CFP The Popular and the Weird: H.P. Lovecraft and 21st Century Media Cultures (Spec Issue of Studies in Gothic Fiction) (9/10/2017)

The Popular and the Weird: H.P. Lovecraft and 21st Century Media Cultures
Special Issue of Studies in Gothic Fiction
Guest editors: Chloé Germaine Buckley (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Kerry Dodd (Lancaster University)
https://journal.bsdj.org.uk/index.php/SGF/announcement/view/6


In his seminal essay on the Gothic, titled “Supernatural Horror in Literature,” H. P. Lovecraft claims that “[t]he appeal of the spectrally macabre is generally narrow because it demands from the reader a certain degree of imagination and a capacity for detachment from every-day life.” The author’s interest in Gothic tales that aim to produce ontological and epistemological terror – tales set against a cosmic landscape in which humanity is an infinitesimal part – has subsequently distilled into a specific and often self-conscious style: the Lovecraftian Weird. Yet the draw of the Lovecraftian seemingly refutes its perceived “narrow” allure; indeed, contemporary examples capitalize upon, and often negotiate with, this estrangement. The Lovecraftian in popular culture finds varied and wide expression, ranging from dedicated fan-inspired adaptations, such as the work of The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, to the more disparate “chibithulhu” aesthetic. Popular culture continues to find inspiration in Lovecraft’s work, manifest in examples ranging from 2010 children’s television animation, Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated to the 2015 “video game of the year” Bloodborne. This call for papers invites discussion on this proliferation of Lovecraftian tropes in 21st century popular culture, disseminated between niche, or fan, sub-cultures and mainstream media to access the presence, function, and relevance of this form as the affirmation or contestation of the perceived detachment from cultural conventionality.


We encourage submissions based on a multitude of cultural forms interrogating any form of Lovecraftian media, but we are specifically interested in its cultural implications and associations. This special edition of Studies in Gothic Fiction aims to consider why and how Lovecraftian tropes and aesthetics are appropriated as an architecture of existential horror that acts as an intersection between various forms of cultural production.


Prospective papers may consider, but are not limited to, the following research questions:

• Why is the Lovecraftian prolific within such varied forms of media? Is there a marked distinction between “mainstream” and “fan” produced content? Does the intended audience affect the utilization and dynamic of its tropes?
• What is the attraction of Lovecraft in 21st Century popular culture? Does the recurrence of Lovecraftian tropes suggest their utilization as a tool to question epistemological destabilization, or do certain examples represent purely visual spectacle?
• How does the “affectivity” of cosmic horror translate into various forms of media? What is the significance of this pervasiveness, particularly its mode of dissemination, and the importance of this visceral horror within the outlined cultural intersection of mainstream and niche?
• How does the audience’s interaction with Lovecraftian media affect the format? Articles may focus on topic areas such as player involvement within roleplay, as well as the conceptualization inherent within Lovecraftian world building.
• How does the Lovecraftian act as an extension of Gothic media? Does the distinction and/or incorporation of the two suggest a specific cultural attraction of Lovecraftian media?

This Special Edition encourages trans and interdisciplinary responses to these research questions, from literary analysis to ethnographic studies. Contributors may submit work that focusses on various aspects of (Sub)Cultural, Media, and/ or Literary Studies, including (though not limited to):

• Contemporary Literary Fiction
• Contemporary Popular Fiction
• Film (from B movies to Blockbusters)
• Television Media
• Video Games and Gaming Cultures
• Marketing, merchandise and consumer culture
• Fan fiction and Fan cultures
• Gothic or Haunted New Media
• Online “fakelore” and viral memes
• Transmedia Storytelling
• Aural media, from radio plays to podcasts
• Board gaming, table-top roleplay and live-action roleplay

We invite articles of around 6000-8000 words in length to be submitted alongside a 200 word abstract, list of keywords and brief biographical note. Please submit articles in either .doc or .docx format to thepopularweird@gmail.com by September 10th, 2017. Articles should adhere to the MLA Style Manual.


ISSN: 2156-2407