First of all - my first conference paper? I did it! And it went really well! I had good feedback from the conference organiser (who chaired my panel) and various people who'd been listening. I had people nodding along to points I was making, and telling me they really enjoyed it, and more importantly the panel I was on (which included a friend of mine) really gelled - the papers fit together really well and complemented each other, and all were very interesting too.
I've already said one of the panellists was a friend of mine - we shared a hotel room the night before, and went out in Leicester to a dinner paid for by the university where we got the chance to meet the organiser and some of the other presenters. I must have come across a right fool as I did mention that it was my first conference and I was freaking out a little, but I got some good tips on presenting and handling Q&As. After the meal a few of us went onto a pub, where I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening chatting about fandom, vampires, tattoos, Wales and loads of other things. The morning of the conference itself was a bit of a nightmare as we managed to get lost on the way to the university (how we managed that, given we were staying less than a mile away I don't know) and missed the whole of the registration and some of the keynote speech. But thankfully we were there for all of the panels, and there were a lot of interesting papers, including one on vampires in Terry Pratchett's Discworld which I found fascinating, and one on a British vampire series of novels called The Radleys which has made me a) want to read the books and b) think about the difference between British and American vampire fiction written at the same time and what each says about the societies in which the author is living/writing. It was a shame I couldn't get to all of the panels - there were some really interesting papers that I missed out on because there were other things I wanted to listen to, but it was definitely well worth attending.
I've also discovered the importance of conferences for networking. I've had requests for copies of the paper and the bibliography from a variety of people, have been given business cards (which reminds me, I need to get my own for any other conferences I go to) and I've also been asked if I'd be interested in submitting chapters to two books (one on vampires and one on Twilight). The organiser of the Erotic Adaptations conference I withdrew from in January also managed to persuade me to rethink my withdrawal. So I will be talking about first time XF fics to a bunch of academics in two months' time!
I had a whale of a time though. I was really nervous at first but once I got up there and starting talking I got much more into it. It was really interesting listening to the other papers too, and chatting to different people in the coffee breaks. Yay me!
Showing posts with label vampires in print and on screen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vampires in print and on screen. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Sunday, 19 September 2010
More Conferences
So, another abstract I wrote has been accepted for a conference! In November (two-ish weeks after coming back from New York) I'll be at De Montfort in Leciester talking about gender in the Vampire Slayer and the Twilight series in front of a load of academics at the Vampires, VILFs and Fangbangers conference! This is the absstract I sent in:
Buffy vs. Bella: Gender, Relationships and the Modern Vampire
No one familiar with Bram Stoker's Dracula could fail to recognise the scantily-clad female on the balcony, luring the vampire with her pale bosom and heaving chest. Stoker's Dracula, like many other vampire texts, painted women in very traditional, if opposing, lights: Lucy Westenra, empty-headed and flirtatious, dependent on men for both approval and support; and Mina Harker, embodying purity, innocence, and Christian faith - virtues she retained despite being bitten by the Count.
Modern vampire stories, however, have moved on from these traditional depictions of gender. Today's women wear jeans and high heels, carry stakes in their purses and like their men (vampires) to be in touch with their feminine side. Or do they? This paper examines the portrayal of women in modern vampire stories in terms of gender and relationships. I will be comparing Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Bella of the Twilight series, assessing their roles as 'strong' women and examining the ways in which the characters interact with the men in their lives (Angel and Edward respectively) to determine whether vampires, modern men and feminism really can go hand in hand.
And here's the one I sent in for the erotic adaptations conference:
Slow Evolution: ‘First Time Fics’ and The X-Files Porn Parody
Chris Carter once said that he “didn't want [The X-Files] to be another Moonlighting. [He] didn't want the relationship to come before the cases” ruling out the possibility of a relationship between the two main characters. While this did change by the end of the show, the unresolved sexual tension that existed through the course of the series, particularly in seasons one to seven, gave fanfiction writers reason to create their own erotic adaptations.
For a fandom that coined the term ‘shipper’, it is not surprising that a large number of stories concerning Mulder and Scully’s relationship have been written. It is perhaps less surprising that a high percentage of these are ‘first time fics’, dealing with the agents’ first sexual encounter. But this is also a subject that the 2009 porn parody (The Sex Files: A Dark XX Parody) chose to deal with. In this paper I wish to explore the interaction between the canon text, the fan fiction texts which have arisen from it, and The Sex Files: A Dark XX Parody, to examine the appeal of ‘first time fics’ and the ways in which prior readings of the text(s) led to the development of the porn parody.
I've got one more abstract submitted, which has a deadline of October 1st, so we'll see then if I'll be presenting another paper (on science v magic in The X Files). Got my work cut out for me the next few months!
Buffy vs. Bella: Gender, Relationships and the Modern Vampire
No one familiar with Bram Stoker's Dracula could fail to recognise the scantily-clad female on the balcony, luring the vampire with her pale bosom and heaving chest. Stoker's Dracula, like many other vampire texts, painted women in very traditional, if opposing, lights: Lucy Westenra, empty-headed and flirtatious, dependent on men for both approval and support; and Mina Harker, embodying purity, innocence, and Christian faith - virtues she retained despite being bitten by the Count.
Modern vampire stories, however, have moved on from these traditional depictions of gender. Today's women wear jeans and high heels, carry stakes in their purses and like their men (vampires) to be in touch with their feminine side. Or do they? This paper examines the portrayal of women in modern vampire stories in terms of gender and relationships. I will be comparing Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Bella of the Twilight series, assessing their roles as 'strong' women and examining the ways in which the characters interact with the men in their lives (Angel and Edward respectively) to determine whether vampires, modern men and feminism really can go hand in hand.
And here's the one I sent in for the erotic adaptations conference:
Slow Evolution: ‘First Time Fics’ and The X-Files Porn Parody
Chris Carter once said that he “didn't want [The X-Files] to be another Moonlighting. [He] didn't want the relationship to come before the cases” ruling out the possibility of a relationship between the two main characters. While this did change by the end of the show, the unresolved sexual tension that existed through the course of the series, particularly in seasons one to seven, gave fanfiction writers reason to create their own erotic adaptations.
For a fandom that coined the term ‘shipper’, it is not surprising that a large number of stories concerning Mulder and Scully’s relationship have been written. It is perhaps less surprising that a high percentage of these are ‘first time fics’, dealing with the agents’ first sexual encounter. But this is also a subject that the 2009 porn parody (The Sex Files: A Dark XX Parody) chose to deal with. In this paper I wish to explore the interaction between the canon text, the fan fiction texts which have arisen from it, and The Sex Files: A Dark XX Parody, to examine the appeal of ‘first time fics’ and the ways in which prior readings of the text(s) led to the development of the porn parody.
I've got one more abstract submitted, which has a deadline of October 1st, so we'll see then if I'll be presenting another paper (on science v magic in The X Files). Got my work cut out for me the next few months!
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Academic Stuffs
Do you know, it's great that re-reading my PhD proposal only makes me more excited (instead of more terrified) about starting it! Can't wait to properly get into the research and everything, though with my current plan it'll be another year before I'm writing/sending out my questions.
Before that though, I have to write my paper for the Journal of Transformative Works and Cultures (I'm so excited-I have the Aussie X Files group on board as well as heART!) and submit the writing therapy essay I wrote for my MA to a couple of journals.
I also need to get hold of The Sex Files-A Dark XXX Parody as well as any articles about it/interviews with the cast and crew. I'm hopefully attending two conferences soon (along with a friend who I met through X-Files fandom) and for one of them I want to write about the X-Files porn film. That conference is on Erotic Adaptations, on 26 January 2010 at De Montfort University in Leicester, and the description is:
Proposals are invited for papers on erotic and sexually explicit adaptations and appropriations, from film versions of erotic classics such as Justine, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Story of O to contemporary slash fiction and porn parodies. The focus will be on screen adaptations but papers are welcome on graphic novels, novelisations, video mashups, photography, manga, book illustrations, radio and video games. The Symposium is hosted jointed by the Centre for Adaptations and the AHRC-funded Onscenity Research Network (http://onscenity.org/index.html)
Please send an abstract of 200 words for a 20 minute paper to Ian Hunter at iqhunter@dmu.ac.uk.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 1 November 2010
So I want to look at the film as less a porn parody and more a porn homage. Need to get a move on with the abstract though.
The second conference is also at De Montfort University, on 24 November this year, and the description is:
Vegetarians, VILFs and Fang-Bangers: Modern Vampire Romance in print and on screen
Keynote Speaker: Dr Nickianne Moody, Liverpool John Moores Univeristy
Vampires have had a long and complex relationship with human beings and have been threatening and attracting us through folklore, literature, film and television for centuries. But now they walk among us, seeking to integrate themselves into our culture, to be our business partners, friends and lovers. Why do we now prefer our vampires with a sensitive nature or with their ruthlessness focused on business deals? How does this change affect the relationship between both species and genders? This one-day conference seeks to understand and criticise the phenomenal popularity of what is sometimes termed Dark Romance. Papers are sought on authors such as Stephanie Meyers, Charlene Harris, and Lauren K. Hamilton, the adaptation of Dark Romance books for both film and TV and a general consideration of the change in our relationship with the vampire.
Proposals are invited for 20-minute papers, which might address (though not exclusively) the following areas:
•21st-century vampires in the Gothic literary tradition
•Vampires and gender/relations
•Adaptation and the shift of audience
•Debates on the Other
•Difference between film and television adaptation
•Colonialism/postcolonialism/postnationa
•Vampires and money/business
•Vampires and class relations
•Vampires, authors and fans
For this one I'm going to look at the relationship between vampires and gender/relations. I'm going to compare Buffy, Bella and Sookie and their relationships with the men (vampires) in their lives. I haven't fully formulated my plan yet though, but I need to get a move on!
Lots of really cool things coming up then! Just have to make sure I finish my MA work too :D
Before that though, I have to write my paper for the Journal of Transformative Works and Cultures (I'm so excited-I have the Aussie X Files group on board as well as heART!) and submit the writing therapy essay I wrote for my MA to a couple of journals.
I also need to get hold of The Sex Files-A Dark XXX Parody as well as any articles about it/interviews with the cast and crew. I'm hopefully attending two conferences soon (along with a friend who I met through X-Files fandom) and for one of them I want to write about the X-Files porn film. That conference is on Erotic Adaptations, on 26 January 2010 at De Montfort University in Leicester, and the description is:
Proposals are invited for papers on erotic and sexually explicit adaptations and appropriations, from film versions of erotic classics such as Justine, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Story of O to contemporary slash fiction and porn parodies. The focus will be on screen adaptations but papers are welcome on graphic novels, novelisations, video mashups, photography, manga, book illustrations, radio and video games. The Symposium is hosted jointed by the Centre for Adaptations and the AHRC-funded Onscenity Research Network (http://onscenity.org/index.html)
Please send an abstract of 200 words for a 20 minute paper to Ian Hunter at iqhunter@dmu.ac.uk.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 1 November 2010
So I want to look at the film as less a porn parody and more a porn homage. Need to get a move on with the abstract though.
The second conference is also at De Montfort University, on 24 November this year, and the description is:
Vegetarians, VILFs and Fang-Bangers: Modern Vampire Romance in print and on screen
Keynote Speaker: Dr Nickianne Moody, Liverpool John Moores Univeristy
Vampires have had a long and complex relationship with human beings and have been threatening and attracting us through folklore, literature, film and television for centuries. But now they walk among us, seeking to integrate themselves into our culture, to be our business partners, friends and lovers. Why do we now prefer our vampires with a sensitive nature or with their ruthlessness focused on business deals? How does this change affect the relationship between both species and genders? This one-day conference seeks to understand and criticise the phenomenal popularity of what is sometimes termed Dark Romance. Papers are sought on authors such as Stephanie Meyers, Charlene Harris, and Lauren K. Hamilton, the adaptation of Dark Romance books for both film and TV and a general consideration of the change in our relationship with the vampire.
Proposals are invited for 20-minute papers, which might address (though not exclusively) the following areas:
•21st-century vampires in the Gothic literary tradition
•Vampires and gender/relations
•Adaptation and the shift of audience
•Debates on the Other
•Difference between film and television adaptation
•Colonialism/postcolonialism/postnationa
•Vampires and money/business
•Vampires and class relations
•Vampires, authors and fans
For this one I'm going to look at the relationship between vampires and gender/relations. I'm going to compare Buffy, Bella and Sookie and their relationships with the men (vampires) in their lives. I haven't fully formulated my plan yet though, but I need to get a move on!
Lots of really cool things coming up then! Just have to make sure I finish my MA work too :D
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