Call for Papers: Narrative Minds and Virtual Worlds, Tampere, Finland, May 21st and 22nd 2013
Keynote speakers:
Marie-Laure Ryan (author of Possible Worlds, Artificial Intelligence and
Narrative Theory [1991], Narrative as Virtual Reality [2001] and Avatars of
Story [2006]; editor of Cyberspace Textuality [1999] and Narrative across
Media [2004]) Jarmila Mildorf (author of Storying Domestic Violence [2007];
editor of Magic, Science, Technology, and Literature [2006] and Imaginary
Dialogues in English [2011])
More info after the jump
The postclassical turn in narratology has led to 1) a new emphasis on minds,
both fictional and interpretative, and 2) the theoretical discovery of
storyworlds. These ideas come together in cognitive-theoretically informed
narratology, which is well on its way to getting to grips with the processes
of immersion and readerly orientation within the storyworld, and also with
perceptual positioning on the levels of storyworld, narration and the actual
reading process. This conference discusses, applies and tests narratological
theories of world and mind construction in different media, ranging from
literature to digital games, classroom interaction and corporate
communication.
The conference calls for papers from any relevant field of study addressing
interfaces of minds and worlds, narrative as well as virtual. Bringing
together research on different narrative and quasi-narrative media will
reveal both the medium-specific and the transmedial dynamics between inner
and outer worlds in narrative sense-making. For instance, the narratological
notions of fictional mind construction have lately been informed by theories
of spatial and temporal situatedness and its effect on the reading process.
The situation of game players immersed in a virtual world involves both
interesting similarities with as well as differences to more prototypically
narrative environments, particularly in its prioritisation of navigation and
problem-solving over empathetic identification. Furthermore, the use of
shared storyworlds as foundations for transmedial franchises suggests that
worlds may, indeed, be translatable.
This conference is inspired by interdisciplinary and transmedial studies of
narrative as pursued by, among others, our keynote speakers Jarmila Mildorf
and Marie-Laure Ryan. We welcome papers discussing general and theoretical
issues, as well as papers focusing on particular texts or cases in any
medium. Furthermore, papers may address medium-specificity or disciplinary
boundaries as interpretative or methodological challenges. Possible topics
include, but are not limited to
o medial and intermedial construction of minds and worlds in
literature and the everyday
o adapting storyworlds from one medium to another
o socially distributed minds in everyday conversation, narration and
life stories
o the role of fiction and narration in digital games
o misreading virtual minds in fiction
o fictional worlds in picture books and graphic novels
o virtual worlds and fictional minds as tools for teaching
o game worlds between real action and imaginary spaces
o narrative and ludic agency in game playing
o narrative, material and visual dimensions of organisational
sense-making
o ?Theories of Mind? in different media
o attributing minds and representing worlds in historical narratives
o exceptional minds and bodies in fiction and the everyday
o dream narratives as virtual worlds
o narrative embodiment in illness narratives
o the function of stories in marketing and brand development
Please send a 250-word abstract to Mari Hatavara
(mari.hatavara[at]uta.fi) by January 31st 2013. Be sure to give the title,
author(s), affiliation(s), and e-mail address in the same document.
The conference is organised by:
Mari Hatavara, professor of Finnish literature at the University of Tampere
School of Language, Translation and Literary Studies Matti Hyvärinen,
professor of Sociology at the University of Tampere School of Social
Sciences and Humanities Frans Mäyrä, professor of Information Studies and
Interactive Media at the University of Tampere School of Information
Sciences