Newsletter
Cervantes Society of
America
|
Belated—and slightly wintry—greetings
from Granville. We apologize for the slight lateness of the Winter Newsletter.
The Executive Council and Open Business meetings of the CSA, along with the
panel sponsored by our group, took place at the MLA Convention in Washington
DC last December. And so, without futher ado, herewith are the minutes and
the relevant reports:
Present were: J. Allen (Pres.), W. Clamurro, C. B. Johnson, H. Mancing, A.
Weber, and A. Williamsen.
The meeting took place on the campus of Georgetown
University, and we take this opportunity to thank our colleague, Prof. E.
M. Gerli, for arranging for us to use this space. The meeting was called
to order at 10am by Pres. J. Allen. The minutes of the previous meetings
were read and approved.
Various announcements were made, chief among
them the announcement of the first-ever CSA grant ($500) for a graduate student
chosen to present a paper on the panel organized by the Society. The recipient
was Ms. Theresa M. Rosenhagen of Purdue University.
In the absence of Prof. McGaha, J. Allen read
the Editor's Report (reproduced below). The Treasurer's Report was presented
by W. Clamurro (reprinted at the end of this newsletter).
The Council discussed and updated the situation
of the elections for new members of the Executive Council. It was decided
(1) that an election would be held in February for the set of Regional delegates,
for the term corresponding to the two calendar years '97 and '98, and (2)
the At-Large delegates, for the over-lapping term of '98-'99, along with
the next Vice President, would be elected in the autumn of this year. For
this purpose, it was decided that the present nominating committee (E. Anderson,
H. Mancing, and J. Iffland) would continue to deal with these tasks.
Discussion turned to the question of
bibliographies. The consensus of those present was that the
Winter 1996 Special Issue of
Cervantes—the Anuario Bibliográfico Cervantino
1994-95—turned out extremely well. Although the question of printed
bibliographies versus (or alongside of) those in electronic form continues
to be debated, those present felt that an annual printed bibliography would
be desirable, depending upon our ability to fund it (which at present is
quite feasible) and the interest of the CSA members. To this latter point,
it was decided that in the autumn elections (along with the vote for at-large
delegates and the Vice President) the Secretary would include a questionnaire
for the members, to ascertain their opinions and suggestions on the printed
bibliography.
Concerning the ongoing discussion of a CSA
Website and the H-Cervantes Website (see the news item from Prof. Eisenberg
after the mintues), it was decided to refer this question to Prof. Díaz
Migoyo, to be further explored, with the understanding that he keep the Council
informed about the progress of this project.
Under the heading of New Business, the Council
reaffirmed the intent and custom of having the current Vice President succeed
to the Presidency; this will take place with the start of the 1998 calendar
year. Concerning the search for a new Secretary-Treasurer (to take over for
the incumbent at the beginning of 1998), it was decided that Pres. Allen
would announce this at the Open Meeting, and that subsequent announcements
would be made. Nominations and expressions of interest for both positions
(V.P. and Secretary) should be sent to Prof. Ellen Anderson of the Nominating
Committee or to Pres. J. Allen.
Concerning the time and place for the next
meeting of the CSA there was considerable discussion, including location,
different formats for the panel (e.g., not reading the full papers, but rather
making printed copies available prior to the panel meeting, and then reading
the abstracts and having more “open discussion” at the panel itself),
etc. There was some interest in trying to hold a meeting in the fall of 1997;
this would be in addition to the spring 1998 meeting. Various venues for
an autumn meeting were suggested, and it was decided that we would try to
have a decision and an announcement about it early in the spring. Finally,
concerning our future presence at MLA Conventions (and the problems connected
with this; e.g., the newly imposed limitation on the number of sponsored
events), it was tentatively decided that we would try to host at least one
panel and one Cash Bar at each MLA Convention.
The question of the Editorship of the journal
was addressed. The Executive Council had been asked to consider and evaluate
the proposals from current editor M. McGaha and from E. Urbina (who had expressed
strong interest in the editorship for the upcoming triennium). Much discussion
ensued; among other things, the Council considered the pros and cons of having
the journal editor and the CSA bibliographer positions be assumed by one
person, versus the current practice of having those duties divided between
two people. Also discussed was the question of the advantages and disadvantages
of having an institutional connection (wherein a host university would partially
subvention the publication of the journal), versus the current situation,
in which the Society and its publications are totally supported by dues and
subscriptions. Finally, the choice between the two candidates was brought
to a vote by secret ballot (those present and the written proxies that had
been sent in to Pres. Allen), and a majority supported the continuation of
Prof. McGaha for the coming term. Meanwhile, the Council commended Prof.
Urbina for his excellent work with the Anuario Bibliográfico
and expressed its hope that he would continue in that capacity.
The Council then turned to the subject of future
plenary speakers and session topics for the upcoming CSA meetings. While
nothing concrete was decided, it was noted that (given the normal order of
things) the next plenary speaker would ideally be someone from abroad. As
for themes and topics, such titles as “Will the Read Cervantes Please
Stand Up?” and “The Quijote vs. the Persiles”
were mentioned. (As always, suggestions from our members are welcomed.)
The meeting was adjourned at (?) 11:30am.
The Open Meeting was called to order at 3:30pm by President Allen. The minutes
of the previous meetings (April, in Lexington KY) were read and approved.
Pres. Allen announced the award of the Graduate
Student Travel grant to Ms. Rosenhagen and she was congratulated by those
present.
Pres. Allen then read the Editor's Report,
and W. Clamurro gave the Treasurer's Report. J. Allen also announced the
names of the two persons recently appointed by Prof. Urbina (CSA Bibliographer)
to the Bibliography Committee; they are Eduardo Anglada Monzón, a
bibliographer at the Biblioteca Nacional (Madrid), and Jaime Fernández,
Cervantes bibliographer and Professor at Sofía University (Tokyo).
The general question of the “future of bibliographies” (print vs.
electronic) was briefly discussed, once again. The question of the Web site,
H-Cervantes, and so on (see the above Executive Council minutes), was also
mentioned. Pres. Allen reported on the discussions in the Executive session
concerning alternate meeting sites (i.e., other than the MLA venues), of
keeping a token presence at the MLA Conventions, and also the question of
our invited plenary speakers, especially those from abroad, and their status
(e.g., payment of “non-MLA-member” registration fees for attendance
at the Convention). Finally, the Executive Council's decision on the question
of the journal's editorship was announced.
Pres. Allen then introduced Prof. Henry W.
Sullivan (U. of Missouri) who gave the plenary lecture, entitled “Don
Quixote de la Mancha: Analyzable or Unanalyzable?”
Respectfully submitted,
William H. Clamurro, Secretary-Treasurer
Eleven articles have been submitted to
Cervantes in 1996. The Editorial Board rejected two of those, accepted
two outright, and advised the authors of six others to carry out significant
revisions and resubmit their articles. Three of those authors have done so,
and their articles have been accepted on resubmission. I am still awaiting
the second reader's report on one article.
The two issues published in 1996
[Spring issue, Fall issue]
have included ten articles, eight book reviews, and one note. In the Forum
section Anthony Cárdenas and Pierre Ullman have carried on a lively
debate about the interpretation of the décima “Del donoso
poeta entreverado a Sancho Panza” in the 1605 Quijote. Since
that exchange was published, both Cárdenas and Ullman have come up
with additional arguments to buttress their respective positions, and Roberto
Flores has decided to enter the fray with a contribution of his own. These
will appear in the Fall 1997 issue. We have also
published Eduardo Urbina's Anuario bibliográfico cervantino,
1994-95 as a special Winter 1996 issue.
The Spring 1997 issue
will contain a selection of eight articles and two notes, chosen from the
29 ponencias and comunicaciones presented at an International
Colloquium on “Perspectivas en los estudios cervantinos” in Argamasilla
de Alba in November 1995. This issue will be dedicated to José María
Casasayas and will feature a photograph of him on the cover. The organizers
of the colloquium have ordered 250 copies of the issue—125 with the
standard cover, and another 125 with the poster designed to advertise the
colloquium on the cover—for distribution in Spain. This will bring us
some additional income and should also help to make the journal better known
in Spain.
Peter Dunn plans to retire in June 1997. Peter
has been one of our most dedicated Associate Editors since the journal was
founded. I would like to devote the Spring 1998
issue of Cervantes to a Festschritft honoring Peter.
Mary Gaylord has kindly agreed to serve as Guest Editor of that issue.
I have appointed two new Associate Editors
during the past year: Amy Williamsen and Yvonne Jehenson. Jehenson replaces
the late Lowry Nelson, Jr., as our comparatist.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve
as Editor of Cervantes during the past year. I take this opportunity
to thank all the members of the Editorial Board for their prompt and
conscientious work; and I extend special thanks to our Secretary-Treasurer,
Bill Clamurro, and to Book Review Editor, Ed Friedman, both of whom have
done their work in an absolutely exemplary fashion, and have thereby made
my job easier.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael McGaha, Editor
The session organized by the CSA (“Identity and Otherness in
Cervantes”) and chaired by Prof. Johnson, was scheduled to have four
papers. However, winter storm conditions in the Pacific Northwest prevented
Prof. G. Shipley for attending; luckily, he was able to transmit a detailed
abstract (“Tomás Rueda (Pseudonym; Surname Unknown): An Incurable
Identity Crisis”) to Prof. Johnson, who read it to the the session.
The papers presented were as follows: Isabel Lozano-Renieblas, “Jano
o la formación de la identidad en el Persiles”; Theresa
Marie Rosenhagen, “Bakhtinian Dialogics and the Formation of Narrative
Identity: The Polyphonic State of the Cervantine Narrative Voice”; and
Joseph V. Ricapito, “La ilustre fregona: The Identity in Dreams
and Hopes.”
Prof. D. Eisenberg informs us about H-Cervantes, an H-Network on the life,
times, and works of Miguel de Cervantes, sponsored by H-Net, Humanities On-Line,
and hosted by Michigan State University, as follows: H-Cervantes is a network
for scholars and professionals active in studies related to Cervantes. It
encourages scholarly exchanges on all aspects of the author, his works, his
circle, his times, and welcomes participation by scholars and specialists
from all disciplines. The H-Cervantes list is co-edited by Daniel Eisenberg
(N. Arizona U.) [daniel.eisenberg@nau.edu] and Fred Jehle (Indiana U.-Purdue
U.) [jehle@ipfw.edu] and is advised by a board of scholars. More information
can also be found at the H-Net Web Site, located at http://h-net.msu.edu.
H-Cervantes is free and open to everyone with interest in Cervnates studies.
To join H-Cervantes, please send a message to:
listserv@h-net.msu.edu
with no subject line) and only this text:
sub h-cervantes firstname lastname, institution
Capitalization does not matter, but spelling, spaces and commas do.
By return mail, you will receive a short questionnaire, which must be completed
and returned to confirm your subscription. This information tells us about
your professional interests and activities. When they receive the questionnaire,
the editors will subscribe you. If you have any questions or experience any
difficulties in attempting to subscribe, please send a message to: Daniel
Eisenberg [daniel.eisenberg@nau.edu]. For technical assistance, write to:
help@h-net.msy.edu.
H-Net is an international consortium of scholars
in the humanities and social sciences that creates and coordinates electronic
networks, using a variety of media, and with a common objective of advancing
humanities and social science teaching and research. H-Net was created to
provide a positive, supportive, egalitarian environment for the friendly
exchange of ideas and scholarly resources, and is hosted by Michigan State
Univ. For more information about H-Net, write to H-net@h-net.msu.edu, or
point your web browser to http://h-net.msu.edu.
Financial Report 1996
| Balance Brought Forward | $ 13,253.30 | ||
| 1996 Income | |||
| Subscriptions, offprints, back issues, etc. | $14,892.00 | ||
| Total Income | $ 14,892.00 | ||
| 1996 Expenditures | |||
| CELJ Dues | $ 30.00 | ||
| KFLC expenses (April 1996) | |||
| Entertainment | 125.00 | ||
| E. M. Gerli's honorarium | 500.00 | ||
| Typesetting Vol. XVI no. 1 (balance) | 653.23 | ||
| Typesetting Vol. XVI no. 2 | 2,179.73 | ||
| Typesetting Vol. XVII no. 1 (deposit) | 850.00 | ||
| Printing/Mailing Vol. XVI no. 1 | 1,851.37 | ||
| Printing/Mailing Vol. XVI no. 2 | 1,540.20 | ||
| Printing/Mailing Vol. XVI Special Issue (Biblio) | 1,906.64 | ||
| Mail, Telephone, Office Supplies & Expenses | 911.87 | ||
| Bank Service Charges | 10.00 | ||
| Refund of overpayment (from FAXON) | 40.00 | ||
| Total Expenses | $ 10,598.04 | ||
| Balance (December 23, 1996) | $17,547.26 | ||
| ======== | |||
| Members: 265 | |||
| Libraries: 199 |
Cervantes Society of America
c/o William H. Clamurro
Department of Modern Languages
Denison University
Box M
Granville, OH 43023
|
|
| Fred Jehle jehle@ipfw.edu | Publications of the CSA | H–Cervantes |
| URL: http://www.h-net.org/~cervantes/csa/nwsltw97.htm | ||