Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Supernatural in Literature and Film Conference 2015 (8/31/14; Macau 3/26-28/15)

Almost missed this (it looks to be recorded incorrectly in the CFP database):

The Supernatural in Literature and Film
Location: Macau
Conference Date: 2014-03-26 (Archive)
Date Submitted: 2014-01-23
Announcement ID: 210698
https://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=210698

'The Supernatural in Literature and Film' is an international academic conference that explores the role of the supernatural in literature and film throughout history.

Deadline for Abstracts: 30 August 2014 (see cfp)

Although tales of the supernatural are as old as literature itself, they have never fallen completely out of fashion but have instead kept pace with the times. Whereas the hero of the Medieval Beowulf poem vanquished beasts from beyond Anglo-Saxon civilisation and the knights in Spenser’s Early Modern Faerie Queen fought in an allegorical Holy War, the supernatural continues to shed light on its societal context in today’s literature and film. For instance, changing cultural and scientific trends have caused Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) to mean something different from the diverse Translyvanian vampires of Murnau (1922), Universal Studios (1931), Hammer Films (1958-74), Polanski (1967), Coppola (1992), Brooks (1995), Argento (2012), and so on.

Yet the literary and cinematic supernatural cannot merely be regarded as an artistic technique for coping with human aspirations and fears; it also relates to genuine historical or contemporary religious and folk beliefs. Relative to their fictional reflections, such real-world beliefs may serve entirely different purposes—or indeed, no purposes at all.

From friendly ghosts to vengeful spirits, from dainty fairies to Lovecraftian horrors, from magic dragons to atomic monsters, the literary and cinematic supernatural has had an enduring influence on how we live our lives.

'The Supernatural in Literature and Film' will take place in the tropical city-state of Macau, a special administrative region of China, on 26-28 March 2015.

The conference will feature presentations by academics and practitioners. It will also be possible to hear talks from the conference 'Vernacular Religion, Folk Belief, and Traditions of the Supernatural' (http://www.islanddynamics.org/folkloreconference-2015.html). On 28 March, delegates can participate in a post-conference tour of beautiful Lantau Island (Hong Kong), site of Tai O fishing village and the world’s largest seated bronze Buddha.

Adam Grydehøj
Island Dynamics
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel.: +45 53401982
Email: agrydehoj@islanddynamics.org
Visit the website at http://www.islanddynamics.org/supernaturalconference-2015.html

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