SMART Spring 2014

Here is advance notice for the Spring 2014 number of SMART. Orders can be placed at their website: http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=smart.

SMART Fall 2013

The latest number of Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching was released earlier this season. Contents as follows. As always, SMART can be purchased at http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=smart.

STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING
(SMART)

CURRENT ISSUE INFORMATION

The Fall 2013 issue of Volume 20 of Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching departs from a collection focusing on a single topic, which has taken the spotlight in several previous issues of SMART, to a glowing assortment of essays on a variety of engaging subjects. Gina Brandolino compares The Book of Margery Kempe to O. J. Simpson’s If I Did It, while Misty Schieberle shows us an approach to teaching Chaucer’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale using barnyard pedagogy. Michael Evans offers us “A Land War in Asia,” the relevance of medieval history to contemporary religious conflict in the Middle East. Crystal Hall shares a board game she created to encourage students to read the entire epic poem Orlando Furioso. Molly Martin’s essay examines Malory’s Launcelot and Gwenyver in the twenty-first-century classroom. Michael Livingston shows how he bridges mythology and medieval literature in teaching the medieval Orpheus. Karolyn Kinane offers an example of student-centered pedagogy by teaching Arthurian legends in a general education course. Joseph Candido rounds out the essays with his paper on teaching students to listen to Shakespeare. This broad range of subjects and approaches illustrates the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature SMART. As always, a few excellent book reviews are included.

GINA BRANDOLINO Margery and “the Juice”: Teaching The Book of Margery Kempe Using O. J. Simpson’s If I Did It

MISTY SCHIEBERLE Barnyard Pedagogy: An Approach to Teaching Chaucer’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale

MICHAEL EVANS A Land War in Asia

CRYSTAL HALL Orlando Furioso: The Board Game

MOLLY MARTIN Malory’s Launcelot and Gwenyver in the Twenty-First-Century Classroom

MICHAEL LIVINGSTON Teaching the Medieval Orpheus: Bridging Mythology and Medieval Literature

KAROLYN KINANE Arthurian Legends in General Education: An Example of Student-Centered Pedagogy

JOSEPH CANDIDO Teaching Students to Listen to Shakespeare

*******************************

DONALD WINEKE Book Review:  Shakespeare and the Middle Ages: Essays on the Performance and Adaptation of the Plays with Medieval Sources and Settings, edited by Martha W. Driver and Sid Ray

JENNY REBECCA RYTTING Book Review: Women and the Divine in Literature before 1700: Essays in Memory of Margot Louis, edited by Kathryn Kerby-Fulton

KAREN BOLLERMANN Book Review: Milton and Maternal Mortality, by Louis Schwartz

ROBERT GRAYBILL Book Review: Chaucer and Religion, edited by Helen Phillips

E. L. RISDEN Book Review: Humanism, Machinery, and Renaissance Literature, by Jessica Wolfe

BRIGITTE ROUSSEL Book Review:  The Medieval French Pastourelle Tradition: Poetic Motivations and Generic Transformations, by Geri L. Smith

CFP Conference on Translating early medieval poetry for the 21st century (12/15/13)

CFP: From eald to new: Translating early medieval poetry for the 21st century

Location:	Ireland
Call for Papers Date:	2013-12-15 (in 30 days)
Date Submitted:	2013-09-08
Announcement ID:	206424

6 – 7 June 2014 School of English, University College Cork, Ireland. In recent years, the shelves of commercial bookshops have been graced with accessible translations of medieval poetry from the Old English, Old Irish and Old Norse traditions, including Heaney’s award-winning rendition of Beowulf. Many of these reworkings give a contemporary flavour and immediacy to medieval texts, and they are increasingly being adopted for introductory courses on medieval literature. But what place do literary translations have in the academy, and should they be taught as creative works in their own right? How are the latest translations adapting to the needs of students and teachers? What exactly do we lose, and gain, in the translation of medieval texts? We invite abstracts for 20 minute papers from both individuals and panels. Abstracts of approx. 250 words should be emailed to Dr Tom Birkett or Dr Kirsty March at ealdtonew2014@ucc.ie. Topics may include: Audience, cultural specificity and local idiom The meeting place of literary and academic translations Past translations, constraints of precedence, and suppression of difference Ideas of ownership, authorship and canonicity Teaching the translation of medieval languages in the academy Problematic poetry: translating verse forms, metrics, poetic language The potential of new media to change our relationship to the translated text Translation theory applied to medieval texts The closing date is 15 December 2013

Kirsty March, School of English, University College Cork, Email: ealdtonew2014@ucc.ie Visit the website at http://fromealdtonew2014.wordpress.com/

New England Medieval Conference 2013

The New England Medieval Conference convenes in Providence, RI, this November and meets at the campus of the Rhode Island School of Design on 9 November 2013. The conference theme is "Empathy, Antipathy, and Love: Emotions in the Middle Ages". Conference details are promised at http://www.framingham.edu/nemc/2013-conference-information.html, but, right now, only the call for papers is available. For those interested, conference registration is online at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7027662929 and costs a modest $50 for the one-day event.

CFP Robin Hood Conference (expired)

The following came across in the summer and has since expired. It would be fun to work on Robin Hood in popular culture if there was more lead time. 

A tentative schedule now available at the conference website and can be accessed at http://robinhood.slu.edu/schedule.html.

9th Biennial Conference of the International Association for Robin Hood Studies (10/31/13-11/3/13)

full name / name of organization: 

International Association for Robin Hood Studies

contact email: 

trowlan1@slu.edu

The Ninth Biennial Conference of the International Association for Robin Hood Studies will be October 31-November 3, hosted by Saint Louis University.

This year's theme will be “The Games of Robin Hood,” focusing on any aspect of games or game-playing associated with the Robin Hood stories and plays, ranging from the May-Games of the medieval outlaw, the mischief of Robin and the Sheriff, to Munday’s plays, to games the movies play with their audiences, to videogames.

The deadline for abstracts has been extended to August 15, 2013. Please see the conference’s website to upload your abstract and to register: http://robinhood.slu.edu/
Also, please email your abstract to Thomas Rowland: trowlan1@slu.edu.

There is a discounted registration rate for students.

FYI: Saint Louis University, located in lovely midtown in St. Louis, Missouri, is within walking distance to many historic attractions (like the Fox Theatre) and restaurants, and within sight of the Arch and downtown. There is a nice boutique hotel on campus, and two inexpensive hotels nearby, one in the upscale Central West End and by Forest Park, the other by the trendy South Grand district. The University is home to the Vatican Film Library, repository of manuscripts on microfilm and center for paleographical study, and the St. Louis Room for rare books. Due to its central location, St. Louis usually features less expensive airfare and associated costs for traveling and staying here.

CFP Tolkien Studies (11/1/13 PCA/ACA)

Tolkien Studies – Special Topic – New for 2014!

All Proposals and Abstracts Must Be Submitted Through The PCA Database.
Please submit a proposal to only one area at a time. Exceptions and rules

CALL FOR PAPERS

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL TOPICS AREA FOR 2014: TOLKIEN STUDIES
POPULAR CULTURE ASSOCIATION & AMERICAN CULTURE ASSOCIATION
2014 JOINT NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificant Mile, Chicago, IL
Wednesday, April 16 through Saturday, April 19th
For information on PCA/ACA, please go to http://www.pcaaca.org
For conference information, please go to http://www.pcaaca.org/conference/national.php

DEADLINE:  NOVEMBER 1, 2013

We welcome proposals on any area of Tolkien Studies (the Legendarium, adaptations, reader reception and fan studies, media and marketing) from any disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspective.

We are considering proposals for sessions organized around a theme, special panels, and/or individual papers.  Sessions are scheduled in 1½ hour slots, typically with four papers or speakers per standard session.

If there is sufficient interest in this Special Topics Area, we may be able to develop Tolkien Studies as a permanent area for the conference.

Should you or any of your colleagues be interested in submitting a proposal or have any questions, please contact:

Bruce E. Drushel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Media Studies
Department of Communication
Miami University
Oxford OH  45056
(513) 529-3526
drushebe@muohio.edu

To submit your panel or presentation, go to http://ncp.pcaaca.org and follow the instructions for creating an account and making your submission.  ALL submissions must be made through the conference submission site.  For individual papers, please submit a title and 100-word abstract.  For sessions and panels, please submit paper/presentation titles and abstracts, along with a paragraph describing the central theme, and the names of chairs and respondents (if any).  For each participant, please provide a mailing address, institutional affiliation, and e-mail address.

CFP Medievalism in Popular Culture Area (11/1/13 PCA/ACA)

Medieval Popular Culture 

All Proposals and Abstracts Must Be Submitted Through The PCA Database.
Please submit a proposal to only one area at a time. Exceptions and rules

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Medievalism in Popular Culture Area (now the combined areas of Arthurian and Other Medievalism) accepts papers on all topics that either explore popular culture during the Middle Ages or transcribe some aspect of the Middle Ages into the popular culture of later periods.  These representations can occur in any genre, including film, television, novels, graphic novels, gaming, advertising, etc.

For this year’s conference, I would like to encourage submissions on some of the following topics:

1)     Representations of Vikings and/or Nordic mythology – With shows such as Vikings and various YA novels featuring Norse mythology characters, this seems an area worth exploration.

2)     Medieval Minutiae – appearances of medievalism in unexpected places and unexpected ways

3)     Tolkein’s The Hobbit and its adaptations – By next year we will have seen two of the three adapted films by Peter Jackson, so it may be worth discussing how that depiction is going.  This topic might work well as a Round Table, if there are enough interested parties.

4)     Humor and Medievalism – Anyone who has read Chaucer knows that the Middle Ages was not without humor, so let’s talk about it.  This panel could explore the use of anachronism for humor, or it could explore the use of humor in adaptation.

5)     Adaptations of Dante’s Divine Comedy – Dante’s circles of hell have been on the tips of everyone’s tongues since he presented them to us, but more recently Dante’s world has been the focus of gaming.  This panel could explore those representations, as well as any other adaptations that are circulating.

6)     New Entries in the Arthurian World – This panel is wide open for interpretation.

7)     Merlin and/or Other Magic Practitioners – Again, this panel is wide open for interpretation.  Entries could explore the recently completed television series Merlin or depictions of Gandalf in Hobbit or female characters such as the Red Witch in Game of Thrones.

If your topic idea does not fit into any of these categories, please feel free to submit your proposal as well.  I would like to encourage as much participation as possible, and depending on submissions, I may rearrange the topic groupings.

All papers will be included in sessions with four presenters each, so plan to present on your topic for no more than 15 minutes, inclusive of any audio or visual materials.

Submission requirements:
Please submit a title and an abstract of 100-250 words to http://ncp.pcaaca.org.  All submissions must be directed to the online database.  Be sure to indicate whatever audio/visual needs you may have.  Traditionally, all rooms at the PCA/ACA conference provide a projection screen with sound capability.  Presenters are required to bring their own laptops and any special connectors.

Please send all inquires to:
Christina Francis, PH.D.
Associate Professor, Medieval Literature
English Department
Bloomsburg University
400 E. Second Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
cfrancis@bloomu.edu

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.

Plymouth State Medieval Forum CFP 2014

35^th Annual Medieval and Renaissance Forum

Plymouth State University

Plymouth, NH, USA

Friday and Saturday April 25-26, 2014

Call for Papers and Sessions

“Authors, Artists, Audiences”

Keynote speaker: Rebecca Krug, Professor of English, University of Minnesota 

We invite abstracts or panel proposals in medieval and Early Modern studies that consider how authors, artists, and audiences functioned in personal, political, religious, and aesthetic realms.

●        How are authorship and artistry defined in different contexts?  

●        What roles do audiences play in creativity and expression?

●        How are reading and viewing conceived of or portrayed?

●        What relationships exist among creator, creation, and consumer?

●        How do such ideas hold meaning today?

Papers need not be confined to the theme but may cover many aspects of medieval and Renaissance life, literature, languages, art, philosophy, theology, history and music.

 Students, faculty, and independent scholars are welcome. 

Undergraduate sessions are welcome and require faculty sponsorship.  

This year’s keynote speaker is Rebecca Krug, associate professor of English at the University of Minnesota, who specializes in late medieval English literature and culture.  She is the author of Reading Families:  Women's Literate Practice in Late Medieval England (Cornell University Press, 2002) and of a number of essays, including recent pieces in The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Culture and in A Cultural History of Gardens in the Medieval Age.  She is currently writing an essay about lunar gardening in the medieval and modern worlds as well as completing a book about Margery Kempe.

For more information visit www.plymouth.edu/medieval

Please submit abstracts, a/v needs, and full contact information to Dr. Karolyn Kinane, Director PSUForum@gmail.com.

Abstract deadline: Monday January 15, 2014

Presenters and early registration: March 15, 2014

Kalamazoo 2014 Update

Our Kalamazoo session proposal has been evaluated, and, while the organizers liked two of three topics that we offered for roundtable sessions, the Society was only allowed to go forward with one session to celebrate our tenth anniversary. The call for papers will be posted by the weekend.

Michael Torregrossa
Co-Founder, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Studies in Medievalism for 2013

The 2013 volume of Studies in Medievalism, published as Corporate Medievalism II, has now been released. Details and contents as follows:


Studies in Medievalism XXII
Corporate Medievalism II
Edited by Karl Fugelso

Details

First Published: 18 Jul 2013
13 Digit ISBN: 9781843843559
Pages: 218
Size: 23.4 x 15.6
Binding: Hardback
Imprint: D.S.Brewer
Series: Studies in Medievalism
Subject: Medieval Literature
BIC Class: DSBB
Price: $90
Details updated on 25 Jun 2013

In the wake of the many passionate responses to its predecessor, Studies in Medievalism 22 also addresses the role of corporations in medievalism. Amid the three opening essays, Amy S. Kaufman examines how three modern novelists have refracted contemporary corporate culture through an imagined and highly dystopic Middle Ages. On either side of that paper, Elizabeth Emery and Richard Utz explore how the Woolworth Company and Google have variously promoted, distorted, appropriated, resisted, and repudiated post-medieval interpretations of the Middle Ages. And Clare Simmons expands on that approach in a full-length article on the Lord Mayor's Show in London. Readers are then invited to find other permutations of corporate influence in six articles on the gendering of Percy's Reliques, the Romantic Pre-Reformation in Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth, renovation and resurrection in M.R. James's "Episode of Cathedral History", salvation in the Commedia references of Rodin's Gates of Hell, film theory and the relationship of the Sister Arts to the cinematic Beowulf, and American containment culture in medievalist comic-books. While offering close, thorough studies of traditional media and materials, the volume directly engages timely concerns about the motives and methods behind this field and many others in academia.

Karl Fugelso is Professor of Art History at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Contributors: Aida Audeh, Elizabeth Emery, Katie Garner, Nickolas Haydock, Amy S. Kaufman, Peter W. Lee, Patrick J. Murphy, Fred Porcheddu, Clare A. Simmons, Mark B. Spencer, Richard Utz.


Contents

1 Editorial Note (Karl Fugelso)

2 The Corporate Gothic in New York's Woolworth Building: Medieval Branding in the Original "Cathedral of Commerce" (Elizabeth Emery)

3 Our Future is Our Past: Corporate Medievalism in Dystopian Fiction (Amy S. Kaufman)

4 The Good Corporation? Google's Medievalism and Why It Matters (Richard Utz)

5 "Longest, oldest, and most popular": Medievalism in the Lord Mayor's Show (Clare A. Simmons)

6 Gendering Percy's Reliques: Ancient Ballads and the Making of Women's Arthurian Writing (Katie Garner)

7 Romancing the Pre-Reformation: Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth (Mark B. Spencer)

8 Renovation and Resurrection in M. R. James's "Episode of Cathedral History" (Patrick J. Murphy and Fred Porcheddu)

9 Rodin's Gates of Hell and Dante's Inferno 7: Fortune, the Avaricious and Prodigal, and the Question of Salvation (Aida Audeh)

10 Film Theory, the Sister Arts Tradition, and the Cinematic Beowulf (Nickolas Haydock)

11 Red Days, Black Knights: Medieval-themed Comic Books in American Containment Culture (Peter W. Lee)

CFP Special Issues of SMART

Two recent calls for papers for special issues of Studies of Medieval and Renaissance Teaching from my fellow UConn alums. Full details on the MASSachusetts State Universities MEDIEVAL Blog by clicking the links below:

CFP for Special Journal Issue on Teaching Old Norse LiteratureGuest edited by John Sexton and Andrew Pfrenger
Proposals by 31 August 2013


CFP for Journal Issue on Teaching the Middle Ages and Renaissance with New Techniques and Technologies
Guest edited by Kisha Tracy
Proposals 1 August 2013

CFP Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies (12/31/13; St Louis)

Proposals for papers and/or complete sessions are now being accepted for the Second Annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies to be held, from Monday, June 16 through Wednesday, June 18 2014, at the midtown campus of Saint Louis University. The conference is hosted by the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Details at their website at http://smrs.slu.edu/home. According to the site, "on-campus housing options include affordable, air-conditioned apartments and a luxurious boutique hotel"; in addition to housing, "Inexpensive dorm meal plans are available".

Our Kalamazoo Proposal for 2014

Here is the text of our session proposals for next year's Medieval Congress. Wish us luck.

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 hope that you can look favorably on our proposals organized in commemoration of our upcoming tenth anniversary.

For 2014, we are interested in exploring in more detail the transformations of three popular legends with ties to the medieval period as represented in our contemporary post-medieval culture. Our first session, “The Da Vinci Code and Beyond: The Grail in the Twenty-first Century—A Roundtable in Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages” , will investigate how the story of the Holy Grail has been adapted in recent works both inspired by either the plot of Dan Brown’s 2003 novel or its successful reintroduction of the Grail legend into the popular consciousness in novels, films, television programs, and educational material. Next, our second session, “Dracula in the Twenty-first Century: Vlad Ţepeş and the (Post-)Modern Vampire--A Roundtable in Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages”, will explore how the life of and legends about the historic Vlad III and his transformation by Bram Stoker in Dracula has shaped recent texts—fiction, comics, films, television programs, and electronic games—featuring the Vlad/Dracula character, his relations, and/or un-related figures that appropriate aspects of his character to illustrate the central importance of the medieval figure at the heart of the current vampire renascence. Finally, our third session, “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”, 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, The Wizards of Waverly Place, and Legend of the Seeker) to suggest why the legacy of Merlin continues to endure, especially now, despite the passage of centuries.

Beowulf to Shakespeare Area CFP (6/30/13)

Call for Papers
MAPACA 2013
November 7-9, 2013
Atlantic City, NJ

The wealth of material found in the Middle Ages and Renaissance continues to attract modern audiences in the form of with new creative works in areas such as fiction, film, and computer games, which make use of medieval and/or early modern themes, characters, or plots. This is a call for papers or panels dealing with any aspect of medieval or Renaissance representation in popular culture. Topics for this area include, but are not limited to the following:

-Modern portrayals of any aspect of Arthurian legends or Shakespeare

-Modern versions or adaptations of any other Medieval or Renaissance writer

-Modern investigations of historical figures such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Richards, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scotts

-Teaching medieval and renaissance texts to modern students

-Medieval or Renaissance links to fantasy fiction, gaming, comics, video games, etc.

-Medieval or Renaissance Dramas

-The Middle Ages or Renaissance on the Internet

-Renaissance fairs

Panel and Workshop proposals are also welcome. Submit a 250 word proposal including A/V requests along with a CV or brief bio by June 30, 2013 to our online submissions at www.mapaca.net

Diana Vecchio
dmvecchio@widener.edu

 and

Mary Behrman
Behrm5@aol.com

Co-Chairs Beowulf to Shakespeare

SMART for Spring 2013

News on the latest issue from http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=smart&p=currentissueSMART:

STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING (SMART)
CURRENT ISSUE INFORMATION

The Spring 2013 issue of Volume 20 of Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching features a unique collection of articles on teaching the Middle Ages at minority-serving colleges and universities, guest edited by James M. Palmer and Pearl Ratunil. These essays originated from two NEH-sponsored roundtables focusing on the exchange of ideas regarding the teaching and study of medieval texts at minority-serving colleges. Their aim is to understand the position of medieval texts, especially those by Chaucer, in classrooms not dominated by one particular ideology of race. The interest of the authors is “not in creating more occasions of alienation for minority students but in empowering students to understand ethnic and racial differences through the acquisition of knowledge.” Special thanks to Professors Palmer and Ratunil for organizing and facilitating the completion of this collection.
This issue of SMART also includes three additional fine pedagogical articles on teaching The Man of Law’s Tale, teaching Milton alongside anti-misogyny literature, and teaching Chaucer out loud, as well as three excellent book reviews.


Teaching the Middle Ages at Minority-Serving Colleges and Universities

James M. Palmer and Pearl Ratunil, Guest Editors
 

JAMES M. PALMER and PEARL RATUNIL Introduction: Teaching the Middle Ages at Minority-Serving Colleges and Universities
PEARL RATUNIL “There the White Folks Go Again”: Medieval Studies and the Minority Student
MARY BEHRMAN Thanne Longen Morehouse Men to Goon on Pilgrimages
DONNA CRAWFORD Crossing the “Grisly Rokkes Blak”: Teaching Chaucer at an HBCU
MARY C. OLSON Is Relevance Relevant? Teaching the Middle Ages at an HBCU
KEN A. GRANT Dispelling the Myths: Medieval Studies at a Predominantly Hispanic University
BARBARA A. GOODMAN Fostering Medieval Studies within “Sondry” General Education Curricula
*****************************************
NICOLE CLIFTON Teaching The Man of Law’s Tale
NATHANIAL B. SMITH The Eve Debates: Teaching Milton alongside Anti-Misogyny Literature
BERNARD LEWIS Teaching Chaucer Out Loud
*****************************************
JAY RUUD Book Review:  Logic and Humour  in the Fabliaux: An Essay in Applied Narratology, by Roy J. Pearcy
ELIZABETH HYDE Book Review:  The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum, by Christopher S. Mackay
TRACEY R. SANDS Book Review:  The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman, by Nancy Marie Brown

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Both spring and fall 2013 issues of SMART are included in the yearly subscription price of $25 for individuals, $30 for libraries and centers, and $30 for subscriptions outside of the United States. Prepayment is required.

SMART for 2012

Been meaning to post an update on Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching. Here are the details for the 2012 volume. A complete back list and ordering information is available at http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=smart&p=backissueSMART.

Spring 2012 (Volume 19, Issue 1)

TEACHING THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK
(guest edited by Michael Johnston)

MICHAEL JOHNSTON Introduction to Teaching the History of the Book

ANDREW TAYLOR Experiencing Authority, Confronting the Cool: Bringing Medieval Book History into the Classroom

DAVID C. MENGEL Teaching the Codex as Writing Technology

ALLISON MURI Teaching the History and Future of the Book

DABNEY A. BANKERT and MARK RANKIN Teaching Medieval and Early Modern Manuscript and Print Culture in Theory and Practice

MICHAEL  JOHNSTON The History of the Book as a Supplement to the Literature Survey

ERIC J. JOHNSON “A closed book is a mute witness”: A Curator’s Approach toward Teaching with Rare Books and Manuscripts

COLLECTION CONTRIBUTORS Annotated Bibliography to Teaching the History of the Book Collection

LESLEY A. COOTE Book Review:  The Harrowing of Hell in Medieval England, by Karl Tamburr

YVONNE BRUCE Book Review:  Women’s Writing in the British Atlantic World: Memory, Place and History, 1550–1700, by Kate Chedgzoy

CHRISTOPHER M. BELLITTO Book Review:  Soldiers, Nobles and Gentlemen: Essays in Honour of Maurice Keen, by Peter Coss and Christopher Tyerman

JUDITH FERSTER Book Review:  Chaucer’s Language, by Simon Horobin

Fall 2011 (Volume 18, Issue 2)

TEACHING ITALY
(guest edited by Barbara Stevenson)

BARBARA STEVENSON Introduction to Teaching Italy

MARY BETH LONG Gum-Poppers Deserve their Own Level of Hell: Teaching the Inferno to Baptists

BARBARA STEVENSON Representations of Saladin in the (New) Middle Ages

KURT M. BOUGHAN Teaching Goro Dati’s Libro segreto

KATHRYN A. HALL Teaching Christine de Pizan and the Text via Late Medieval Book Production in Bologna and Paris

CARL GRINDLEY The Whisper Game: Teaching Stemmatics

DARCI N. HILL Altered Arguments: A Textual Analysis of George Herbert’s “Man”

JAY RUUD “A Great Flash of Understanding”: Teaching Dante and Mysticism

ALEXANDRA COOK “Why Study the Middle Ages?”  On Re-Imagining the Medieval Literature Survey

JOHN M. GANIM Book Review:  Illustrating Camelot, by Barbara Tepa Lupack with Alan Lupack

ANTHONY J. CÁRDINAS-ROTTUNNO Book Review:  The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture, by Jerrilyn D. Dodds, María Rosa Menocal, and Abigail Krasner Balbale

LESLEY A. COOTE Book Review:  Shakespeare Films in the Making: Vision, Production and Reception, by Russell Jackson

GWENDOLYN MORGAN Book Review:  Key Concepts in Medieval Literature, by Elizabeth Solopova and Stuart D. Lee

EDWARD CHRISTIE Book Review:  Imaginary Worlds in Medieval Books: Exploring the Manuscript Matrix, by Martha Dana Rust

ROBERT GRAYBILL Book Review:  The Medieval British Literature Handbook, edited by Daniel T. Kline

Higgins Armory Museum RIP

John Sexton at the MassMedieval blog recently reported on the closure of one of Massachusetts real treasures for the medievalist, the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester. The museum will officially close at the end of the year--so visit now while you still can--and be merged with the collection of the Worcester Art Museum. The official press release can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.higgins.org/integration-worcester-art-museum.

2013 International Conference on Medievalism CFP (7/1/13; 10/17-19/13)

A quick post for the day: 

Call for Papers
28th International Conference on Medievalism
St. Norbert College
(De Pere, Wisconsin)
(October 17-19, 2013)

Medievalism: Its Centers and Margins
Deadline: July 1, 2013

In addition to the authors, texts, and considerations that normally form the core of studies in medievalism, what authors occupy, haunt, or draw the boundaries of what we consider proper matter for this field? What currently lies outside that we should certainly include, and what perhaps lies near the center that doesn't really fit at all? Within the texts we study, what ideas or approaches form the core, and what has lingered at the margins, or what do we need to bring from outside toward center state for careful study and consideration? Participants should feel welcome to submit abstracts directed to the conference theme or on any other aspects of medievalism--the study of later ages' use of the material of the Middle Ages--that they choose to explore.

St. Norbert College (De Pere, Wisconsin) is just four miles from Green Bay and ten minutes from Green Bay Austin Straubel Airport (with daily service to Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Atlanta), about a two-hour dirve north from Milwaukee and four hours' drive from Chicago.

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITIES: 

Presenters may feel welcome to submit papers to The Year's Work in Medievalism (edited by E. L. Risden). Longer articles (over 6000 words) should be submitted to Studies in Medievalism (edited by Karl Fugelso).

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: July 1, 2013
Please send papers, abstracts, or session proposals to:
Edward Risden, Professor of English
St. Norbert College
100 Grant St.
De Pere, WI 54115
or
edward.risden@snc.edu

Our Kalamazoo 2013 Sessions

My apologies for the inactivity of the blog. Please find below the details for our session for Kalamazoo this year. The complete program can be accessed at: http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/sessions.html.

Thursday, 9 May 3:30 PM
Session 114: Fetzer 1005

Still Getting Medieval on Television: Medieval-Themed Television of the Twenty-First Century and Its Impact on Medieval Studies (A Roundtable)
 

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

Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
 

Presider: Suanna H. Davis, Abilene Christian Univ.

Hybrid Medievalisms in Arthurian Romance and the Historical Evolution of the Genre from Print to Television
Kevin Teo Kia Choong, Nagoya Univ.

When Bows Don’t Bow: Sherwood and Camelot in Conflict
Elizabeth Bernhardt, Abilene Christian Univ.

Kaamelott/Camelot on the Small Screen
Tara Foster, Northern Michigan Univ.

Medieval Themes in the Contemporary Newsroom
Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson Univ.

Medievalism in Television’s Popular Series Once Upon a Time
Mikee Delony, Abilene Christian Univ.

Saturday, 11 May 12:00 PM

Valley III Room 303

Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain; Institute for the Advancement of Scholarship on the Magic-Wielding Figures of Visual Electronic Multimedia; Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages
Business Meeting and Reception

Michael