Deadline for submissions: June 15, 2017
Full name/name of organization: Amber P. Hodge, University of Mississippi
Contact email: ahodge@go.olemiss.edu
Although popular culture has gained significant traction as a subject worthy of intellectual consideration over the last decade, a divide between popular and canonical persists. The academy may have instituted a boundary distinguishing high culture from low, but film and television regularly crosses these fabricated borders as popular media evokes the canon. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) to Penny Dreadful (2014–2016), the most successful narratives among millennial viewers (roughly, those born 1982–2004) share a common theme, the incorporation of texts considered canonical into popular storylines. For example, films such as She’s the Man (2006) and The Great Gatsby (2013) contextualize classic literature within a contemporary aesthetic. What does media that evokes or adapts the canon have to say about the priorities of millennial viewers? How does contemporary culture impact classic literature (and vice versa)? This panel will examine these and related questions on the intersection of popular culture and the canon as they relate specifically to a millennial audience, exploring how traditional narratives function in a post-9/11, social media-driven age. By June 15, please send a 300-word abstract, brief bio, and A/V requirements to Amber P. Hodge, University of Mississippi, at ahodge@go.olemiss.edu.