Forwarded: CFP: 12th Celtic Conference in Classics

Please direct questions to Astrid Khoo at [email protected] . Apologies
ahead of time for the Outlook-mangled links.

On behalf of the organisers of the following panel, thank you for all of
your excellent abstracts so far. We welcome further abstracts on topics
related to Thetis' receptions, whether Classical or post-Classical. Papers
on Thetis in the Latin literary tradition, along with those which engage
with theories of gender and sexuality, are especially welcome.

DEADLINE 28/02/2019

CONGRESS DATE 26-27-28-29/06/2019

LOCATION Faculdade de Letras - Universidade de Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal) <
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.es%2Fmaps%2Fplace%2FUC-Faculdade%2Bde%2BLetras%2F%4040.208044%2C-8.4274097%2C17z%2Fdata%3D!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0xd22f9099891b133%3A0x1f118b3f8a4ebb8f!8m2!3d40.208044!4d-8.425221%3Fshorturl%3D1&amp;data=02%7C01%7CCLASSICS-L%40lsv.uky.edu%7C5f7245de2b0a4c13528408d69083a733%7C2b30530b69b64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C1%7C636855292461841288&amp;sdata=UG0FNA9n1ZfkQFf8cVhiTGU7g%2FcoI6fPtfBNL3THFWc%3D&amp;reserved=0>
(google maps link)

ORGANIZERS  David J. Wright (Fordham University;  Maciej Paprocki (Ludwig
Maximilian University of Munich); Gary Vos (University of Edinburgh);
Astrid Khoo (King's College London)

INFO:  web <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.celticconferencesinclassics2019.com%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7CCLASSICS-L%40lsv.uky.edu%7C5f7245de2b0a4c13528408d69083a733%7C2b30530b69b64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C1%7C636855292461841288&amp;sdata=zQb5u9nTWD3JBlGiv0PnJSawIYC3MOMReOJjhulQwGc%3D&amp;reserved=0> (3Ws; period/
CelticConferencesInClassics2019; dotcom) - [email protected]

CALL:

And there came the daughter of Nereus, silver-footed Thetis,
The fair-tressed sepia, dread goddess with mortal voice,
Who alone, being a fish, knows both white and black.

(Matron, Attikon Deipnon = Ath. 1.135, tr. E. Aston 2009)

Despite languishing in relative obscurity, the Nereid Thetis is one of the
most intriguing and ambiguous female figures of Greek myth. In her seminal
work (The Power of Thetis - 1991), Laura Slatkin demonstrates that the
Iliad presents Thetis as a formerly powerful, yet ultimately marginalised
deity. The mistress of cords and binding, Thetis both averts and brings on
destruction (Slatkin 1991: 65-67). In this capacity, she plays an active
role in divine affairs: in one instance, she rescues Hephaestus and
Dionysus, and in another she frees Zeus from the bonds clapped upon him by
the rebellious Olympians (Slatkin 1991: 56-61). Furthermore, Zeus and
Poseidon both “court” Thetis until they learn that she is destined to bear
a son more powerful than his father. To avert this threat to his kingship,
Zeus decides to marry her off against her will to his mortal grandson,
Peleus (Pi. l.8.26-45). Thetis metamorphoses into many forms to evade
Peleus but eventually yields to his violent advances; their struggle is
frequently portrayed in Greek pottery.

The post-Iliadic receptions of Thetis likewise characterise her in terms of
both awe and ambiguity. The Greeks deemed her both lovely and terrifying:
the Thetis of Thessalian folklore commands the barren depths of the sea and
wards off plagues (Aston 2009), while the lost poem Aegimius has her throw
her children into a cauldron of boiling water to ascertain whether they are
mortal, an ordeal which only Achilles survives. Roman writers brought new
meanings to the name of Thetis, who merits the title of shapeshifter from
her diverse appearances in the Latin literary tradition. Catullus describes
her marriage to Peleus as voluntary and employs it to frame the epyllion of
Poem 64; she resurfaces in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and features so
prominently in Book 1 of Statius’ Achilleid that it is sometimes termed the
‘Theteid’ (Koster 1979: 199). Thetis has even captured the modern
imagination: she appears in the cult classic Clash of the Titans (1981), in
quasi-mortal form in Troy (2004), and as a prominent (albeit one-note)
antagonist in Miller’s Song of Achilles (2012).

Throughout history, myths on Thetis have constantly been refashioned by
creative retellings into nebulous networks of ideologically biased
narratives. Even though each version differs from its counterparts, they
hold one element in common: the Nereid remains a “figure of cosmic
capacity” (Slatkin 1991: 12), holding sway over hearts and minds. Our
desire to focus on her at the 2019 Celtic Conference in Classics, almost
thirty years after the publication of The Power of Thetis, further attests
to her enduring appeal. We invite proposals for papers which
comprehensively reexamine the complex figure of Thetis and her depictions
in different media (text, pottery, painting, song, opera, film, theatre,
etc.) both in Graeco-Roman antiquity and beyond.

Papers might address, but are not limited to, the following questions:

• The nature and extent of Thetis’ power and weakness - different
conceptualizations of Thetis’ position in the divine hierarchy - Thetis and
the prophecy of Zeus’ downfall - Thetis’ voice and agency

• Visions of Thetis in post-Classical works: facets of Thetis’ mythos (e.g.
structures of cosmic power; divine relations; maternity and mortality)
reverberating in traditions, contexts, and media beyond the Greco-Roman
world

• The myth of Thetis employed as political and/or social commentary - how
do literary works in the Greco-Roman world take up (or activate) and
reshape the paradigm of Thetis?

• The roles of gender, sexuality, and sexual violence in the mythos of
Thetis - transgression and conformity - ancient and post-ancient
interpretations of Thetis’ “courtship” with Zeus and Poseidon (how do we
interpret Thetis’ ‘almost γάμος’ in this context?) and her relationship
with Peleus - double standards concerning sexual violence, whether
committed by divine characters against mortals or vice versa

• Thetis’ relationships with other deities - her sympathies and dislikes -
interactions with Olympian deities (e.g. Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Dionysus,
Apollo, etc.) and her immediate family (Nereids, Nereus)

• Thetis in relation to non-Olympian goddesses (e.g. Eos, Medea, Circe,
Tethys, Metis, Amphitrite, Eurynome, Nemesis, Aphrodite) or as an
exceptional character who evades obvious parallels

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In order to encourage discussion of work-in-progress, we have designed our
panel schedule to accommodate two different paper lengths: 20 minutes and
40 minutes. Please submit a proposal of 350 words if you would like to
present a shorter paper and 500 words for the longer option, and indicate
which length you prefer. The submission deadline for abstracts is 28th
February 2019.

Submissions are to be sent to the following address:
[email protected]

Please include a short biography and specify your affiliation in the body
of your email: attach the abstract as a separate file (preferably WORD/PDF)
with no personal identification.

Notification of acceptance will be given by 31st March 2019.

PANEL CONVENERS:

David J. Wright (Fordham University)
Maciej Paprocki (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)
Gary Vos (University of Edinburgh)
Astrid Khoo (King's College London)

INVITED SPEAKERS:

Laura Slatkin (NYU Gallatin)
Seemee Ali (Carthage College)
Diana Burton (Victoria University of Wellington)
Peter J. Heslin (Durham University)

As the organization is unable to provide financial support, participants
will need to pay for their travel and accommodation expenses as well as
registration fees. A subscription fee of ca. 100€ is to be expected with
some optional plans for a half day excursion and a final dinner.


-- 
Patrick Rourke
ptrourke [(at)] methymna.com