Submissions are invited for volume 9 of Cather Studies, to be published by the University of Nebraska Press. The theme for the volume will be "Cather, Chicago and Modernism." Essays may address Willa Cather's relationship to broader formations of cultural and literary modernism, as well as to the city of Chicago. How, and in what ways, is Cather a modernist (if at all)? Cather described Death Comes for the Archbishop as a 'narrative': does this kind of description point to a radical, experimental fiction-making? To what extent did she also resist and reject the 'modern'? The editors of Cather Studies seek submissions that address a wide range of intersections and connections between the full range of Cather's work and modernism/modernity. The editors also encourage submissions that counterpoint Cather and Chicago within turn of the century culture, including essays analyzing the musical, visual, architectural and urban cultures of Chicago and other modern cities, and their representation in Cather's work (for instance, in Lucy Gayheart). Diverse critical and theoretical perspectives are encouraged. The volume is keyed to the theme of the International Cather Seminar to take place in Chicago in June 2009, but consideration is not limited to those who present their work at the seminar.
Please submit essays of no more than 7,500 words (including notes and works cited), using the MLA system of citation by October 15, 2009. The authors of accepted contributions who wish to use illustrations will be responsible for obtaining reproductions and securing necessary permissions for publication. The editors may limit the number of illustrations due to space restrictions. Co-editors of Cather Studies 9 are Guy Reynolds and Melissa J. Homestead of the Cather Project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Submissions should be directed to the attention of Homestead, 202 Andrews Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0333. Electronic submissions via e-mail (to mhomestead2@unl.edu) are encouraged.
