2022 Conference of the Southeastern Medieval Association
10-12 November in Birmingham, Alabama
Marie de France’s Lais frequently feature one or more characters whose bodies are entrapped in some way. The ladies of Guigemar, Yonec, Laustic, and Milun, for example, are shut away from society – and their lovers – by jealous old men, but Marie describes other forms of bodily entrapment, as well, in her tales. Frequently, but not always, the entrapped find some way to escape, with desire and magic playing a part.
In keeping with the 2022 conference theme of the Southeastern Medieval Association (SEMA), “The Body and the Human,” the International Marie de France Society invites paper proposals for a session titled “Entrapped Bodies in the Lais of Marie de France.” SEMA 2022 will be in-person in Birmingham, Alabama, 10-12 November. Please send a 150- to 250-word abstract or proposal on any aspect of Marie’s entrapped bodies to Sherron Lux at sherron_lux@yahoo.com by Sunday, 26 June 2022, with any technology requests.