Aphra Behn was not only one of the most prolific writers in the seventeenth century, but also one able and willing to tackle all genres. She earned a name in the theatre in her own time, and showed her interest in a number of other literary forms such as verse, prose fiction and translation. This conference proposes an overview of her career by focusing on the concept of genres. It also aims to situate Behn's generic practices in the context of seventeenth-century writing and in relation to her predecessors, contemporaries and followers.

We invite 20-minute papers that explore Behn's work from a generic viewpoint, addressing the challenges genre conventions involved for her and other writers, as well as how she/they overcame these obstacles, stretching the limits of specific literary forms. More generally, papers may strive to relate her writing to its historical context, and to analyse her experiments with form and/or her contribution to Restoration genre theory.

Topics for papers might include, but are not restricted to:

* • Behn and dramatic theory and practices
* • Poetics in Behn's works: antecedents and lasting influence
* • History and translation: Behn in the context of seventeenth-century European culture
* • Behn and the origins of prose fiction in English
* • Aphra Behn and the seventeenth-century lyric
* • Restoration genre theory and the canon: issues of literary value
* • Aphra Behn and the Nineties Generation: the politics of women's writing
* • The reception of Behn's work
* • Hybrid genres: Restoration challenges in form and content
* • Current (re)evaluations of the role of genre in the long eighteenth centry
* • Cross-fertilization, influences, and adaptation
* • Spaces of intimacy: letters, diaries, etc



The following plenary speakers have already confirmed their participation:



Prof. Deborah Payne (American University, US)

Prof. Elaine Hobby (Loughborough University, UK)

Papers and round table discussions: We welcome proposals for papers and round table discussions (20' presentation + 10' discussion). Contributors must submit the following information:

About the paper:

Full title

A two-hundred word abstract

Technical requirements for the presentation



About the contributor(s):

Full name

Postal address and electronic mail address

Institutional affiliation



Thematic Panels: Participants may also want to propose their own thematic panels to include papers delivered by 3 or 4 participants. Submissions for panels of 90 minutes duration should not exceed 450 words and contain the names of all speakers and the title of each individual paper.



Proposals must be sent as an email attachment (.doc, .docx, .rtf) before 15 March 2014 to: aphra.behn@dfing.uhu.es



http://www.uhu.es/dfing/aphrabehn2014