CFP Critical Insights on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus (8/9/2023)

Sorry to have missed this earlier. It should serve as a great companion to the publisher's volumes on Mary Shelley and Stoker's Dracula.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus UNDER CONTRACT

deadline for submissions:
August 9, 2023

full name / name of organization:
Critical Insights Series: Salem Press

contact email:
lauranicosia@gmail.com



DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Monday, August 7, 2023



We seek submissions for a Critical Insights volume, under contract with Salem Press, on Mary (Wollenstonecraft) Shelley’s, Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus. Amidst rapid technological advancements, moral dilemmas, and ethical questions surrounding scientific progress, Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel, Frankenstein, still resonates in contemporary society. The novel continues to captivate readers with its timeless themes and cautionary lessons about scientific ambition and the consequences of playing God. The frame-tale novel, often overshadowed by subsequent film versions, is groundbreaking by giving a voice to the monster via its epistolary embedded-narrative form.



In today's world, where advancements like gene editing and human augmentation are becoming a reality, Shelley's novel urges us to reflect on the ethical boundaries humanity should set for itself and the potential consequences of crossing them. The novel also has compelled readers for over two centuries for its insight into the consideration of alienation and Otherness. Victor’s monster, as an outsider, brings to light the question of what is a human as he grapples with his own isolation, a concept humans increasingly identify with in the twenty-first century. The novel also remains pertinent for its environmental concerns, as ecological critics remind readers of the responsibility humans have toward the environment.



Submissions should be representative of current critical discourse about the novel and conceptually within reach of current students at the secondary and undergraduate levels. Essays that attempt to articulate the novel’s major themes and successes especially will be appreciated, as well as those that compare her work to other compelling writers.



Submissions should be tailored to one of the following categories:

• A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL essay (this essay is limited to 2500 words);
• A CRITICAL RECEPTION essay that traces the reception of Shelley’s novel from publication to today (~5000 words);
• CRITICAL LENS essays that offer a close reading of the novel from a particular critical standpoint (~5000 words);
• COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS essays that analyze the work or author in the light of another work or author(~5000 words);
• CRITICAL READING essays that focus on contemporary readings of a Shelley’s novel, with emphasis on ways readers (i.e. students in secondary and university settings) might be able to appreciate or problematize the text(s) with new eyes and current literary theories (~5000 words).

By August 7, please submit a 250-350-word abstract, a 75-word biographical statement (including your affiliation), and contact information to the acquiring editor, Dr. Laura Nicosia: lauranicosia@gmail.com.



Submissions of approximately 5000 words (inclusive of Works Cited) will need to be completed by November 13, 2023.



Honoraria will be awarded by the publisher to contributors after publication.



Last updated June 27, 2023
This CFP has been viewed 1,333 times.