Progressive Rock, Metal, and the Literary Imagination

Chris Anderton and Lori Burns, editors
https://www.progectnetwork.com/call-for-papers

Progressive Rock, Metal, and the Literary Imagination will present analyses of progressive rock and metal music that reveals a striking engagement with literary texts and themes – from classic literature, mythology and poetry to science fiction, horror, and other genres. While many of the extant publications on progressive rock and metal have focused on the history of progressive rock, few have examined the ways that it intersects with the literary imagination, whether drawing on myths, legends, and stories as source material, or using storytelling modes to create new stories and worlds. Progressive rock musicians have often created concept albums based around these source materials and worlds, and they offer more than simply fantasy and escapism, with narratives and themes that comment on the social, cultural, and political milieux in which they are made.

The proposed book will be the first to examine the literary worlds and storytelling narratives of this body of music, with a focus on the following key perspectives for progressive rock and metal:

1) Theoretical tools for the analysis of narrative

2) Literary adaptations

3) Myths and mythologies

4) Dystopian and utopian visions

5) Subjectivities and identities

We welcome proposals from a wide range of geographical and literary contexts, and from scholars working in a variety of disciplines.

Chapter and Proposal Instructions:

Chapters will range from 5000-5500 words. Chapters of joint authors representing several disciplines might reach 6000 words.

350-word abstracts will contain:

• Information about the band, album, song, and literary context etc., and general background information
• Summary of the engagement with literature and narrative
• Declaration of analytic goals and focus
• Description of the methodology and analytic techniques to be applied
• Relevant references

 Timeline:

Proposals should be submitted by November 29, 2021 to [email protected]

Decisions: January, 2022

Chapters due: December, 2022