CALL FOR PAPERS
Centre for Fantasy Literature Studies
Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
invites you to take part in the conference on
Theoretical aspects of fantasy studies
REPRESENTATIONS OF MAGIC ACROSS THE MEDIA 5
(texts, visual arts, cinema, theatre, computer games, etc.)
HELD ONLINE ON
19 – 20 JANUARY, 2023, 11:00 (GMT+2)

The Conference invites you to contemplate the variety of ways magic can
be represented via words, images and sounds, from ubiquitous tropes, such
as a puff of smoke or a verbal spell, to unique portrayals. Fantasy fiction
offers countless verbal representations of magic, engaging senses and
associations, while other media exploit the immediacy of auditory and
visual impact. J. R. R. Tolkien once wrote, “In human art Fantasy is a thing
best left to words, to true literature. In painting, for instance, the visible
presentation of the fantastic image is technically too easy; the hand tends to
outrun the mind, even to overthrow it. Silliness or morbidity are frequent
results.” The conference seeks to explore both the means of depicting magic
across media and the resulting effects. In other words, what makes magic
work?
Is magic represented as art or technology?
Is it shown as unique or mundane?
Where do intermediality and magic meet?
Is there transmedial magic?
Can magic be successfully transcoded in adaptations?
Do audiovisual portrayals of magic resonate less than verbal ones? Or
more?
Can the sense of wonder be truly captured or does it lie in the eye of
the beholder (reader / viewer / listener)?
Presentations may be in Ukrainian or English.
Presentations should take up to 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion.
Submission deadline is 9 January, 2023
Please submit your proposals https://forms.gle/TbVpC74NbGk6R97Q7