CALL FOR PAPERS
Humoerotica
Lambda Classical
Caucus Panel, American Philological Association
New Orleans, January 8-11, 2015
Organizers: Ruby Blondell (blondell@uw.edu) and Kate Topper
(ktopper@uw.edu)
Humor and sex have walked hand in
hand since time immemorial. For this panel, we invite submissions on the many
manifestations of this relationship in the ancient world, with a specific focus
on intersections between humor and homoeroticism. Abstracts related to any
aspect of this theme are encouraged from all areas of classical studies.
We are interested in questions of
definition, and the application of comic theory to the ancient world. Why is
sex such a prominent theme for humor? What counts
as humorous, and how do we identify it, especially in cultures so distant in
time and space from our own? What “work” did sexual humor do for the Greeks and
Romans – did it challenge conventional approaches to sexuality, did it
reinforce these approaches, or could it do both? Is comedy inherently hostile
towards its subjects, or can it be celebratory? Is homoerotic humor ever used
at the expense of heteroeroticism? What modern approaches have helped to
advance our understanding of sex and humor in the ancient world? How about
ancient theories (e.g. Aristotle)?
We also welcome analysis of
specific texts and artifacts. While Greek and Roman comedy provide an obvious and
valuable resource, we encourage submissions on a wide range of genres and forms
of evidence. Sexual humor features in the full spectrum of Greek and Latin
texts, from oratory (with its comic invective), to lyric poetry (with its
sexual innuendo and obscenity), to satirical prose and verse (Juvenal,
Petronius, Lucian), and even philosophy (which features, notably, the
humorously homoerotic persona of Socrates). In keeping with the traditions of
the LCC, we also hope to include papers dealing with material evidence, such as
painting, graffiti or mosaics. Abstracts might address, for example, the visual
humor of the Eurymedon vase or of erotic wall-paintings at Pompeii. Other
suitable themes include
intersections between visual and textual sources, the role of sexual
humor in cultural institutions (such as religious cult), and the comic
reception of ancient homoeroticism. Papers might also draw attention to evidence
that remains underexplored or deserves a second look.
Abstracts,
of 650 words or less, are due by March 10, 2014. Do not identify yourself
in any way in the abstract itself, and please do not send it to the organizers. It should be sent as an email
attachment to Jorge Bravo (jbravo@umd.edu), who will forward it to the
organizers in anonymous form. Please follow the APA's formatting guidelines for
individual abstracts (http://www.apaclassics.org/index.php/annual_meeting/abstract_instructions/guidelines_for_authors_of_abstracts).
