Proposed Special Session for the 1998 MLA Convention in San
Francisco
The period designation "early modern" is typically
distinguished from its counterpart "Renaissance" by its
directionality: while the latter suggests a re-birth of something
from the past, the former looks forward, casting the period as a
source or origin of our own "modern" world. But while
the period's classical heritage is well-established, its
relationship to the modern has been less discussed. What are the
significant connections and/or differences between the early
modern and modern periods, and how do they help us to understand
either the designations themselves, or the periods they
designate? Papers offering general arguments or specific examples
are welcome; in either case, of course, clear (even if
problematized) definitons of terms will be important.
Send 1-2 page abstracts by March 1 to:
Stephen Cohen
Department of English
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL 36688
scohen@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
PD 8 January 98