Call for Papers „Writing Angst: The Gothic / Schauerliterat­ur in Scotland and Germany from 1800 until Today”

Call for Papers: „Writing Angst: The Gothic / Schauerliteratur in Scotland and Germany from 1800 until Today”

Göttingen University, September 4-6, 2024

Few literary genres are better suited to give voice to cultural, social and political anxieties in periods of collective crises and disorientation than the Gothic, or Schauerliteratur. In our own age of wars, climate catastrophe and economic recession, the gothic format seems more than ever apt for the expression of all forms of angst. Looking at the development of the two literary traditions in Scotland and Germany one notes major differences in the development of the genre. During the initial period around 1800 there was an intense interest in German Schauerliteratur and the German folktale tradition in Scotland. In Scottish literature the oeuvres of Robert Burns, James Hogg, Walter Scott indicate the beginning of an uninterrupted Gothic tradition. It was continued by the intertexual reaffirmation of canonical works through later rewritings as well as by innovative new explorations of the genre through crossings with crime fiction and science fiction. In Germany, however, Schauerliteratur remained a period phenomenon and was never taken seriously as a literary genre again after high romanticism. It has recently been rediscovered as an innovative medium.

The conference takes its cue from a collaboration between the English Literature department of the University of Göttingen, the German department of Dresden University of Technology, and The School of Critical Studies at Glasgow University. It is co-hosted by Göttingen University and the TU Dresden and aims at looking at historical and contemporary examples of the Gothic / Schauerliteratur in both national traditions. A particular focus will be on practitioners of the genre in Scotland and Germany with a view to discussing their works. Sessions will be in English and German, which is why our CFP comes in two parts, addressing different but related questions in the Scottish and German tradition.

We invite proposals for papers of 20 minutes relating (but not exclusive) to the following questions:

• What are the distinctive markers of the Gothic in both national traditions?
• What is the connection between the Gothic, on the one hand, and folklore and national identity on the other?
• Which forms, tropes and motifs does the Gothic offer for expressing cultural anxieties?
• Bodies and place are distinctive sites for Gothic fears: how do they relate to particular historical events, scientific findings and cultural movements / moments?
• What genres have been influenced by the Gothic or owe their existence to the Gothic?
• How has the translation of Gothic texts from each of the two literatures into the other furthered cultural transfer and the development of the genre? 

To apply, send a 300-word abstract (in English or German) and a brief bionote to

and by Friday, March 1, 2024.

Travel and Accomodation costs for the speakers can be covered on a pro rata basis. The conference is a cooperation between Göttingen University and TU Dresden (DFG-Projekt „Schauergeschichten. Angst und ihre literarischen Emotionalisierungspraktiken um 1800“, Prof. Dr. Lars Koch).

The Call for Papers can be downloaded as a PDF document at: CFP_Writing Angst.