In conjuction with the M.L.A., the American Name Society is pleased to announce its second call for critical papers on literary onomastics (the study of names and naming in literature). From character names, place names, author names, and literary pseudonyms, to the names of literary works themselves (e.g. novels, novellas, plays, poetry, (auto)biographies, etc.), paper proposals dealing with names of any and all type are warmly welcomed. Furthermore, as we are interested in representing the international diversity of modern literary onomastics, all periods, genres, and literary works are equally welcome as well. Proposed papers may either focus on a single work or on a body of work by one or more authors.

Possible topics for submission include the following:
• the importance of names and naming in children’s literature
• critical theory and the analysis of the literary form and/or function of names
• literary translation, names, and naming
• the etymology of names in literature
• name symbolism in literature
• pedagogical strategies for heightening students’ appreciation of literary names
and naming
• the issue of (re)naming and the rewriting of classics for modern audiences
• fact vs. fiction: the legal and moral issues involved in naming and names
within (auto)biographical works
• social, political, and historical importance of names and naming in literature
• the effect of names and naming in combating and/or reinforcing readers’
stereotypes

Interested authors are requested to submit a 250-word abstract as a Word document by March 1, 2011 to Dr. I. M. Laversuch at mavi.yaz@web.de. All submissions must be in English and conform with the MLA stylistic regulations. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above web address.

Please note that you do not need to be a member of the American Name Society to submit an abstract. However, if your paper is accepted for presentation, you must become a member in order to present in our panel.