*CFP* "LIMINAL NOIR: CASE STUDIES OF GENRE-BENDING CLASSICS", BOOK CHAPTER

This edited scholarly collection seeks to explore the ongoing usefulness of the noir label through attention to less heralded films that straddle genres, are difficult to categorize, or have been limited in academic study because of their identification with a single genre, style, star, or director. Our goal is not to expand the noir canon but to recover lost nuances and give new life to specific classical era (1930s-1959) films by exploring them through a noir lens.

Each chapter will be a case study of an individual film, explored through elements and/or theories of film noir that suit the contributor. Other films may be mentioned, but the focus should be on the value of a noir approach to new understandings of the individual film. 

We seek new, original work only; no reprints.

We welcome submissions by film scholars at all levels.

While we anticipate receiving many submissions on Hollywood cinema, we encourage work on collection-relevant international films.

A few sample titles to further clarify the book’s focus and objectives:

• Less interesting: La Bête Humaine (France, 1938), Cat People (US, 1942), Die Mörder Sind Unter Uns (Murderers Among Us, Germany, 1946), Pursued (US, 1947), It Always Rains on Sunday (UK, 1947), Drunken Angel (Yoidore Tenshi, Japan, 1948). 
• More interesting: Moontide (US, 1942), Aventurera (The Adventuress, Mexico, 1950), Thunder Bay (US, 1953), Stolen Identity (Austria, 1953), Quand Tu Liras Cette Lettre (When You Read This Letter, France, 1953), King Creole (US, 1958).

Submission requirements and timeline

One-page abstract with working bibliography and brief c.v. to elyce.helford@mtsu.edu and christopher.weedman@mtsu.edu by January 31, 2020. (Queries may also be sent to these addresses.)

Expect response from us by March 31, 2020.

Completed chapters (5000-7000 words) will be due by August 1, 2020.

Publisher

Routledge has expressed preliminary interest in the collection. We will seek a formal contract once we have a working table of contents and several completed chapters. 

Potential alternate publishers include University Press of Kentucky and University Press of Mississippi. 

As is usual for academic books, we expect a copy of the finished volume but not payment to be available to contributors.

Edited by Elyce Rae Helford and Christopher Weedman, Middle Tennessee State University​