Join us for the 24th Annual American Literature Association Conference!
From May 23 through May 26, the Westin Copley Place hotel in Boston, Massachusetts will play host to literary scholars, enthusiasts, and more with a series of panels, readings, and other events.
Among the many captivating presentations, TWS will present two panels, Thornton Wilder and the Theatre of Engagement on Saturday, May 25 during the 9:30-10:50am block and Thornton Wilder’s Classical Engagments on Saturday, May 25 during the 11:00-12:20am block. For the first panel, Society President Jackson R. Bryer will chair, and share the stage with Hsin Hsieh, Lincoln Konkle (Society Executive Director), Nicole Magno, and Lindsay D. Rogers. The second panel will feature Judith P. Hallett (part of the Society’s Board of Directors) as chair, with presentations by Katharine Pilkington, Stephen Rojcewicz, Mathias Hanses, and Thomas Buck.
A summary of the panels is shown below:
Session 15-K Thornton Wilder and the Theatre of Engagement
Saturday, May 25, during the 9:30-10:50am block
Organized by the Thornton Wilder Society
Chair: Jackson R. Bryer, University of Maryland, College Park
1. “Thornton Wilder’s Jian Chang in Our Town the Stage Play,” Hsin Hsieh, National Taiwan University
2. “Wilder Towns: Twenty first Century Stagings of the American Classic,” Lincoln Konkle, The College of New Jersey.
3. “Carnivalesque Havoc and the Shifting of Gendered Stages in Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker and The Eighth Day,” Nicole Magno, The College of New Jersey
4. “Contesting Heteronormativity and Constructing the Essential Woman in Wilder’s Three Plays,” Lindsay D. Rogers, The College of New Jersey
Session 16-F Thornton Wilder’s Classical Engagements
Saturday, May 25, during the 11:00-12:20am block
Organized by the Thornton Wilder Society
Chair: Judith P. Hallett, University of Maryland, College Park
1. “Recasting Greco-Roman Comedy as an American Tragic Novel: Gender, Ethnicity and Sexuality in The Woman of Andros,” Katharine Pilkington, University of Maryland, College Park
2. “The Spread of Manure: From Parasite to Calling to Life in The Matchmaker,” Stephen Rojcewicz MD, University of Maryland, College Park
3. “‘Once our brief light has set…’ Catullus in Thornton Wilder’s The Ides of March,” Mathias Hanses, Columbia University
4. “Sophoclean Echoes in Wilder’s The Alcestiad,” Thomas Buck, University of Buffalo Respondent: Willard Spiegelman, Southern Methodist University
In addition to the Society’s presentation, this year’s ALA Conference features even more chances to delve into Wilder’s writings with the following panels:
Session 1-D The Newport of Thornton Wilder’s Theophilus North
Thursday, May 23, during the 9:00-10:20am block
Organizer: Sarah Littlefield, Salve Regina University
Chair: Lisa Long Feldmann, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
1.“Faded Glory: Images of Newport in Wilder’s Theophilus North,” John Quinn, Salve Regina University
2.“’Soon you too will rest’”: The Lure of Newport for Thornton and Theophilus,” Sarah Littlefield, Salve Regina University
3. “Through the Eyes of Theophilus: Vintage Images of the Nine Cities,” Daniel Titus, Independent Scholar
Session 11-C Roundtable: The Theater of Engagement, a Joint Session of the American Drama Societies
Friday, May 24, during the 2:10-3:30pm block
Organized by the Eugene O’Neill Society
Moderator: Steven F. Bloom, Eugene O’Neill Society, Lasell College
1. Joel Pfister, Eugene O’Neill Society, Wesleyan University
2. Barbara Ozieblo, Susan Glaspell Society, University of Málaga
3. Lincoln Konkle, Thornton Wilder Society, The College of New Jersey
4. Joshua Polster, Arthur Miller Society, Emerson College
5. Michael Downing, August Wilson Society, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
6. Adrienne Macki Braconi, American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS), University of Connecticut
To download the conference program or for information on procedures, paper proposals, fees, and other topics, please visit the 2013 ALA Conference webpage.