"Parody, Farce, and Authority in Early Drama" ICMS, Kalamazoo 2012

Without authority, there is no parody or farce— in the words of C. L. Barber, “the license depends utterly on what it mocks” (Shakespeare’s Festive Comedy 214). This symbiotic dynamic between the systems of authority and their detractors at once reinforces authorized models because they license their own mocking while simultaneously undercutting them through critique. Early drama is one vehicle for observing this dynamic of parody, farce, and authority, in such wide-ranging issues as religious orthodoxy and heterodoxy, political models of governance and rebellion, and social frameworks of class and gender. Submissions can examine any facet of parody, farce, and authority within early drama. All submissions are due by September 15, 2011. Please email abstracts to Cameron Hunt McNabb at chmcnabb@mail.usf.edu or Carolyn Coulson-Grigsby at ccoulson2@su.edu.