The Legacy of the Archive in Premodern Studies (Midwest MLA)
Chicago, IL
Organization: Midwest Modern Language Association Permanent Section on English before 1800
Event: Midwest MLA
One of the fundamental limitations of English literature before 1800 is that in order to study this literature it must have survived to us in some form: it must have been preserved, intentionally or accidentally, in whole or in part, and usually in some form of archive. This call seeks papers that reflect on or account for the impact of this archival presence in premodern studies. How has or does the need for our texts to have been archived impact the field, whether broadly or through its effect on the understanding of a particular text, author, or genre? How does reading “after the archive” in this subfield differ from similar readings in other subfields, or from readings that do not consider the significance of the archive? This might include papers centering the archival history of a particular text or texts or a particular archive; papers that consider lost or unarchived texts; papers that analyze non-archival processes of preservation and transmission; or papers focused on archival impacts on premodern studies in the present or future. The goal of this panel is to consider how the legacy of the archive affects our study of the premodern today and in the future.
Please send abstracts of ~200 words and a brief bio to Philip Goldfarb Styrt (goldfarbstyrtphilip@sau.edu) by 24 April, 2026. Feel free to contact with any questions as well before that date.
This cfp is part of the Midwest MLA conference for 2026, to be held in Chicago, IL from 12-14 November 2026 at the voco Chicago Downtown. Please note that due to restrictions there will be no A/V support for this conference.
Philip Goldfarb Styrt