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.
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