Dear List Members,
I'm still looking for a third contribution for the panel I would like to organize at the next RSA Annual Meeting. Please find enclosed the call for papers.
If you are interested in proposing a paper, please contact me as soon as possible (the deadline for the panels submission is next Thursday, June 12).
Kind regards,
Sandra Clerc, PhD
CALL FOR PAPERS
Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting
Berlin, 26-28 March 2015
The Principe on Stage: Machiavelli in Renaissance Tragedy
The proscription of Machiavelli’s work, placed in the Index of Prohibited Books in 1559, by itself does not explain the reputation of an unprincipled and unscrupulous man that accompanied — and sometimes still accompanies — the author of the Principe.
Under the influence of the myth of an atheist and diabolic Machiavelli, the playwrights of the Elizabethan era created the character of the Machiavel, similar to the Tyrant of Seneca’s tragedies. In fact, this figure, whose attitude is epitomized by the famous — but obviously false — statement “the end justifies the means,” is at least in part a product of influential anti-Machiavellian treaties by Reginald Pole, Innocent Gentillet, and others, and since the 19th century, scholars have worked to disentangle Machiavelli and the Machiavel in English theater.
In addition to this specific case, the question of the reception of Machiavelli’s political works in European tragic plays remains largely unexplored to this day. Yet, more than other literary genres, tragedy served as a major vehicle for political thought and moral precepts in the Renaissance. Thus, the study of the presence and role of Machiavellian characters and Machiavelli’s works in the theatrical production of this era is crucial not only to assessing the fortune of the Author in Italy and abroad but also to understanding the conceptions of Raison d’Etat and good government in times of political troubles.
How many of the political ideas expressed in Machiavelli’s works (the Principe but also the Discorsi) are actually present in Renaissance tragedy? What interpretations of his political thought do the playwrights of the time put forward? Which theatrical functions are attributed to Machiavelli and the characters portraying his positions?
The organizer welcomes proposals from scholars of Italian, French, German, Spanish, English, and other literatures working on the significance of Machiavelli and his political thought in Renaissance tragedy.
Please send a 150-word abstract of your paper with full contact information to Sandra Clerc ([log in to unmask]). Your submission should include a title, relevant keywords, and short CV (300-word maximum).
The deadline for submission is June 11.
If you are not familiar with RSA obligations (membership, fees, etc.) or to obtain additional details on the RSA Berlin 2015 conference, please visit the conference homepage at http://www.rsa.org/?2015Berlin.
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Sandra Clerc
Assistente dottore
Dipartimento di lingue e letterature
Dominio di Italiano
Università di Friburgo
Avenue de Beauregard 11
CH-1700 Fribourg
T +41 (0) 26 300 78 60