Edited by I. M. Nick and Anne W. Anderson
Just as names are among the first and most basic means by which we order and make sense of our world, so too do names in works of literature help readers order and make sense of created worlds. Moreover, names in literature often connote more than they denote. This edited collection will consider how names, depictions of naming practices, and explorations of name theory in youth literature can enrich our understanding of created worlds and, by implication, of our real world. For the purposes of this collection, we draw on the Children’s Literature Association’s conception of literature as “books, films, and other media created for, or adopted by, children and young adults around the world, past, present, and future" (https://www.childlitassn.org).
Chapters proposed for this volume might address names, naming, and name theory in youth literature of any media and/or modality, from any perspective, and using the analytical tools of any discipline. From the names of places, people, animals, and plants to the monikers of fairies and goblins, cyborgs and droids, any type of name from any time period or from any language is welcome. Please see the American Name Society’s glossary of naming terminology (https://www.americannamesociety.org/names/); this CFP can be viewed on the ANS site, as well. The primary works examined may be fiction or non-fiction. The only subject-matter stipulation for submission is that the primary intended reading audience of the piece(s) of literature investigated must be youth (i.e., children, adolescents, and/or early adults).
The following is a partial list of possible topics, but we also welcome being surprised by other pertinent suggestions.
For further information about this call, please view our website's FAQ page (https://sites.google.com/view/youthlit2023/) or feel free to contact Dr. Anne W. Anderson (YouthLit2023@gmail.com). We look forward to receiving your proposals!
I.M. Nick holds a BA (Germanics), BSC (Clinical/Abnormal Psychology), MA (German Linguistics), MSc (Forensic and Investigative Psychology), as well as a PhD and the German “Habilitation” (English Linguistics). Her research areas include forensic linguistics, Holocaust Studies, slavery, and onomastics. She is the President of the Germanic Society for Forensic Linguistics, a past President of the American Name Society, and the current Editor-in-Chief of NAMES.
