{"id":5877,"date":"2025-03-18T11:09:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T11:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=5877"},"modified":"2025-03-18T11:09:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T11:09:04","slug":"call-for-papers-authors-as-characters-in-fiction-film-and-graphic-narratives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=5877","title":{"rendered":"Call for Papers: ‘Authors as Characters in Fiction, Film and Graphic Narratives’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Call For Papers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Conference
\u2018Authors as Characters in Fiction, Film and Graphic Narratives\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universite\u00ec de Lorraine, Nancy (France) 12-13 March 2026
<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Keynote Speakers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Stephanie Barron (author)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Lucia Boldrini (Goldsmiths, University of London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Bel\u00e9n Vidal (King\u2019s College London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Xavier Giudicelli (Universit\u00e9 Paris Nanterre)

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great paradox of the modern age appears to be that, since Roland Barthes announced the \u2018death of the Author\u2019, there has never been so much fascination with authorial figures, tangible in fiction, film and graphic narratives. The aim of this international and interdisciplinary conference is to understand the fetishisation of English-speaking canonical authors (such as William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, the Bront\u00eb sisters, Henry James, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Plath, Mary Shelley, D. H. Lawrence, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway), the \u2018versioning\u2019 (Silver xvi) of their texts and images, the fabrication of myths which are \u2018endlessly repeated and woven into culture\u2019 (Miller xiii), the relationship between auctoriality and celebrity, and artistic and historiographic representations. Notable contributions to the field have been Paul Franssen and Ton Hoenselaars\u2019s The Author as Character: Representing Historical Writers in Western Literature<\/em> (1999), Hila Shachar\u2019s Sc<\/em>reening the Author: The Literary Biopic <\/em>(2019) and Bethany Layne\u2019s Biofiction and Writers\u2019 Afterlives<\/em> (2020). However, much work remains to be done on literary biopics, especially the pre-postmodern productions of this type, including in the classic age of cinema. Despite notable exceptions such as Lucia Boldrini\u2019s 2024 symposium, the question of authors as characters in graphic narratives has not been sufficiently explored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conference will take place over two days and will explore three main generic perspectives: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biofiction<\/strong>. According to Michael Lackey\u2019s widely accepted definition, biofiction is \u2018literature that names its protagonist after an actual biographical figure\u2019 (\u2018Locating\u2019 3); it takes advantage of the writing techniques of the novel to present the \u2018evidence-based discourse of biography\u2019 (Lodge, The Year of Henry James<\/em> 8). This genre \u2018has become a very fashionable form of literary fiction\u2019 (Lodge, The Year of Henry James<\/em> 8) in the last decades, and in recent years has become the subject of Biofiction Studies, a dynamic scholarly discipline that has \u2018finally emancipated itself from both historical fiction and life writing and has chartered a narrative space uniquely its own\u2019 (Lackey, \u2018Narrative Space\u2019 3). Critics have chiselled the features of the genre even more finely to suggest that it deals precisely with an author who becomes a character in fiction, leading to the notion of \u2018author fiction\u2019 (Fokkema, \u2018The Author\u2019 39; Savu 9), or the genre of \u2018author as character\u2019 (Franssen and Hoenselaars 11). Contemporary biofictionalists reimagine writers at work, deploy the subjects-writers\u2019 own literary techniques and reproduce their stylistic signature: literary biofiction is therefore an imaginative appropriation of the literature as well as of the life of a past iconic writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B<\/strong>iopics<\/strong>. According to Tom Brown and Bel\u00e9n Vidal, a biopic is \u2018a fiction film that deals with a figure whose existence is documented in history, and whose claims to fame or notoriety warrant the uniqueness of his or her story\u2019 (3). A biopic uses both historical facts and the screenwriter\u2019s imagination to depict memorable scenes in the lives of famous historical figures. The biopic arguably mirrors today\u2019s celebrity culture. The genesis and plot of the writer-character\u2019s books are often woven into the cinematographic narratives of their lives. Biopics raise a specific challenge: how to translate the writer\u2019s prose into moving images in a way that is entertaining to watch, to pay homage to the writer\u2019s aesthetics? Scholarship on writers\u2019 biopics (Buchanan, Frus, Henke, Jardonnet, and Wilson) has tended to examine the intermedial relationship between the author\u2019s writing and the film narrative, as well as allusions to the writer\u2019s life and oeuvre scattered throughout the biopic\u2019s plot. Other scholars (e.g. Stetz) propose an altogether different approach by focusing not on the literariness but on the social and political status of the writer as a disruptive force, a critical commentator of the developments of their own era. Such scholars examine the biopic\u2019s appropriation of the writer to make a transhistorical commentary on current contemporary issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graphic biofiction<\/strong>. The convergence between the graphic medium and the genre of biography has been examined (McCloud, Kuhlman, and the 2024 online symposium organised by Lucia Boldrini). Other questions, however, remain unexplored, such as what, exactly, this new genre adds to biofiction, through its distinctive combination <\/em>of textual information and visual representational strategies. Scholarly reflections must keep abreast of today\u2019s rich production of \u2018graphic biofictions\u2019, a genre which encompasses a variety of art forms, branching out as far as Japanese manga. The graphic dimension may be anchored both in archival images and a pictorial tradition, and bears the specific stamp of the illustrator. The conference will seek to analyse the historical and geographical developments of the genre, besides the visual specificities of graphic narratives about writers. These art forms question the relationships between the factual and the fictional, the documentary and the imagined, and, notably, the textual and the visual. The graphic perspective of this conference will further our understanding of the complexity of the notion of authorship through the unique and subjective adaptations of writers\u2019 lives to the visual medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biofictionalists employ various narrative techniques and have different aesthetic or political aims. One such method is appropriating a writer\u2019s oeuvre, tropes and style along with their life. This calls for a redefinition of intertextuality (Kristeva), recycling (Latham et al.) and appropriation and adaptation (Sanders) in different textual, cinematographic and graphic contexts. Many biofictions include paratextual addenda and thought-provoking metabiofictional comments on the ethics of the genre, which are worth examining as creative authors express arguments in favour of their creative endeavours. Of particular interest are biofictions about writers whose stories are obliquely told by minor or peripheral characters who share their lives \u2013 spouses, lovers, friends, or servants \u2013 and shed a specific light on well-known events. These particular strategies confer the genre with endless flexibility, originality and opportunities to renew itself, and enable contemporary writers and artists to create new forms of art celebrating the past lives of canonical authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants are welcome to consider particular case studies and can address the following general questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       Why are some authors depicted more frequently than others in biofictions, biopics and graphic narratives, and how are these authorial figures represented, remembered and commemorated today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         How is the life of an author represented? Is it romanticised, dramatised, or Hollywood-ised? What specific moments of their life are selected and why? Which well-known events and (sometimes) stereotyped images are used by contemporary authors to portray their characters? What versions or interpretations of these authors survive and are ingrained in our cultural memory? How do these representations contribute to reinforcing an author\u2019s iconic status, cultural image and literary reputation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7             Which features (of the author and their work) are consumed by the general public, and filter through into popular culture? Are these \u2018popular\u2019 texts and visual representations a convenient entry-point into highbrow literature?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7               How are the original writing styles of the canonical authors transposed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7          How does ideology influence the adaptation and appropriation of a canonical author\u2019s life and oeuvre? How do the portraits of authors in fiction reflect both scholarly receptions and societal developments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      To take the example of biopics, these have existed in fact since the very beginnings of cinema itself. In what way has the genre evolved over time and to what extent is there (or not) a privileged relationship between postmodernism and the biopic? Can the same question be raised concerning (graphic) biofiction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interdisciplinary conference will foster a dialogue between different fields: literary studies, cultural studies, film studies, intermedial studies and visual culture studies. We would like papers to address the topic of authors as characters in fiction, film and graphic narratives from the perspectives of production and reception. Lucasta Miller has defined \u2018afterlife studies\u2019 as \u2018a form of critical enquiry which can interrogate the intersection between real lives and their cultural construction, both within the lifetime of the subject and posthumously\u2019 (263). The current abundance of author-as-character productions provides an opportunity to redefine the emerging critical concept of \u2018literary afterlives\u2019 as past authorial figures continue to be transposed to new literary, visual and cultural contexts, and their past oeuvres are repurposed to be consumed by new audiences. The continuous reinvention of authors as characters in fiction, film and graphic narratives reinforces their canonical literary status, rejuvenates critical interpretations and augments their cultural capital in the twenty-first century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Submission guidelines:<\/strong> We invite proposals for individual papers or panels. Please submit paper proposals (which should include the title of the paper, author(s), a 250-300-word abstract, institutional affiliation, contact information and a short bio-bibliography) before 1st<\/sup> September 2025<\/strong>, to the following address: idea-authors-as-characters-contact@univ-lorraine.fr<\/a>. A selection of articles will be published in 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acceptance will be notified by 1st<\/sup> October 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conference venue:<\/strong> Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine, Nancy, France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organising committee<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Antonella Braida-Laplace (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Nathalie Coll\u00e9 (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Monica Latham (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      William McKenzie (CHUS, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de l\u2019Ouest)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Barbara Muller (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Doriane Nemes (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Armelle Parey (ERIBIA, Universit\u00e9 de Caen Normandie)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Matthew Smith (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advisory board<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Lucia Boldrini (Goldsmiths, University of London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Tom Brown (King\u2019s College London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Laura Cernat (KU Leuven)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Xavier Giudicelli (CREA, Universit\u00e9 Paris Nanterre)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Michael Lackey (University of Minnesota)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Bethany Layne(De Montfort University)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Jean-Marie Lecomte (IDEA, Universit\u00e9 de Lorraine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Nancy Pedri (Memorial University of Newfoundland)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Bel\u00e9n Vidal (King\u2019s College London)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Call For Papers International Conference\u2018Authors as Characters in Fiction, Film and Graphic Narratives\u2019 Universite\u00ec de Lorraine, Nancy (France) 12-13 March 2026  Keynote Speakers: \u00b7      Stephanie Barron (author) \u00b7      Lucia Boldrini (Goldsmiths, University… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[47],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5877"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5878,"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877\/revisions\/5878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bars.ac.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}