This call for papers just came in. The original deadlines have been extended. Proposals are now due on March 3 and, if accepted, final papers by June 30.

Call for Papers:
Humour in and around the works of Tolkien

Tolkien has until recently been seen primarily as a writer of epic fantasy, a genre usually not associated with humour. If humour had been the subject of academic inquiry at all, then the authors focused mostly on the shorter works (e.g. Schneidewind on Farmer Giles of Ham) or the treatment of humour was incidental or part of a larger argument (e.g. Tom Shippey’s discussion of orcish humour in LotR in his paper on the nature of evil). The proposed collection of essays therefore aims at a critical re-examination as well as an expanded view of the use of humour in and around Tolkien’s works. In order to study the diversity of these texts, we would encourage contributors to apply contemporary approaches towards humour and also take into account, where appropriate (e.g. humour in parodies), recent publications in adaptation studies.

We invite contributions including – but not limited to – the following topics:

•      What are the humorous elements and their function within the various textual genres (i.e. literary, poetic, academic, and epistolary texts)?

•      Tolkien’s understanding of humour and related phenomena such as irony or satire and their conceptual relevance for his works.

•      Concepts and relevance of humour in the context of a mythology written by a modern author.

•      Adaptation and transformation of Tolkien’s humour in Tolkienian fan-fiction.

•      Adaptation and transformation of humour in interpretations of Tolkien’s works in other media (comic/graphic novel, drawings/paintings, film etc.)

•      Strategies of humour in parodies of Tolkien’s work.

With this outline for possible fields of examination, we hope to encourage a diversity of topics and theoretical/methodological approaches, highlighting the complexity of Tolkien’s works and their poetics. Please pass on this call for papers to anyone who may be interested.

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If you would like to contribute to this volume, to be published by Walking Tree Publishers in 2015, please submit an abstract (200-300 words) outlining your proposed article by 03 March, 2014. Upon acceptance, full essays are due by 30 June, 2014. All contributions should be submitted in English. Please send your abstracts, inquiries and suggestions by email to:

Dr. Thomas Honegger
Email: Tm.honegger@uni-jena.de

or

Dr. Maureen F. Mann
Email: babeltower@sympatico.ca

Please visit the Walking Tree website to learn more about the publishers:
http://www.walking-tree.org/