leurs créateurs, et leurs publics.
La Société internationale de littérature courtoise se propose de reconnaître l’importance et l’actualité de ce sujet en l’inscrivant comme thème principal de son prochain Congrès international, du 22 au 27 juillet 2019 à l’université d’Exeter (Royaume-Uni). Nous vous invitons à nous faire part de vos propositions en envoyant un résumé de 200 mots maximum (en anglais ou en français) pour des communications de 20 minutes, avant le 1er juin 2018. Nous lirons aussi avec intérêt les propositions d’ateliers complets (maximum 4 intervenants).
 
Les communications peuvent porter sur les thèmes suivants (entre autres) :
–          Communautés de/à la cour
–          La communauté textuelle
–          Collaboration littéraire et artistique
–          Le réseau comme concept
–          Communautés linguistiques
–          Communautés matérielles
Les échanges intellectuels qui constitueront le fond même de la conférence seront agrémentés de plusieurs visites organisées, comprenant d’importants sites médiévaux de la région. Toutes ces activités se dérouleront dans un esprit de collaboration, de communauté, et de convivialité, qui permettra aux conférenciers de développer et de nourrir leurs propres réseaux personnels et professionnels.
Les résumés de 200 mots maximum (en anglais ou en français) pour des communications de 20 minutes devront être envoyés, avant le 1er juin, à l’adresse suivante: e.j.cayley@exeter.ac.uk

ICLS at Kalamazoo 2018

Branches of the ICLS are sponsoring three panels at the 53rd International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The North American Branch will also hold its annual business meeting at 9:00 p.m., Thursday May 10 in Fetzer 1030.

S111: SCHNEIDER 1145
Translating the Ars amatoria into French and Other Romance Languages in the Middle Ages II
Sponsor: International Courtly Literature Society (ICLS), Swiss Branch
Organizer: Richard Trachsler, Univ. Zürich
Presider: Frank T. Coulson, Ohio State Univ.
Mesurer le degré d’inculture: Le témoignage des noms propres
Francesco Montorsi, Univ. Zürich
Les personnages mythologiques dans les traductions italiennes
Vito Santoliquido, Univ. Zürich; Marco Veneziale, Univ. de Liège
Le dialogue impossible: Le non usage des commentaires latins par les traducteurs français
Clara Wille, Univ. Zürich

S351:  FETZER 1045
What Is Courtly Love? (A Roundtable)
Sponsor: International Courtly Literature Society (ICLS), North American Branch
Organizer: Susanne Hafner, Fordham Univ.
Presider: Susanne Hafner
A roundtable discussion with Suzanne Hagedorn, College of William & Mary; Sandra B. Straubhaar, Univ. of Texas–Austin; Barbara Newman, Northwestern Univ.; Holly A. Crocker, Univ. of South Carolina; and C. Stephen Jaeger, Univ. of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign.

S397: VALLEY 3 STINSON LOUNGE
Performing Courtly Love
Sponsor: International Courtly Literature Society (ICLS), North American Branch
Organizer: Christopher Callahan, Illinois Wesleyan Univ.
Presider: Christopher Callahan
Performing Courtly Love in Pas d’armes: The St. Petersburg Manuscript of the Pas de Saumur
Catherine Blunk, Drury Univ.
“I’ve been through the forest on a horse with bad reins”: Performing the Lay of Trot
Tamara Bentley Caudill, Jacksonville Univ.

Encomia 36-37

The International Courtly Literature Society is pleased to announce the publication of Encomia: Bulletin bibliographique de la Société internationale de littérature courtoise, vols. 36-37. Editors are Logan E. Whalen and Rupert T. Pickens.

This double-volume of Encomia represents the second volume of the bulletin published in an online format. One of the most significant features of the online format is the ability to conduct electronic searches of keywords, eliminating the need for turning back and forth to indices. This capability should facilitate more efficient and precise research.

The bibliographies in this volume cover the years 2012–2013. Several branches of the International Courtly Literature Society have contributed bibliographical data here and we hope that those who did not will be able to submit material in the future. We wish to express our deepest appreciation to all the bibliographers, coordinators, and bibliographical correspondents for their diligence in gathering the information presented here. Since this volume appears later than originally scheduled, some of the bibliographers, members, and officers have changed since the entries were submitted.

For more information or to order a copy, click here.

Members of the Society automatically receive an electronic copy with payment of dues.