The American Association for Italian Studies
AAIS Annual Conference 2009
St. John’s University in Manhattan
May 7-10, 2009
CALL FOR PAPERS: Deadline January 2, 2009
FETISH FUTURISM: RECEPTION AND HERMENEUTIC OF THE ITALIAN AVANTGARDE
Marking the centennial anniversary of the first European avantgarde movement, this session is called with the aim of reassessing the literary contribution of Futurism starting with a discussion on the process of “fetishization?” that characterizes its deceptive reception. How can the concept of fetish be an hermeneutical key for exploring futurist works and for defining the attitude of avantgarde with respect to the tradition that it intends to substitute?
Organizer: Patrizio Ceccagnoli, Columbia University (pc2159@columbia.edu)
VISUAL AND VERBAL INTERSECTIONS
The aim of this session is to explore the intersection between verbal and visual languages as expressed in but not limited to literary works in order to engage in a dialogue on the mutual collaboration between the word and the image. Possible topics may include ekphrastic writing, novels that integrate images as part of the narration, iconicity, photography, futurism, illustrated narratives (graphic novels and comics included). Word & Image act not only as two kinds of expression but also as two modes of narration. Different approaches may include image theories, visual semiotics, cultural studies, literary theory, etc. Please submit a 200 words abstract.
Organizer: Slavica Grujicic, University of Toronto (slavica.grujicic@utoronto.ca)
