italian-studies: Scholarly discussions in any field of Italian studies
CONFERENCE: New Authors/Auteurs: Into the New Millennium
Second Call for Papers. Deadline for receipt of abstracts: 30th November
2007
Organised by Dr Gillian Ania and Dr William Hope
University of Salford, UK. June 27-29 2008
The aim of this conference is to shed light on new developments and
working practices in Italian Narrative and Film from the 1990s to the
present.
To what extent has the turn of the millennium and its concomitant socio-
economic and cultural climate conditioned the work of writers and
directors? Has there been a visible evolution in the perspectives,
themes, and aesthetics of the work that has emerged from the 1990s to
today?
Narrative:
Writing is largely a solitary activity (one mind, one pen - or keyboard),
with inspiration stemming from private or public, artistic and/or socio-
political concerns. Yet in today's predominantly visual and interactive
culture, are authors being led away from the individual (in both senses)?
To what extent are novelists being influenced by technological
advancements, by the book-film-book publishing culture, or by media-
related concerns, and is such influence discernible in their work in terms
of content, form, process, or something else? At the turn of the
millennium, what factors (or irritants) are compelling authors to write,
and who are they writing for? Is there, in a climate in which market
forces strive increasingly to prevail, a tendency to 'play safe'
with tried-and-tested formulas or to follow fashionable trends? Or can
writers disregard the 'market', experiment and stretch creativity to new
limits, simply write the novel that is 'within'?
Film:
Unlike literary works, film projects are intrinsically collective in their
elaboration, and their form and content are more susceptible to market
forces which can shape films, from their genesis - financial backing may
only materialize with strings attached - to their launch, which may be
deferred after test screenings. While the term auteur originally served to
raise the status of directors to that of novelists and playwrights, is the
term applicable to directors working in the historico-economic context of
contemporary Italian cinema? To what extent is the work of today's
directors influenced by other formats such as television drama, music
videos, and commercials, and do directors still possess the creativity and
autonomy to shape the central themes and aesthetics of films into
coherent, personal world-views? From a modern perspective, is the term
auteur deleterious and obsolescent, obscuring the public's awareness of
the artistic input of other individuals in a film's development? Is a
named director now just a 'brand' to market the 'product' more effectively?
Papers related to other aspects of the role of the director/auteur, or of
the contemporary novel and its influences, are also welcome. All papers
should focus on authors and directors who have been active in writing and
film-making since the turn of the millennium, and who rose to (inter)
national prominence within the socio-cultural, economic, and political
context of the 1990s to the present day. More established authors and
directors who derived a new career momentum and direction during this
period may also be appropriate subjects for discussion.
Papers should be 20 minutes in length.
Abstracts in Italian or English of approximately 200 words should be sent
to Dr Gillian Ania for narrative or Dr William Hope for cinema, to arrive
no later than 30th November 2007. For further information, please also
contact:
Narrative: [log in to unmask]
Cinema: [log in to unmask]
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