24th Annual Meeting of the British Women Writers Conference
June 2-5, 2016
Hosted by the University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Making A Scene
“I played it with relish.” - Lucy Snowe, Villette
Guest Speakers
Ros Ballaster (Mansfield College, University of Oxford)
Meredith Martin (Princeton University)
Gillian Russell (University of Melbourne)
The theme of the 24th annual meeting of the British Women Writers Conference is “Making a Scene,” and the BWWA is excited to welcome papers that play with the elasticity of this phrase vis-à-vis eighteenth- and nineteenth-century writings by women. From the sublime panoramas of “Beachy Head’ and the scandalous rehearsals of Lover’s Vows in Mansfield Park to the landscapes of Helen Huntingdon and the ekphrastic poems of Michael Field, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature by British women writers frequently makes a scene as it considers landscape, theatrical performance and the creation or representation of visual art. Additionally, actresses themselves enrich women’s writing of the period; the works and life writings of Charlotte Charke and Fanny Kemble remind people that actresses formed a vital part of the canon of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century women writers.
But “making a scene” is also a breach of social decorum; it runs the risk, as Haywood’s Fantomina learns despite her calculated use of disguise, of revealing the desire underneath a too ostentatious flirtation. Or it shatters protocol by suggesting the vehemence of any passion. For political radicals also make scenes in British literature, and Barrett Browning’s “Runaway Slave” delivers a powerful one at Pilgrim’s Point. Barrett Browning reminds people that making a scene is often a radical, transgressive act, particularly for an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century woman, whose need to be witnessed, heard, or even seen defies the social and political architecture that tries to silence her.
The BWWC invites papers and panel proposals that consider any facet of this theme, particularly those in relation to writing scenes, scenes of the mind, landscapes, political demonstrations, courtroom outbursts, and performance more generally. Please find the full CFP online at https://bwwc2016.wordpress.com/, and note that the deadline for proposals is 5 January, 2016.
Inquiries may be addressed to bwwc2016@gmail.com.