Faery Tales: At the Crossroads of Literature and Preternatural Belief
deadline for submissions:
September 15, 2026
full name / name of organization:
Christine Neufeld
contact email:
cneufeld@emich.edu
source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/07/13/faery-tales-at-the-crossroads-of-literature-and-preternatural-belief
International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo 13-15 May 2027
Special Session (Hybrid)
While the rise of Monster studies has done much to explain the symbolic significance of preternatural creatures (faeries, djinn, elves) in medieval narrative, the recently expanded scope and regional specificity of folkloric scholarship about the history of fairy belief offers the opportunity to investigate what "veridical" faery tales (historical accounts or use in magical practices) can contribute to our understanding of medieval artistic representations of preternatural creatures and vice versa.
Recent studies by folklorists and cultural historians [Purkiss (2000); Wade (2011); Firth Green (2016); Ostling (2018); Clark (2024); Young (2026)] provide complex, fascinating accounts of folk belief that beg to be brought into conversation with the "faery tales" medievalists have long studied. While much work has been done examining the faery as a plot device in romance or metaphor in moral exempla, reading these narratives in conjunction with emerging historical documents and analyses of faery faith provides the opportunity to explore how folklore and literature mutually inform and illuminate one another.
To submit: https://icms.confex.com/icms/2027/prelim.cgi/Session/8447
Last updated July 13, 2026
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