LANGUAGES MODERNISM THE MODERNIST STUDIES OF ASSOCIATION 11 11TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE MONTRÉAL QUÉBEC , CANADA N O V . 5 - 8 , 2 0 0 9 at the DELTA CENTRE-VILLE MSA C A Word from the Local Message from the Organizing Committee MSA President warm bienvenue to Montréal and to the eleventh generous financial contributions of the Office of the Vice- or the last eleven years, the Modernist Studies Sadly, this year’s conference takes place amidst a annual Modernist Studies Association conference. President of Research and the Faculty of Arts and Science at Association has served as a lively site of shocked sense of mourning felt deeply by all those This year the conference offers 108 panels, 24 Concordia University. At McGill University, funds were exchange among those who study and teach involved with this event. On the fourth of September, Aseminars, 11 roundtables, 3 plenary talks, a book graciously provided by the Department of English, the Fthe diverse arts, literatures, and cultures of Andrew Miller, one of the local conference organizers, fair, a poetry reading, and other events gathered Graduate Program in English, the Department of Art History modernity. At its annual conferences and in the died suddenly of a heart attack. It was Andrew who under the conceptual aegis of the “Languages of Modernism.” and Communication Studies, the McGill Institute for Studies pages of Modernism/modernity, MSA has fomented new first proposed bringing the MSA to Montreal, and As these events suggest, the “languages” of modernism in Canada, the Dean of Arts Development Fund, Tri-Council approaches to the aesthetic revolution we call he worked tirelessly on everything from the program extend to German, Spanish, French, and English, but also to funding. An FQRSC team grant for a research group devoted modernism while simultaneously testing the limits of to the hotel contract. We feel his aching, impossible visual languages, vernaculars, the implications of to “La Poétique du roman moderne: Le roman selon les that term and thus expanding the boundaries of the absence and I hope you will take a moment to digitalization, the languages of class that govern middlebrow romanciers” supplied further funding. field itself. The program you hold in your hand for “The remember him amidst this event he helped make and highbrow culture, the hermetic and populist languages of Languages of Modernism” bristles with insight and possible. Raising these funds required the faith of individuals: deans, poetry, animal communication, and the syntax of surrealism, contention, creativity and innovation. It is one of the associate deans, chairs, directors, professors, coordinators, Thanks to the commitment of members like Andrew dada, vorticism, futurism, and other movements. The rich largest conferences MSA has yet organized and also and assistants. We wish to acknowledge, alphabetically, the and the other organizers, MSA continues to thrive. diversity of topics on the program attests to multiple ways in among the most selective – a testament to the ongoing interventions of Gérard Boismenu, Jason Camlot, Graham New conferences have already been scheduled which scholars construe the meaning of “modernism” in its vigor of the debates that have so occupied us over Carr, Nathalie Cooke, Isabelle Daunais, Kathleen Holden, Chris for Victoria (2010) and Buffalo (2011). As I hope you early, high, or late configurations. The three plenary talks the last decade. Manfredi, Antonia Maioni, Liane Moyes, Gwendolyn Owens, have seen, we have also recently launched a newly focus on the complications of language in translation and Ian Rae, Jonathan Sterne, and Paul Yachnin. On all matters of Organizing a conference like this requires a phenomenal designed website, initiated a membership drive, critical discourse. In her keynote address, Sherry Simon accounting, great and small, Sima Dantzigian gave invaluable amount of cooperative work, and I want to extend the created a Facebook page, and begun to devise ways examines the complexities that attend “traductologie” – the counsel. Members of the MSA board, especially Members of organization’s special thanks to those who have of using social media to improve the services we make theory of translation – as those complexities enter the poetry the MSA executive and program committees – Pamela committed so much of their time and energy to us. available to members. If you have ideas about where of Canadian modernist, A. M. Klein. Language politics compel Caughie, Sean Latham, Pericles Lewis, Victoria Rosner, and Rebecca Walkowitz, Pericles Lewis, and Victoria Rosner the organization might be headed or questions the imagination in Québec; no encounter between Rebecca Walkowitz – offered invaluable and timely advice. formed our Program Committee, working with local about where we are, I urge you to take a moment Anglophone and Francophone communities escapes the Even as he finished his dissertation, Matt Huculak generously organizers to assemble the 150 panels, seminars, and to talk with a board member here in Montreal. political awareness of language. Walter Benn Michaels speaks put together the website and answered a thousand queries roundtables that will take place over the next four days. to the racial politics of language in the writings of Welcome to MSA XI. about how to run a conference. As she has done at previous The hard work of organizing the event itself was controversial Québec polemicist Lionel Groulx, while Susan conferences, Dee Morris helped coordinate the book exhibit. generously undertaken by a dedicated team drawn from Stanford Friedman reflects on global languages and their Patrice Atwell designed the program and talked us through three different universities. Allan Hepburn, Miranda SEANLATHAM relevance to modernist studies. the multiple stages of creating an intelligible identity for the Hickman, and Omri Moses have juggled everything from MSA President The theme of this conference was suggested by our late conference. Three assistants contributed to every aspect of hotel contracts to catering menus. When you see these colleague at the Université de Montréal, Andrew John Miller. planning: Emily Essert, Rachel Kyne, and Justin Pfefferle. people, make sure to offer them your special thanks. I Andrew, with his characteristic energy and generosity, was We would have been lost without their day-to-day help with also want to thank Alta Anthony at Johns Hopkins instrumental in bringing the MSA conference to Montréal. the logistics of generating lists and answering email. The University Press and Karen Tiefenworth at Johns Hopkins He originated the theme of “The Languages of Modernism.” staff at the Hôtel Delta Centre-Ville have accommodated our University, the administrators who arranged for payments He undertook all negotiations with the hotel for rooms and many wishes; we thank Johnny Buteau, Nathalie Julien and and kept our books in order. conference facilities. He participated in the selection of Guylaine Richard for their tireless patience. seminars and panels for the conference, and he gave his We wish, lastly, to thank Sean Latham, president of the MSA time and insight to logistical complications with customary in 2008-09, for his thoughtfulness. As a previous organizer acumen and grace. On September 4, at the beginning of of the MSA in Tulsa, he had an intimate grasp of the many the Labour Day weekend, Andrew died suddenly. His death aspects of coordinating the conference. Even with his many has been as devastating as it was unexpected. We wish to commitments, Sean was always available to give steadying honour Andrew for helping to bring this conference to advice and encouragement. We are grateful for his fruition. He was an astute negotiator, a rigorous scholar, leadership and tact. and a deeply valued colleague. We extend our sincere condolences to Kate Orland Bere, his wife; his children, We hope that everyone derives as much enjoyment from the Madeleine and Spenser; his family and friends; and his many conference as we have from the process of planning it. colleagues and students at the Université de Montréal. We also wish to thank the Université de Montréal, Andrew’s ALLANHEPBURN, McGill University home institution, including support from the Dean of Arts MIRANDAHICKMAN, McGill University and the Département des études anglaises, as well as the OMRIMOSES, Concordia University 2 MSA 11 Conference Programme MSA 11 Conference Programme 3 Conference Overview Featured Speakers 6 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 4:00-6:00 SESSIONA: Seminars 4:00-6:00; Panels 4:30-6:00 6:30-8:00 PLENARY: Sherry Simon SHERRYSIMON Concordia University 8:00-9:30 RECEPTION, Regence Foyer Plenary Address: 9 FRIDAY,NOVEMBER6 Sonnant though strange: A.M. Klein listening to Montreal 7:30-9:00 BREAKFAST, Regence Foyer Thursday, November 5 8:00-10:00 SESSIONB: Seminars 8:00-10:00; Panels 8:30-10:00 Regence ABC 6:30 PM 10:00-10:30 COFFEEBREAK, Regence Foyer 10:30-12:00 SESSIONC: Panels 10:30-12:00; Roundtables 10:30-12:00 12:00-1:30 LUNCH (on your own) and What Are You Reading? 1:30-3:00 SESSIOND: Panels 1:30-3:00; Roundtables 1:30-3:00 SUSANSTANFORDFRIEDMAN 3:00-3:30 COFFEEBREAK, Regence Foyer University of Wisconsin-Madison 3:30-5:00 SESSIONE: Panels 3:30-5:00; Roundtables 3:30-5:00 Plenary Address: 5:30-7:00 PLENARY: Susan Stanford Friedman Planetarity: Global Epistemologies in Modernist Studies 7:00-9:00 RECEPTION, Regence Foyer Friday, November 6 Regence ABC 19 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 5:30 PM 7:30-9:00 BREAKFAST, Regence Foyer 8:00-10:00 SESSIONF: Seminars 8:00-10:00;