Aphra Behn 2014 - 6th Conference of the Aphra Behn Europe Society: Aphra Behn and the Challenges of Genre

The Aphra Behn Europe society is pleased to announce its 6th conference:
12th-14th June 2014
APHRA BEHN AND THE CHALLENGES OF GENRE
University of Huelva, Spain
CALL FOR PAPERS
Aphra Behn was not only one of the most prolific writers in the seventeenth century, but also one able and willing to tackle all genres. She earned a name in the theatre in her own time, and showed her interest in a number of other literary forms such as verse, prose fiction and translation. This conference proposes an overview of her career by focusing on the concept of genres. It also aims to situate Behn's generic practices in the context of seventeenth-century writing and in relation to her predecessors, contemporaries and followers.
We invite 20-minute papers that explore Behn's work from a generic viewpoint, addressing the challenges genre conventions involved for her and other writers, as well as how she/they overcame these obstacles, stretching the limits of specific literary forms. More generally, papers may strive to relate her writing to its historical context, and to analyse her experiments with form and/or her contribution to Restoration genre theory.
Topics for papers might include, but are not restricted to:
Behn and dramatic theory and practices
Poetics in Behn's works: antecedents and lasting influence
History and translation: Behn in the context of seventeenth-century European culture
Behn and the origins of prose fiction in English
Aphra Behn and the seventeenth-century lyric
Restoration genre theory and the canon: issues of literary value
Aphra Behn and the Nineties Generation: the politics of women's writing
The reception of Behn's work
Hybrid genres: Restoration challenges in form and content
Current (re)evaluations of the role of genre in the long eighteenth centry
Cross-fertilization, influences, and adaptation
Spaces of intimacy: letters, diaries, etc
The following plenary speakers have already confirmed their participation:
Prof. Elaine Hobby (Loughborough University, UK)
Prof. Deborah Payne (American University, US)
Papers and round table dsicussions: We welcome proposals for papers and round table discussions (20' presentation + 10' discussion). Contributors must submit the following information:
About the paper:
Full title
A two-hundred word abstract
Technical requirements for the presentation
About the contributor(s):
Full name
Postal address and electronic email address
Institutional affiliation
Thematic panels: Participants may also want to propose their own thematic panels to include papers delivered by three or four participants. Submissions for panels of 90 minutes' duration should not exceed 450 words and should contain the names of all speakers and the title of each individual paper.
Proposals must be sent as an email attachment (.doc, .docx, .rtf) before 15 February 2014 to aphra.behn-AT-dfing.uhu.es