“Beyond Childhood and Adolescence…
Growing with Edgar Allan Poe
The Edgar Allan Poe Spanish Association (EAPSA) is pleased to announce its 2nd International Conference from February 5th to 7th 2020 to be held at the University of Almeria (Spain). EAPSA invites paper and roundtable proposals on the topic of reading and understanding Poe through time.
In 1948, T.S. Eliot acknowledged the immense influence of Edgar Allan Poe in France, although his presence was “almost negligible” in England and America. Eliot affirmed that readers in England and America were attracted to the works of Poe “at a particular phase of their growth, at the period of life when they were just emerging from childhood,” thus changing their literary tastes as they reached maturity. Moreover, Eliot wondered what Baudelaire, Mallarmé and Valéry saw in the works of Poe and came to the conclusion that one of the reasons for their appreciation had to do with their inability to understand the English language properly. Such a remark made him understand why Poe’s appreciation was almost inexistent among adult native speakers. In the same vein, the Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater associated Poe and Stevenson with his childhood although he admitted having “happy returns” to these authors during his adulthood.
In this context, this Conference welcomes papers addressing issues dealing with Poe and his readership throughout time. Possible questions include: was Poe misunderstood, as Eliot argues, by non native speakers? Did Baudelaire transform Poe’s “slipshod and shoddy English” into a beautiful French, thus bridging possible linguistic pitfalls? How has Poe’s image evolved through history? Should Poe’s texts be associated exclusively with a reader’s infancy and adolescence? Or, can his works appeal to adult readers as well? Furthermore, can adult readers appreciate nuances in the works of Poe not fully understood by teenagers? What do our adolescents read nowadays? Is Poe’s oeuvre still esteemed in college and university curricula? How does our research on Poe change as we grow older?
Conference topics may include (though they are not limited to):
- Poe and Ageing Studies.
- Poe’s (mis)readings throughout time.
- Poe and translation.
- Poe and gender.
- Psychological approaches to Poe’s works.
Submissions and queries should be sent to: eapsa2020@ual.es
(please click here to download the proposal for presentation)
Paper and roundtable proposals should include the following:
- Full title of your paper or roundtable.
- A 250 to 300 words description of your paper or roundtable.
- Your name, postal address, e-mail address.
- Your institutional affiliation and position.
- A short bio.
- Working languages: English and Spanish.
- Deadline for submissions: July 1st, 2019.