Daily Archives: 10 January 2018

Call for Papers: ATTENTION AND DISTRACTION: A Graduate Student Conference

Call for Papers: ATTENTION AND DISTRACTION: A Graduate Student Conference

University of Cambridge | April 20, 2018

The annual Cambridge Graduate Conference for Pre-1750 Literature welcomes proposals for papers on the theme of “Attention and Distraction” from MA and PhD students, and recent graduates in any discipline.

For pre-modern readers, what did it mean to “attend” (or fail to
attend) to a text? What roles do boredom and distraction have to play in the reading process? How do we attend to premodern literature in our moment of supposedly short attention spans?

Topics might include:
* The attention economy
* Readerly distraction and boredom
* Prayer and concentration
* Popular entertainment and divertissement
* “Information overload”

Proposals are due Wednesday, January 31, 2018. They should include a title, brief abstract (200 words), and a short biography including your university and department affiliation. Speakers will present for 15 minutes, with time for questions at the end.

Travel grants for speakers are available, and lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Please direct proposals and questions to
ATTENTIONANDDISTRACTION@GMAIL.COM 
For more information, please visit our website at https://pre1750.wordpress.com