GSA Panel 2024: "Politics of Form. Ambiguity and Dynamism in Literary Genres" (Atlanta)

When literary genres are actualized in specific texts, they become ambiguous and dynamic. This process may be described as an interplay of style and form. Literary texts realize genres in distinct ways, thereby transforming the spatiality or atemporal fixedness of their generic forms into the temporality of specific styles. This process of stylization is determined by the forms in which it takes place, but it also responds to external factors, opening genre to the volatility of historical conflict and change. Literature’s potential for criticizing, disrupting, or opening seemingly static forms lies in the endless possibilities of stylistic expression that have been a central interest in literary theory since the earliest treatises of ancient rhetoric. The focus of this seminar is the critical potential inherent in style thusly conceived, in particular in its socio-political dimensions.

This panel invites contributions which deal with the politics of form within the horizon of contemporary or historically specific social or cultural issues. Please send 250-word abstracts and a brief bio to both co-organizers, Johannes Hees-Pelikan (johannes.hees@ds.uzh.ch) and Roland Spalinger (roland.spalinger@ds.uzh.ch), by March 1, 2024.

For more information on the conference please refer to: https://thegsa.org/conference/current-conference

Contact Information

Dr. Johannes Hees-Pelikan

Universität Zürich

Deutsches Seminar

johannes.hees@ds.uzh.ch

Contact Email

johannes.hees@ds.uzh.ch

URL

https://www.ds.uzh.ch/static/cms/pfs/personen.php?detail=1044