Conference call for papers

Conference 13th September 2015

This conference will re-evaluate the writing of Elizabeth von Arnim (1866-1941). Von Arnim’s complex, intelligent and witty novels were critically acclaimed and immensely popular during her lifetime, but until recently they have received little academic attention. This conference aims to shed fresh light on the contemporary contexts of von Arnim’s work and the literary hierarchies and values that have shaped her reputation.

Papers are invited on all aspects of von Arnim’s work and career. Suggested topics include:

• Contexts: understanding von Arnim’s writing in the context of the fin de siècle, the New Woman, middlebrow, modernism, World War 1 and 2, and women’s writing.
• Literary relationships with other writers such as E. M. Forster, Hugh Walpole, Katherine Mansfield, H. G. Wells and Frank Swinnerton.
• Intertexts: tracing the influences of writers such as the Brontes and Jane Austen.
• Forms: gardening, diary and epistolary novels; music; adaptation for film, theatre.
• International perspective: the importance of Switzerland, France, Germany and the USA in her writing and career.

Proposals of 400 words for 20-minute papers should be submitted using the form below. The deadline has been EXTENDED TO 2nd March 2015.

Conference organisers: Erica Brown (Sheffield Hallam University), Isobel Maddison (Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University) and Jennifer Walker (Independent Scholar).

The conference will be held at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University, UK.