Literary Matters
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Literary Matters THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ASSOCIatION OF LITERARY SCHOLARS, CRITICS, AND WRITERS Aut nuntiarea aut delectare FROM THE EDITOR Dear readers, VOLUME 5.3 FALL/WINTER 2012 I hope that your new year has gotten off to a spirited Inside This Issue start, and that the holiday season was joyous and safe for you all. With the ticking away of those last 1 Letter from the Editor December days and the renewal that comes every January 1, we are overwhelmed with traditions. Though 3 President’s Column some may be frivolous—forming New Year’s resolutions comes to mind, as it has been reported that 92% of 4 News and Announcements 1 people ultimately abandon them, and thus it is hard 8 New Publications by Members to reconcile the seeming perpetuity of this ritual with its inefficacy—they are all, at their core, inventions 10 Local Meeting Reports borne of good intentions. In the literary field, we are inherently sensitive to the flux between tradition and 15 Freedom and Limitation at the Vermont transition, and the motives behind our embrace of Studio Center, Caitlin Doyle each: we are concerned with both creating the new and maintaining the old, sensitive to the idea that 20 Othello's Last Speech: The Why of It, in order to secure the future of reading and writing, John Freund we must protect the past while plunging forward. 25 Poets' Corner This issue of Literary Matters is rife with examples of how those in our fellowship find a way to balance 29 2013 Membership Form expectations and experimentation, and what efforts are being made to save the future by keeping the past 30 2013 Conference Registration Form from being swallowed up by the present. We begin with the inaugural President’s Column from Sarah Spence, who assumed the role of ALSCW President Relations that literary study should be de-emphasized in October. She offers a pointed look at the climate in US schools; the 2013 ALSCW/VSC Fellowship, which of literary studies today, speaking to some of the seeks to provide support for those who create the concerns that precipitated the recent issue of Forum. material that will fuel future generations of scholars Her words make it clear that as those involved in the and critics; and the calls for volunteers, donations, study, practice, or consumption of the literary arts, we and involvement in the Association, all of which aim to must guard the status of literature, and help it to gain safeguard this very community, which is itself charged ascendancy whenever possible. In an effort to do just with protecting the field that sustains and sates us all. this, one of our recurring segments has been retooled. The “New Publications by Members” section has been There is also an extensive section on three of the local expanded to include descriptions and cover shots of the meetings held during the fall, all of which surveyed freshly minted works of these authors. By remodeling literary study and the production of literature in unique this feature, I hope to provide our writers with the and sweeping ways. Between the poetry and prose opportunity to be recognized for their achievements. readings, the vibrant dialogues about the process of It is our goal as an Association to help our members composition and authorial intent, and the symposium flourish, and these spotlights are another way in which covering various topics on the assimilation of art we hope to support the larger literary community by produced by one culture into another, we get a glimpse fostering the growth of the individuals who compose it. of how far reaching this field truly is. These gatherings are yet another tool in our arsenal to keep people The News and Announcements section abounds with interested and invested, and to demonstrate how, in examples of the steps the Association is taking to fortify the examination and composition of literature, the the literary tradition and shore it up for its strides into past informs the process of the present, providing it the future: the release of Forum 5, which highlights the with both a context and a point from which to progress. endangered status of literature in education and offers responses to the assertions of the Council on Foreign In spite of the symbiotic relationship between the production of literature and its study, at times it seems 1 “New Years Resolution Statistics,” Statistic Brain, published as if creative work and scholarship are characteristically December 13, 2012, http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years- resolution-statistics/. polar. The former is often seen as unrestricted play, LITERARY MATTERS | VOLUME 5.3 | FALL/WINTER 2012 1 while the latter appears to revolve around adherence text and research for answers, in this instance, Freund to and respect for the standards of the academe. But must look beyond it, to the space he creates for himself. what a rarity it is to find two human inventions that For those who stage or study Shakespeare’s tragedy, conform to such a scientific standard of delineation! there is no clear guidance from the stage directions or Much about artistry depends upon boundaries: to call a dialogue, which is exactly what piqued Freund’s interest, work a novel, a play, or some other genre, we must first and inspired him to come up with his own explanation for reify what we mean by each identification (and,voila , we the series of events that give Othello a third opportunity have some “rules,” even if loosely wrought). Likewise, to take his own life, even though he is seemingly scholarship is not as controlled as it may appear. There weaponless. Thus, Freund, armed with several theories is potential for invention on the scholar-critic’s part: about Othello’s state of mind, plunges into an unknown, one may, for example, form hypotheses that upend and resolves a question many over the years had not present conceptions of how literature is experienced, even thought to ask. Even in dealing with a piece so such as the Reader-response theory, which suggests widely studied, there is still room for novel insights, thus that the onus of imparting meaning upon a text falls illustrating how artistic an endeavor analysis can be. on the reader.2 Much like the task of protecting the status of literature, the project of authorship itself— It is clear that the job of the writer is not so far removed whether of intellectual or artistic intent—requires from that of the scholar or critic after all, and surely, finding a comfortable balance between forging into the intentions of both are the same: to get and keep the unknown and clinging to the conventional. The people reading. And to acquire and preserve readers, important thing is that there remains a shared goal, which ensures there will be consumers of literature a sense of the common good: to keep literature alive. for those of us who write it (or write about it), we must balance touting the merits of the old masters while The two feature articles in this issue attest very firmly to encouraging innovation. Invention, and the investigation the view that creativity and criticism, artistry and analysis, of what it was inspired by and what it will in turn are not so disparate as some may initially deem them. inspire, must cooperate rather than conflict. It is my First, we have a stirring portrait by Caitlin Doyle, winner hope that this issue of Literary Matters stands as a of the 2012 ALSCW/VSC Fellowship, of her time at the testament to the complexity of our calling, and provides Vermont Studio Center, giving us a glimpse of how the hope that much is being done to maintain its stature. creative process can be both challenging and surprising. During her residency, Doyle encountered the work of a I invite you all to submit your work, share your opinions painter, which led her to revelations about her poetry, and insights, and send news of your achievements and compelled her to push her own boundaries not by so that we can continue to celebrate, inform, and eschewing them, but by embracing them. Her experience inspire all of those in our Association. Thank you taught her that playing by rules, especially those she set to those who contributed to this issue of Literary for herself, enhanced her creativity because accepting Matters, and thank you all for your readership. certain confines stimulated her ingenuity—how better to test one’s limits than by seeing how many ways one can Very best, fulfill Pound’s imperative, “make it new,” under a rigorous rubric? The second feature is a paper by John Freund, Samantha Madway which sets out to examine how Othello undertakes his Editor, Literary Matters suicide after being disarmed twice in the play’s final scene. Though scholarly analysis typically relies on the 2 “Reader-response theory,” Poetry Foundation, accessed December 12, 2012, http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/glossary-term/ Reader-response%20theory. LITERARY MATTERS Literary Matters is published and distributed The Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, quarterly by the Association of Literary Scholars, and Writers (ALSCW) promotes excellence Editor Critics, and Writers (ALSCW), 650 Beacon Street, Samantha R. Madway Suite 510, Boston, MA 02215. Tel: 617-358-1990; in literary criticism and scholarship, and fax: 617-358-1995; [email protected]; www.alscw. works to ensure that literature thrives in Design and Layout org. both scholarly and creative environments. Samantha R. Madway Literary Matters is provided to all ALSCW members. We encourage the reading and writing of Membership dues start at $45 for the first year and literature, criticism, and scholarship, as are charged on a graduated scale thereafter.