Friday, May 18, 2012

Television Medievalisms CFP (10/1/12)

Courtesy of the International Studies in Medievalism(s) listserv:

Call for Submissions
Television Medievalisms

Desperate cries that Medieval Studies is a dying field can often be heard from medievalists these days.  Yet the Middle Ages seems to be thriving in popular culture.  In particular, television presents us with a wide and diverse array of “medieval” offerings.  Shows such as Merlin, Game of Thrones, and Camelot, amongst others, address a variety of audiences.  Many of these programs target younger audiences--for example, both Merlin and the made-for-TV movie Avalon High appeal to adolescents.  In the next few years, we can expect a revival of interest in Medieval Studies, a discipline to which our students will have been introduced primarily through television medievalisms.  Because this creates a need to examine these popular products in light of their focus on the Middle Ages, we welcome contributions to a collection of essays that explore television medievalisms.  Contributions dealing with television programs in English and/or other languages are welcome.  Scholars interested in the following areas are particularly encouraged to contribute:

?       Literary Studies
?       History
?       Communications
?       Gender Studies
?       Art History
?       Music History
?       Film History
?       Cultural Studies
?       Pedagogy

Abstracts of approximately 500 words and a brief academic bio should be sent to Dr. Meriem Pagès at mpages@keene.edu by October 1, 2012.  Authors will be notified of the status of their abstracts by November 15, 2012.  Acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee inclusion in the volume.

Upon preliminary acceptance, contributors will be asked to submit articles of approximately 7,000 words by June 1, 2013. Editors reserve the right to reject articles that do not meet editorial standards. We anticipate a Winter 2014 publication date.

Brave Update

Disney now has a wealth of information available at the website for Brave, the latest Disney-Pixar co-production, set to be released on 22 June. Set in medieval Scotland, Brave appears to be Pixar's version of the "princess" movie, and it will be interesting to see whether they stick to the traditional Disney formula or, as usual, go their own way to create something fresh.

A number of videos are available from Pixar's YouTube Channel including the following:



Two that offer further details:



One clip


And, last but not least, some humor: