50th anniversary of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride

Giovanna Chinellato's picture
Type: 
Call for Papers
Date: 
April 1, 2023
Subject Fields: 
Film and Film History, Literature

Signum University Press is pleased to announce a call for papers in honor of the 50th anniversary of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, to be released in 2024 and edited by Faith Acker and Maggie Parke. We welcome papers by experienced and renowned or young and emerging scholars, of all nationalities, genders, identities, and colors. Interested contributors may submit a 500-word abstract in English by 1 April 2023 to press@signumu.org. Full drafts of maximum 10,000 words will be due by 1 October 2023.

 

While existing academic scholarship on The Princess Bride is sparse, contributions should draw upon secondary criticism in relevant areas to situate their essays within existing critical conversations. The editors are happy to discuss options with prospective and accepted authors.

 

While we are open to all approaches to the text and film, some starting points might include:

  • Connections to traditions of folklore and fairy tales
  • Connections to Goldman’s larger literary or cinematic canon 
  • Goldman’s frame narrative
  • Critical (feminist, racial, socioeconomic, etc.) readings of the text
  • Language and wordplay
  • Misogyny and/in satire
  • Cinematic adaptation
  • Fandom and the role of fandom 
  • Afterlives of The Princess Bride
  • The Princess Bride as a cultural icon

 

We expect completed chapters to be released in serial form beginning in 2024. When serial release has concluded, the chapters will be published in eBook, audiobook, and printed codex formats.

 

The Signum University Press pays generous royalties: usually around 50% on net, which will be shared among all book authors and editors. Our authors are never asked to pay anything up front to offset publication costs. SUP also welcomes full book manuscripts on this and related topics. Learn more at https://press.signumuniversity.org/submissions/. For any further inquiries, contact us at press@signumu.org.




 

Dr. Faith Acker primarily researches Renaissance poetry, Shakespeare’s sonnets, and early modern manuscripts, but teaches many modern novels, including The Princess Bride, to students at Signum University, where she has been a preceptor since 2011 and a lecturer since 2016. She is fascinated by the extremes of genre encompassed by Goldman’s larger canon, by the ways in which The Princess Bride satirizes a variety of literary and cinematic tropes, and by the playfulness of the story and its multiple narratives.

 

Dr. Maggie Parke’s work focuses on adaptation and fan management.  Discussing adaptations, film, fandoms is her passion, and The Princess Bride is still number one on her favorite comfort film list. She’s been a lecturer with Signum University, CAPA and IFSA Study Abroad programs since 2017, worked on the sets of Twilight and Captain America, and in development with Elfin Productions and Ffilm Cymru. She now runs Signum Studios and co-presents with Corey Olsen on Other Minds and Hands and Rings & Realms, analysis shows on adaptation and Amazon’s Rings of Power.

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