HomeFantasy clothing
Fantasy clothing
L’étoffe des héros : le vêtement de fantasy
Published on Wednesday, September 06, 2023
Abstract
The French association les Têtes Imaginaires (publisher of the journal Fantasy Art and Studies) organises a new online symposium on February 2-3 2024, dealing with Fantasy clothing. Proposals can address specific case studies or broader analyses, taking into account the question of clothing representation in Fantasy and its impact on narrative construction and reception. Analyses could also extend to clothing accessories such as hats, scarves, gloves, shoes, etc.
Announcement
Argument
Among many common characteristics, Fantasy is rooted in the tradition of fairy tales through its frequent use of surprising clothing and accessories, capable of acting as aids and profoundly shaping the narrative. Echoing the cleverly requested astronomical dresses of Donkeyskin, or the seven-league boots of Little Thumb, Fantasy showcases numerous symbolic, revealing, or sometimes deceptive outfits, which contribute to weaving complex narrative stakes and to enriching the story. In the cinematic version of The Wizard of Oz (1939), young Dorothy manages to find her way back to her native Kansas thanks to red shoes – accessories that have been the subject of numerous speculations, since they have been stolen, recovered, and are stil surrounded by mystery. In The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001-2011), a pair of jeans serves as a magical and emotional connection between the heroines. In The Mirror Visitor (2013-2019), gloves are an accessory, but they are also primarily a necessary protective tool for Ophelia, allowing her to control her talent as an emotion reader. Among the wide variety of objects with magical capabilities, clothing holds a significant place in Fantasy. Some are intricately detailed, uniting magical art with couture craftsmanship, like the moon, sun, and starry dresses tailored and embroidered by the heroine of The Blood of Stars (2019-2020). Others appear insignificant and hide great powers beneath an ordinary appearance, like the simple sock that becomes a symbol of emancipation for the house elf Dobby in Harry Potter (1997-2007). This saga even stands out particularly for its use of magical clothing and accessories, from the Sorting Hat determining Hogwarts students’ houses to the invisibility cloak from the Tale of the Three Brothers. These objects combine a reassuring sense of familiarity with magical characteristics that invite perceiving everyday life through the prism of wonder.
Moreover, even when pieces of clothing themselves are not always imbued with supernatural power, they nonetheless frequently remain decisive tools in character identity, recognition, and power construction. Indeed, while clothes do not make the man, in Fantasy universes they nevertheless actively contribute to defining characters. Is Gandalf quite the same when he exchanges his grey cloak for a white wizard’s robe (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, 1954-1955)? The identification of the Istari in Middle-earth by their colours, associated with different statuses and powers, clearly shows how appearance also plays a role in character construction and narrative evolution. As a genre encompassing the imaginary and the symbolic, Fantasy frequently features over-significant garments, the importance of which extends far beyond their practical function. The careful description of the fabrics used in the dresses in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series (1986-2013), for example, serves as a reminder that the beauty of the sorceresses is a magical and political weapon, well before invoking aesthetic concerns. Clothing reveals as much as it conceals, allowing authors to build expectations or, conversely, to subvert them, as seen in the numerous instances of hero disguises. By transforming from woman to man, from poor to rich, or vice versa, attire helps define characters and alternately conceals or unveils their secrets. Cosplayers are not mistaken in this regard, using clothing as a medium for broader issues associated with protagonists and their evolving contexts. In this sense, proposals for this online symposium could also focus on fan clothing practices and the art of Fantasy cosplay, given that the design and material conception of costumes can play crucial external elements in character creation.
Proposals can address specific case studies or broader analyses, taking into account the question of clothing representation in Fantasy and its impact on narrative construction and reception. Analyses could also extend to clothing accessories such as hats, scarves, gloves, shoes, etc. Proposals could explore, among other things, the following research topics:
- the symbolic use of colours, patterns, and materials in the characters’ clothing and clothing accessories;
- the evolution of characters’ attire or, conversely, their constancy;
- the modernization of clothing and clothing accessories in rewritings and adaptations of Fantasy works;
- historical inspiration or inspiration drawn from other literary and artistic genres in the representation of clothing and clothing accessories in Fantasy;
- the absence of clothing, whether total or partial, and the imagination it invokes;
- the specificity (or lack thereof) of Fantasy cosplay;
- etc.
This online symposium will take place on Friday 2 February and Saturday 3 February 2024. Proposals from young researchers are especially welcome.
Submission guidelines
Abstracts of approx. 300 words (.doc or .docx), written in English or French, shall clearly present a research thesis, a theoretical basis and methodology, as well as the main ideas developed within the paper. The proposal will include a short biographical presentation of the authors, and they shall be sent jointly to fantasyartandstudies [at] outlook.com and justine.breton [at] univ-reims.fr
before November 20th, 2023.
Enquiries can be sent to the same addresses.
Scientific committee
- Viviane Bergue, PhD in Comparative Literature, editor of Fantasy Art and Studies
- Justine Breton, Associate Professor, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne
- Florie Maurin, PhD in French Literature
- Audrey Tuaillon Demésy, Professor in Sports Science, Université de Franche-Comté
Reference list
Anthore-Baptiste Soline et Baptiste Nicolas, « Corporalités médiévalistes : corps, vêtements, armements, le Moyen Âge à l’épreuve de la modernité », dans Florian Besson et Justine Breton (dir.), Médiévalisme en séries, Mundus Fabula [En ligne], dossier thématique, 2023, à paraître.
Flannery Kathryn T., The Emperor’s New Clothes: Literature, Literacy, and the Ideology of Style, Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995.
Gilsdorf Ethan, Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, Guilford, The Lyons Press, 2010.
Maurin Florie, « “Qu’est-ce que vous êtes ?” La sanctification d’Alina Starkov dans Shadow and Bone », Fantasy Art and Studies n° 14 : Identités en mouvement / Moving identities in Fantasy fiction – Actes de la journée d’études « Construction et évolution de l’identité dans les séries TV de Fantasy », été/summer 2023, p. 143-153.
Timoner Amelha, « Aléthiomètre et mains d’animiste : lectrices atypiques dans À la croisée des mondes et La Passe-miroir », dans Justine Breton (dir.), Ces petites filles qui lisent, Cahiers Robinson n° 51, Arras, Artois Presses Université, 2022, p. 43-55.
Winge Therèsa M., Costuming Cosplay: Dressing the Imagination, Londres, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018.
Subjects
- Representation (Main category)
- Mind and language > Representation > Cultural history
- Society > Sociology > Gender studies
- Society > Ethnology, anthropology > Cultural anthropology
- Mind and language > Representation > Visual studies
- Mind and language > Representation > Cultural identities
- Society > Sociology > Sociology of culture
Event attendance modalities
Full online event
Date(s)
- Monday, November 20, 2023
Keywords
- fantasy, vêtement, clothing, imaginaire
Contact(s)
- Justine BRETON
courriel : justine [dot] breton [at] univ-lorraine [dot] fr
Reference Urls
Information source
- Justine BRETON
courriel : justine [dot] breton [at] univ-lorraine [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Fantasy clothing », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Wednesday, September 06, 2023, https://doi.org/10.58079/1bqw
