Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[<Tammy.DiBenedetto AT rcc.edu>]

Hi Karey,

 

Let me first offer my best wishes on the speedy completion of your dissertation.  I, too, am in the process of completing my dissertation—a study of race relations in Percy’s works—so I have a good idea what you’re going through.

 

The first chapter of my dissertation—a study of the “Africanist presence” in The Moviegoer and its relationship to the establishment of white American identity, might work well for the conference session.  I’m attaching an abstract (of sorts; it’s actually a couple of paragraphs from the Intro. to the dissertation) to give you an idea of what I’m up to.  Although my dissertation offers a study of race and race relations in all of Percy’s novels, the chapter on The Moviegoer is one I’m happiest with, though the chapter on Love in the Ruins is also pretty well fleshed out, it’s pretty much a rehash of what’s been said before.  The analysis of race in The Moviegoer offers a few new points on race that (as far as I know) haven’t yet been discussed. 

 

Thanks for organizing this session.  I certainly hope it materializes. 

 

All my best,

 

Tammy DiBenedetto

 

Tammy DiBenedetto

Associate Professor, English

Riverside Community College

4800 Magnolia Avenue

Riverside, CA   92506

(951) 222-8271

 

-----Original Message-----
From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Karey
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 7:58 AM
To: 'Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion'
Subject: [percy-l] Call for Papers: Walker Percy at SAMLA

 

Hi all –

 

Regarding the Walker Pecy session at SAMLA:  I received some e-mails indicating interest and ideas, but only one abstract for a paper – deadline is May 31, so if you’re interested, let me know, or we’ll have to cancel the session!  : (    I’d like to see Percy at SAMLA!

 

More information and orginal e-mail is below – the topic is flexible, just about Percy “today”!  If interested, send it to me at my home address:  karey1 AT charter.net  

 

Karey

 

 

 

Percy fellows:

 

 I will be chairing a session at the annual convention of the South

 Atlantic Modern Language Association (see topic below).  Am seeking

 papers on the  topic: "Walker Percy Today" -  that topic should be broad enough to

 fit many different Percy interests.  I think Percy is relevant today -

 but somehow is not included in college curricula as much as he should

 be!   Just e-mail a one-page abstract to me at karey1 AT charter.net   by May 31. 

 The SAMLA website is  http://www.samla.org  <http://www.samla.org/

 <http://www.samla.org/  (or http://samla.gsu.edu

 <http://samla.gsu.edu/<http://samla.gsu.edu/ ) with the conference

 information - November 9-11, 2007, in Atlanta, at the Renaissance

 Hotel downtown.

 

 I would love to see some of you at the conference, at the session, or

 giving your paper for the session!  We've conversed over the years,

 and though I have been silent lately (attempting to diligently finish

 a dissertationbefore I pontificate on a listserv.), hopefully, we'll

 be able to reconnect and meet!

 

 Karey Perkins

 Senior Professor of English, DeVry University Alpharetta, Georgia

 

 Topic:  Walker Percy, an honorary memory of SAMLA, is sometimes

 Considered "merely" a topical writer and, in the 17 years since his

 death, seems to have faded from the literary landscape.  College

 literature courses, even those on southern literature, only

 infrequently include Percy's writing.  How is Percy relevant to us

 today?  Does his study of symbol and language have anything to offer

 linguists, philosophers, or anthropologists today?  Are his dystopian

 science fiction novels, his social satires, and his social parodies

 out-of-date - or was he a prescient visionary, still current today and

 in the future?  Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the

 similarities between the psychology of Lancelot and a modern day

 terrorist;  Love in the Ruins as a description of the chaos and racial

 divide in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; the Knotheads and the

 LEFTPAPAS forecasting the political divide in America today; More's

 lapsometer in Love in the Ruins and patient medication in The Second

 Coming echoing the popularity of Prozac and other anti-depressants

 today. One-page abstracts sent to Karey Perkins at karey1 AT charter.net  

 by May 31, 2007.  Complete papers should be no more than ten pages or

 20 minutes to read.

 

Attachment: SAMLA conference abstract.doc
Description: SAMLA conference abstract.doc