Material Readings, Material Readers

This session invites papers on a wide range of topics related to books produced or read in Britain or America in the 16th-19th centuries.  Papers that broadly relate to this year’s PAMLA theme of “Migration, Immigration, and Movement” are especially welcome.  Talks might address any number of topics, including (though not limited to): reading conventions/prescriptions/protocols; transmission of ideas within a reading community; circulation of books; book production as it relates to interpretation; authors employing meta-textual awareness of text-as-material-book; etc.

The Pacific MLA’s convention will be held October 19-21, 2012 at Seattle University in Washington. Please submit 300 word proposals and contact information by April 30th to Jen Mylander, San Francisco State University, at mylanderj@gmail.com.