This panel, "Of Monsters and Mothers: Challenging Representations and Theories of Maternity in Literature," seeks to explore how literature complicates, subverts, and redefines conventional understandings of motherhood. From monstrous maternal figures to radical reimaginings of care, the maternal body has long been a contested site of power, anxiety, and transformation in literary texts. We invite interdisciplinary perspectives that engage with literature across historical periods and genres, drawing from feminist, psychoanalytic, postcolonial, disability, and queer theories to interrogate the intersections of motherhood, agency, and monstrosity. How do literary representations of mothers challenge or reinforce dominant cultural narratives? In what ways do monstrous mothers disrupt or expand the possibilities of maternal subjectivity? By bringing together scholars from diverse fields, this panel aims to foster a critical dialogue on the evolving and often transgressive nature of maternity in literature. The proposed panel will take place at the 2026 MLA Annual Convention in Toronto, Canada, 8-11 January, 2026.

Please submit abstracts of 200-300 words, along with a short biography, by email to nar30@duke.edu, by Friday, Mar 28, 2025.