CFP: Special Cluster on Retellings of Medieval Literature

Editors: Eva von Contzen and Philomena Wolf

20^th- and 21^st-century reworkings of medieval texts offer interesting entryways into medieval literature. From T. H. White’s The Once and Future King (1958), Iris Murdoch’s The Green Knight (1993), and Patience Agbabi’s Telling Tales (2014) to Maria Dahvana Headley’s The Mere Wife (2018), there is a wealth of modern retellings that engage in critical and creative ways with their medieval source texts. For the autumn issue of 2023, we are soliciting essays (3,000-5,000 words) that focus on the role of such texts in and for classroom contexts. Potential topics may include (but are not limited to):

• retellings of medieval texts as part of teaching medieval literature
  
• retellings as a means to open up medieval languages, literatures, and cultures to new audiences
• reading the past and/or our own historical moment through the lens of retellings
• studying cultural transfers in and through retellings as a means of accessing/teaching various (medieval) languages and cultures 
• creative writing and medieval literature
• retellings and the canon 
• retellings and (mis-)appropriation
• retellings vs. translations in the classroom
• historical fiction and retelling history

We invite prospective authors to consider alternatives to the traditional essay, such as interviews, written conversations with syllabi and assignments, or reflections on how reworkings or adaptations of medieval literature have shaped scholars’ and teachers’ career choices, pedagogical approaches, or perspective on their work. 

Essays need to be submitted by 1 March 2023 through our on-line platform (click on the button 'Submit' at the top of the page, on the right). Please see General Guidelines and Guidelines for Authors. As always, we encourage collaborative authorship. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

We are also accepting open topic submissions for this issue.