Edited Collection on Young Adult Gothic Fiction
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/05/22/edited-collection-on-young-adult-gothic-fiction
deadline for submissions: July 16, 2018
full name / name of organization: Dr Michelle Smith and Dr Kristine Moruzi
contact email: Michelle.Smith@monash.edu
Call for Papers: Edited Collection on Young Adult Gothic Fiction
The twenty-first century has seen a marked increase in the Gothic themes of liminality, monstrosity, transgression, romance, and sexuality in fiction for young adults. While Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series (2005-2008) is the most well-known example of Gothic young adult fiction, it is part of a growing corpus of hundreds of novels published in the genre since the turn of the millennium. During this period, the Gothic itself has simultaneously undergone a transformation. The Gothic monster is increasingly presented sympathetically, especially through narration and focalisation from the “monster’s” perspective. In YA Gothic, the crossing of boundaries that is typical of the Gothic is often motivated by a heterosexual romance plot in which the human or monstrous female protagonist desires a boy who is not her “type”. In addition, as the Gothic works to define what it means to be human, particularly in relation to gender, race, and identity, contemporary shifts and flashpoints in identity politics are also being negotiated under the metaphoric cloak of monstrosity.
Yet the Gothic also operates within young adult fiction to enable discussions about fears and anxieties in relation to a variety of contemporary concerns, including environmentalism, human rights, and alienation. Catherine Spooner suggests that the Gothic takes the form of a series of revivals. In the proposed collection we seek to explain what the current Gothic revival in YA fiction signifies and call for papers engaging with any aspect of Gothic fiction published for young adults since 2000.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- The Gothic and the posthuman
- The paranormal romance
- The monstrous feminine
- The adolescent body
- The evolution of canonical monsters including the vampire, the werewolf, the witch
- Postfeminism and the Gothic
- The Gothic and race
- Gothic spaces
- Gothic historical fiction
The editors are currently preparing a proposal for a university press Gothic series, in which the publisher has already expressed preliminary interest.
Please submit abstracts of up to 300 words and a biographical note of up to 150 words to both Dr Kristine Moruzi (kristine.moruzi@deakin.edu.au) and Dr Michelle Smith (michelle.smith@monash.edu) by 16 July 2018.
Full papers of 6000 words will be due by 1 December 2018.
