Friday, June 02, 2006

CFP: Special issue of CLUES: A Journal of Detection--The Girl Sleuth Call for Papers

CFP: Special issue of CLUES: A Journal of Detection--The Girl Sleuth Call for Papers

Guest Editor: Leona Fisher, Georgetown University
This special issue of _Clues_ will focus on the “girl sleuth” rendered iconic from the 1930s onward by Nancy Drew, Vicki Barr, Judy Bolton, the Dana Girls, and others. The whole range of technical and thematic critical approaches is welcomed, including feminist, Marxist, and cultural studies perspectives. Articles might include the following topics:

-- the relationship among agency, imagination, and voice;

-- a focus on feminism, independence, courage, and heroism;

-- female bonding and empowerment;

-- issues of race and class, both historically and currently;

-- plotting and narrative point of view in relation to suspense;

-- characterization and the construction of American girlhood;

-- psychological and emotional self-awareness and the discovery of new knowledge;

-- violence and contemporary culture;

-- the generic relationship of formula fiction to other genres, including realism and fantasy;

-- the trend toward historical and period mysteries; or

-- the influence of girlhood mysteries on female adult detective writers.

Submissions should include a 50-word abstract and be between 15 and 20 double-spaced, typed pages (approximately 3,300 to 6,000 words) in Microsoft Word with minimal formatting. Manuscripts should follow the _MLA Style Manual_ by Joseph Gibaldi (2nd ed., 1998), including parenthetical citations in text and an alphabetized list of Works Cited. Please confirm that manuscripts have been submitted solely to _Clues_.

Submit online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/heldref/clues.

Elizabeth Foxwell
Managing Editor, CLUES: A Journal of Detection
Email: clu@heldref.org
Visit the website at http://www.heldref.org/clues.php