[Commlist] CFP: Book Reviews and Beyond

*Call for Papers*

*Book Reviews and Beyond: The Transformations of Literature and Art
Criticism in Periodicals Between the 18th and the 21st Century*

1st International Conference at Università IULM – Milano, Italy
3-5 June 2020
Scientific Committee: Paolo Giovannetti, Andrea Chiurato, Mara Logaldo
Organizing Committee: Dario Boemia, Stefano Locati, Laura Sica

Although unquestionably all-pervasive within the history of modern and
contemporary press, the ‘review form’ has been to present an
understudied practice. In fact, this multi-faceted, cross-disciplinary
form that has persistently accompanied the different phases in the
evolution of “print-capitalism” has hardly been analysed from a
theoretical perspective. This dismissal by the academic world is
certainly peculiar, if not manifestly contradictory; however, it
significantly testifies of the difficulty of investigating such a
slippery object of study critically.
The very ‘physiognomy’ of the book or film review, inherently wavering
between the duty to inform and the needs of the market, influenced as
it is by the definition of ‘taste’, makes this form difficult to
tackle with a sound methodological approach. Since the beginning of
the XVIII century, the book and film review has proved to be an
essential interface between cultural supply and demand, and it has
always been something more than a weapon to reach fame and
recognition. Depending of the position gained in the literary or film
fields, the review has often determined the success or failure of a
creative enterprise, of a name or reputation. This particular device
has been the yardstick of the most diverse sensibilities and tempers,
from the learned expert to the passionate amateur. In this, its
proliferation has foreshadowed the changes in the reception processes
of works no longer provided with an ‘aura’ and therefore prone to the
whims of a mass audience, whose judgments ultimately assessed their
value.
For these reasons, it is hard to trace the evolution of the ‘review
form’ from a single point of view while focusing on the mechanisms
that have triggered its fortune. As a crucial touchstone of
intellectual production, the review still performs its essential
normative function, contributing to outlining the ever-evolving
“horizon of expectations” of its audiences, often identified with an
ideal corpus which should epitomise a shared canon. On the other hand,
as a social process, the review tends to keep track of the continuing
dialectics between mainstream aesthetic values and their renegotiation
in distinct contexts and/or communities of consumption.
In the light of the rapidly-changing scenario of media and
technologies, the conference “Book Reviews and Beyond” aims at
exploring this compelling area of research in accordance with the
interdisciplinary perspective of periodical studies, with particular
focus on the period from the eighteenth century to the turn of the new
millennium.

The topics that will be discussed include, but are by no means be 
limited to:
- the formats of the review and its relevant features;
- the history of the review in the modern and contemporary publishing 
industry;
- the types and subgenres of the review;
- art, film, music, theatre, videogame reviews;
- the symbolic status of the review;
- methods of analysis and theories of the review;
- appropriations and declinations of the ‘review form’ in different
disciplinary areas;
- the review and the building of the canon;
- the language of reviews (styles, lexical choices, discursive practices);
- the new modes of the review in the digital era.

*Deadline for submissions*:
1 March, 2020
Please submit a 350-500 words abstract (with brief author bio and
affiliation, 100 words)  in English or Italian by 1 March 2020 to
(beyondbookreview2020 /at/ gmail.com) .
Panel submissions are welcome. Panel proposals should include no more
than 4 papers in total, a short description (300 words) together with
abstracts for each of the papers (150-200 words each including details
of the contributor), and the name and contact details of the panel
proposer. The panel proposer should coordinate the submissions for
that panel as a single proposal.
Proposals will be read and evaluated by 25 March 2020. The time of
delivery for each paper should be no more than 20 minutes.
Details regarding the registration procedure for the accepted
proposals will be notified after the evaluation process.

*Info*
The working languages of the conference are English and Italian but
all speakers are kindly requested to provide slides in English.
For information about the event, and other questions about the
conference program, please contact the Organizing Committee
((beyondbookreview2020 /at/ gmail.com)).

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