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CFP: Edith Wharton and the Material Cultures of the Book edited collection: deadlines extendedý
ý(abstracts, 1 October 2006; contributions, 1 April 2007).ý
Contributors are encouraged to interpret the idea of the material culture of the book as widely as they wish, ýdrawing upon research from sociology, economic and social history, literary theory, bibliography, book ýhistory, philosophy and anthropology. I would particularly welcome contributors seeking to examine ýWharton’s publication, production, dissemination and place in book history and material culture outside of an ýAmerican context. Some topics that you might wish to discuss include:ý
Wharton’s relationship with her publishers in the USA, UK, France and elsewhere
The economics of the book trade and its impact on Wharton’s writing
Wharton and her literary agents
The representation of the book as ‘material culture’ in Wharton’s fiction
The production and distribution of Wharton’s books (especially during WW1)ý
Wharton’s libraries, real and fictional
Propaganda and the material and moral utility (or economy) of the book
Wharton’s own understanding of the material culture of the book vis-à-vis visual art, music, drama or ýfilm
Contemporary theories (from economics, politics and philosophy) of the material value of literature ýthat impinged upon Wharton and her writing
Contingent serialisation vs. the definitive volume: a material or immaterial distinction?ý
Expatriation vs. domesticity: the material freight of literature
Wharton’s bibliophilia: material or sentimental?ý
When is a book a book? Material culture, ‘dry goods’ and the idea of the book in the American ýý‘Gilded Age’ and afterý
Recent theoretical work by Bourdieu, Chartier, Darnton etc and its relevance to Wharton scholarship
Advertising Wharton’s books
Material culture and the mass market for fiction: elite vs. popular consumption patterns
Wharton’s sensitivity over the presentation (binding, paper, punctuation etc) of her books
ý ý
Please register your interest in this project by sending an abstract of c.500 words and a brief CV by the ýdeadline of 1 October 2006 to the editor, Dr Shafquat Towheed at SSTowheed@aol.com. Accepted ýcontributors will have until 1 April 2007 to submit their manuscripts, which should ordinarily be c.7000-8500 ýwords in length. If you wish to discuss this project, feel free to contact me.ý
Dr Shafquat Towheed, Institute of English Studies, The University of Londoný
E-mail: SSTowheed@aol.com
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