The 20th Annual Mardi Gras Conference at Louisiana State University
Regarding Iteration: Narratives of Imitation and Innovation
February 11-12, 2010
Keynote Address by Brian McHale, Ohio State University
Reiteration is never merely the repetition of what has been said. Rather, it is what Derrida described as “repetition with a difference,” always deviating significantly from its referent. To tell a story again is to change it somehow. This confluence of imitation and innovation is at the heart of literary discourse. In revising an old myth for a new audience—as Margaret Atwood, John Gardner, and others have done—an author might discover novel ways to reflect upon contemporary issues in the political clime. Similarly, the adaptation of an Elizabethan play for modern moviegoers may offer a diachronic analysis of the gap between two historical moments. Parody, too, is the product of reiteration, as it simultaneously repeats and subverts its subject. At the 2010 Mardi Gras Conference, we will explore the myriad significance of reiteration in works from a variety of eras and media. Our panels will address the repetition and difference one encounters in adaptations, revisions, pastiches, sequels, allusions, recurring themes, archetypes, and tropes. This year's keynote address will be delivered by Brian McHale, Distinguished Humanities Professor of English at Ohio State University and author of Postmodernist Fiction and Constructing Postmodernism. We are also pleased to welcome Dr. Ilana Shiloh, author of Paul Auster and Postmodern Quest: On the Road to Nowhere, as a guest speaker.
