Getting Medieval at MAPACA

The Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association has just posted the schedule for its upcoming conference in Atlantic City this November. Details on those sessions of the Beowulf to Shakespeare Area are appended below. For those interested in attending, registration information can be accessed at http://mapaca.net/conference/2013/conference-registration.

Beowulf to Shakespeare: Popular Culture in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Nurturing Shakespeare
Friday 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm (Bongo 2)

Papers in this panel analyze the ways in which modern theories of gender and cognition inform our readings of Shakespeare.

Presentations

“About, my brains!”: Cognitive Blends in Hamlet Performance
 Michelle Callaghan (Widener University)

Questionable Shapes: Magic and gender confusion in film adaptations of Shakespeare
Annalisa Castaldo (Widener Univeristy)

Are You My Mother? Shakespeare’s Creation of the False Maternal
Aubrey L. C. Mishou


Ancient Underworld
Saturday 9:30 am to 10:45 am (Bongo 2)

The papers in this panel analyze works that consider the behavior of those relegated to society’s fringes.

Session chair: Diana Vecchio (Widener University)

Presentations
“What King Forged I”?: Anxiety, Authority and Influence in Phillips’ The Tragedy of Arthur
Mary Behrman (Kennesaw State University)

The Second Shepherd’s Play as Popular Culture
Oldknow

Thieves, Cons and Rogues: Coney-Catching Pamphlets in Early Modern England
Kelly Jean Helm (Widener University)



Asian Adaptation
Saturday 11:00 am to 12:15 pm (Bongo 2)

Presentations
“A Park or a Parking Area:” Shakespeare in Modern Japan
Michelle Danner

Comic Adaptation of Shakespeare in Korea: An Educational Toolbox
 Kang Kim (Honam University)


Medieval Monstrosity
Saturday 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm (Bongo 1)

This panel analyzes the use of the monstrous in modern narratives that make use of the medieval as well as in the original texts.

Session chair: Mary Behrman (Kennesaw State University)

Presentations

Camelot and the Walking Dead: The Zombies of the Matter of Britain and the Development of Arthurian Horror Fiction
Michael A Torregrossa (The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain)

A Study of the Human Condition Through the Frame of Myth and Magic in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 
Christina Doka

Will the Real Monsters Please Stand Up:
Diana Vecchio (Widener University)

PCMA and King Arthur Forever Update

Readers:

It has been difficult of late keeping up to date with all our activities (especially emails) and recent research and conferences, and I'm trying to compartmentalize things further with the intent of (hopefully) turning the regular duties of this blog and the secretarial duties to another member of our learned society. As part of the extended planning for this sabbatical/retirement, I am beginning to pull apart our various web publications into more manageable parts. Some of these will be linked to my personal Google account (I think) and others to new groups.

 Here's the deal on Stage 1:

Our Arthurian-themed discussion lists are in the process of being transferred back to the King Arthur Forever umbrella from whence they originated back in 2000 as part of The Society for Arthurian Popular Culture Studies and will be listed henceforth under the sponsorship of the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain. This new/old organization, which will celebrate its fifteenth anniversary in 2015, will also take over our Arthurian-themed blogs, King Arthur Forever, The Arthur of the Comics Project, and The Matter of Britain on Screen, and absorb the activities of both The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain and The Institute for the Advancement of Scholarship on the Magic-Wielding Figures of Visual Electronic Multimedia and their respective websites.

Michael A. Torregrossa
Co-Founder, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain

Kalamazoo 2014 CFPs

One last post for the night:

The complete call for papers for the 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies is now available and can be viewed at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/sessions.html. 

CFP The Magic of Merlin (9/15/13)

Here are the details on our sponsored session for 2014: 

CALL FOR PAPERS

What Is the Magic of Merlin?

The Appeal of the Wizard in the Contemporary World:

A Roundtable in Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the

Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

49th International Congress on Medieval Studies

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan

8-11 May 2014

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages was founded in 2004 in a concerted effort, as our web site explains, “to promote and foster scholarship on and teaching and discussion of representations of the medieval in post-medieval popular culture and mass media.” Much of the success of our mission has occurred through our presence at the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies, and we invite proposals from individuals interested in helping us to fulfill this undertaking as part of the commemoration of our tenth anniversary as a learned society. 

For 2014, we are interested in exploring in more detail the transformations of one popular legend with ties to the medieval period as represented in our contemporary post-medieval culture. Our session, “What Is the Magic of Merlin? The Appeal of the Wizard in the Contemporary World: In Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages (A Roundtable)”, will look at the continued popularity of the figure of Merlin and his legend, especially as evidenced by the recent television series Merlin, as well the appeal of other stories of magic-wielders (such as The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit, The Dresden Files, Harry Potter, Legend of the Seeker, and The Wizards of Waverly Place)  to suggest why the legacy of Merlin continues to endure, especially now, despite the passage of centuries.

Those interested in participating in this session must submit a 250-500 paper proposal, a copy of their CV, and a completed Participant Information Form (available at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html) to the organizers at Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com by 15 September. We will make first-run decisions prior to 1 September, so please submit your materials as soon as possible. 

Final papers will be included in an essay collection to be edited by the session organizers and expected to go to press in early 2015.