Domaine de Sagnes, Béziers (Languedoc-Roussillon), France
Deadline: March 31, 2014
Paper proposals on any aspect of Dickens and his works are invited and very welcome. However, some might like to engage ideas on the proposed theme, “Dickensian Landscapes”, a timely topic given the distinctive setting of this year’s venue, but also because the very notion of landscape is not only still prevalent today, but seems to have morphed into multiple new derivatives such as ideoscapes, ethnoscapes, technoscapes, financescapes or mediascapes. How powerful a tool the notion of landscapes and its declensions could be to understand the self and the world is precisely what Dickens had already realized and shown in his work. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Literal or figurative landscapes;
- Actual or imaginary landscapes;
- Domestic or exotic landscapes;
- Cityscapes, seascapes;
- Soundscapes;
- The landscapes of Dickens’s mind;
- Dickens as a landscape artist and the pictorial tradition of his time;
- Dickens’s influence on other centuries, authors and art forms.
Papers will be delivered in English and must be readable in twenty minutes. Please send one-page proposals by e-mail, as an attachment, no later than March 31, 2014, to: marie-amelie.coste@hotmail.com, christine.huguet-meriaux@univ-lille3.fr, ornathalie.vanfasse@univ-amu.fr.
"The Robert B. Partlow, Jr. Prize"
Applications are invited for this award, named in honour of the original Secretary-Treasurer and one of the founding members of the Dickens Society. It is in the form of EITHER one stipend of $500, OR two of $300 (if two recipients are chosen), and is intended to defray costs of attending this Dickens Symposium, in order to deliver a paper on any aspect of Dickens’s life or work. The registration fee and cost of the Dickens Dinner will also be waived. Eligibility is restricted to students (graduate or undergraduate), independent scholars, and non-tenured faculty. Candidates should submit a CV, and a completed paper of twenty minutes duration, to one of the Symposium organizers (marie-amelie.coste@hotmail.com; christine.huguet-meriaux@univ-lille3.fr; nathalie.vanfasse@univ-amu.fr). Should the paper be of publishable quality, the Dickens Quarterly shall have first right of refusal. The winner will be informed of the Society’s decision in April 2014.
"Particulars"
The Symposium is to be held in one of the wine regions of Southern France, Languedoc-Roussillon, at a privately-owned country estate called Sagnes, located on the outskirts of Béziers and surrounded by the vineyards and olive trees that make the charm of this area. Accommodation will be in Béziers, with a shuttle service to and from the conference centre. The Dickens Dinner will take place on site, and two optional evenings will be proposed to delegates: one on board of a barge along the Canal du Midi, one of the greatest engineering achievements under the reign of Louis XIV; another meal will take place at the Cistercian Abbey of Fontfroide, following the visit of the Abbey and also of nearby Narbonne, one of the main cities of Gaul during the Roman Empire.
Hotels: a list of hotels will be provided shortly. It is likely a deal will be secured with a couple of conveniently located hotels.
Trip: Delegates have a number of options to get to Béziers:
- Fly to Béziers Airport: http://www.beziers.aeroport.fr/;
- Fly to Perpignan Airport: http://www.aeroport-perpignan.com/fr/page/passagers and then take the train to Béziers for approximately 1h;
- Fly to Montpellier Airport (http://www.montpellier.aeroport.fr/fr/passagers#) and then take the train to Béziers for approximately 1h (http://www.voyages-sncf.com);
- Fly to Paris (Roissy or Orly) and then take the train for about 4H30 (http://www.voyages-sncf.com),or take another flight to Béziers.
Registration fee: The registration fee is €75 per delegate with a €55 discount rate for students. This includes the cost of the Dickens Dinner. Both excursions (visit to Narbonne and meal at Fontfroide; meal on a barge along the Canal du Midi) will each cost €57. The meal on the barge will only happen if at least 40 delegates sign up. If not enough people choose to attend, an alternative will be offered.