Embedded scenes of social convention in the novel construct the individual in time and space, as a cultural subject. They are potential sites of translation for readers who do not find an unacknowledged cultural reflection of themselves but rather face a troubling oddness. As case in point, the dinner scene in Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse functions not only as a textual exhibition of intermingled streams-of-consciousness and dialogue but also as a site of cultural display in which a disparate group of people reveal themselves as cultural participants. Woolf's treatment of the scene suggests that readers know the culture expressed by these social conventions. This seminar holds that such embedded scenes function as sites in which character and reader exist as cultural subjects and asks: How do authors use such scenes? Do they assume, as Woolf does, a transparency of cultural norms or do they offer "translation notes" for the reader? Further, do such scenes attempt to construct the reader as transcultural subject?

The deadline for submissions is October 1.

Send inquiries or abstracts to:

Dr. Mary Anne Boelcskevy, Department of English and American Literature and Language, Harvard University, Barker Center--12 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

or e-mail: maboelcs@fas.harvard.edu