"Victorian Sense and the Senses"
University of Iowa
May 1-3, 2015
Deadline: October 31, 2014
The Midwest Victorian Studies Association seeks papers for topics related to the conference theme of “Sense and the Senses.” The organizers encourage papers on any aspect of this topic in art, music, history, science, philosophy, theater or literature: senses and the invisible; sounds and soundscapes; listening/depictions of listening; the relationship between the body and mind; the five senses; the representation of sense or reason; rationality and embodiment; the relationship(s) among sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste; the conflict or accord between reason and the senses; the scientific, psychological, philosophical, or empirical study of the senses; the role of the senses in the creation of ideas or knowledge; the relationship between sense and emotion; empiricism and the imaginary; the disarray or unreliability of the senses; synaesthesia; mesmerism, hypnotism, and extrasensory perception; sensory textures of spaces and lived experiences; sensory extensions/alterations catalyzed by technologies.
MVSA’s 2015 Jane Stedman Plenary Speaker will be Linda M. Shires, David and Ruth Gottesman Professor of English, Yeshiva University. Her talk is entitled “Coming to our Senses: Colors in the 19th Century.” She is the author of Perspectives: Modes of Viewing and Knowing in 19th-Century England (2009), co-author with Steven Cohan of Telling Stories: A Theoretical Analysis of Narrative Fiction (1988; 2002), and editor ofRewriting the Victorians (1992; 2012) and From Romantic to Victorian: Essays by U.C. Knoepflmacher (forthcoming).
For the second year, MVSA will feature three seminars open to graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars led by senior scholars on topics related to the conference theme. Seminar participants pre-circulate 5-to-7 page papers. More information will be available in the seminar CFP on the MVSA website. Special events include a dramatic performance and a demonstration of Highland dancing in the Iowa Old Capitol Senate Chamber. A publication of selected essays from the conference is planned.
The Midwest Victorian Studies Association is an interdisciplinary organization welcoming scholars from all disciplines who share an interest in nineteenth-century British history, literature, and culture. Send a 300-word abstract and 1-page vita (as MWord documents) by October 31, 2014, to conferencesubmissions@midwestvictorian.org. Even if you do not submit a paper, please plan to attend!
For more information, please visit www.midwestvictorian.org