[Comicsstudiessociety] Fwd: CfP: #spoiltheconference – An Interdisciplinary Conference on Spoilers (University of Zurich, Switzerland)

Wed Mar 24 14:18:37 EDT 2021

Of potential interest to folks here...

--Gene--

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Simon Spiegel via IAFA-L <iafa-l at lists.iafa.org>
Date: Wed, Mar 24, 2021 at 5:12 AM
Subject: [IAFA-L] CfP: #spoiltheconference – An Interdisciplinary
Conference on Spoilers (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
To: <iafa-l at lists.iafa.org>
Cc: Simon Spiegel <simon at simifilm.ch>

[Sorry for cross posting]

Dear colleagues,

please have a look at the attached CfP for #spoiltheconference, our
interdisciplinary conference on spoilers at the University of Zurich,
Switzerland. While the subject is not specific to fantastic fiction,
spoilers are certainly have great relevance for the genres we work in.

Looking forward to your abstracts!

Simon

*#spoiltheconference* An Interdisciplinary Conference on Spoilers University
of Zurich 18 & 19 March 2022 Organising committee: Natalie Borsy, Christine
Lötscher, Simon Spiegel

Spoilers seem to be everywhere these days – or rather, the fear of
producing or encountering them. By now, spoiler warnings are no longer
confined to online media; even reviewers in the most traditional newspapers
try not to reveal too much about the plot. It is almost universally
accepted that there are few graver social missteps than spoiling a TV show,
movie, or recently released book. This is quite stunning, since the concept
of the spoiler is rather new.

The concept has always existed in some way, as Richard Greene argues. As
long as there have been stories, it has been possible to divulge in advance
how they end. Still, the concept of the spoiler as we know it today is
rather young, and its emergence seems to be inextricably linked with the
rise of online media. Not only was the term ‘spoiler’ in its current
meaning first used in a post to a Usenet newsgroup; more importantly,
spoiling requires a media system where information is broken down into
small bits which can be shared almost instantly. While it is easy to skip a
review in a printed newspaper and avoid potential spoilers, it is
impossible to ‘unsee’ a Tweet or a Facebook post.

The rise of a general fear of spoilers coincides with a notable change in
how popular stories are structured. Whether they are called complex
narratives (Jason Mittel), or puzzle and mind-game films (Thomas
Elsaesser), the new millennium has seen a shift toward narratives which do
not adhere to the seeming simplicity of classical Hollywood films, but
instead present themselves as intricate constructions full of riddles and
twists. There is, in other words, not only a growing fear of spoilers, but
also an increase in the kinds of narratives that can be properly spoiled.

Spoilers, however, are first and foremost a discursive phenomenon connected
to a particular peer group. Different fan communities react to spoilers in
fundamentally differing ways. While some fans try to avoid spoilers at any
cost, others seek out as much information in advance as possible.

The fear of spoilers has changed the way we talk about narrative media; and
yet, much about spoilers is still not well understood. Not only has their
history never been thoroughly researched, it is also by no means clear how
spoilers work, whether they actually do spoil the experience of watching a
film or reading a novel. Empirical research done in this area by media
psychologists proves to be contradictory, and has been largely ignored by
the fields of film and literary studies, with almost no interdisciplinary
exchange.

*#spoiltheconference, *jointly organised by the Department of Social
Anthropology and Cultural Studies and the Department of Film Studies at the
University of Zurich, is the first international conference on spoilers.
Since spoilers touch on a wide variety of fields, our goal is to host a
fundamentally interdisciplinary event. We strive for fruitful exchange
between the disciplines, and therefore emphatically invite proposals from
literature, film, media, and game studies, as well as from reception and
fan studies, and psychology or sociology.

Proposals may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

-  The prehistory of the modern spoiler. For example, how did spoilers
affect 19th-century serials? What about famous examples like the Agatha
Christie play *The Mousetrap* or Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho where the
audience was asked not to reveal the final twist?

- When and how exactly did the modern spoiler emerge? What role did online
media play in its rise?

- The psychology of the spoiler. What does empirical research tell us about
the (cognitive and emotional) effect of spoilers?

- Spoilers and narration. What is the relationship between complex
narration and the rise of spoiler panic?

- Spoilers and series/franchising. Today’s TV series and mega franchises
like the Marvel Cinematic Universe seem especially prone to spoiling. Why
is that so? And what role do spoilers play in the promotion of these
franchises?-

- Spoilers and genres. Spoilers seem to affect certain genres more than
others. What is the reason for this? Can science fiction films be spoiled
more easily than social dramas? And are spoilers restricted to fiction, or
can nonfiction forms be spoiled as well?

- Spoilers and fan cultures. How do different fan communities deal with
spoilers?

- How do spoilers affect the way we talk about stories? How has the fear of
spoilers changed the job of the film or literary critic? How do we deal
with spoilers in the classroom?

 Please e-mail us your 300–500 word abstract, accompanied by a short CV, to
spoiltheconference at isek.uzh.ch by 30 June 2021. Acceptance notices will be
returned by the end of July.

We are looking into organising funds for at least some portion of travel
expenses. More details to follow.

If you have any questions, please email us at spoiltheconference at isek.uzh.ch.
The latest updates will be published on our website :
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.isek.uzh.ch/de/popul**Arekulturen/veranstaltungen/2022cfp.html__;w6Q!!KGKeukY!nw7VluqsfNOF9i1fBolNCiEPKlGHQ0QOImAyuztC31AYVR9vf8BbKpH7bwYwVpbVLWfjnqSY0nOQ$ 

--
Simon Spiegel
Maneggplatz 18
8041 Zürich

Telephon: ++41 44 451 5334
Mobophon: ++41 76 459 6039

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„Was soll aus mir mal werden, wenn ich mal nicht mehr bin?“ Robert Gernhardt

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