Call for Chapter Contributions: Archetypes of Transformation: New Directions in Jungian Literary Criticism

Summary

This interdisciplinary volume invites original chapters exploring Jung’s underdeveloped concept of archetypes of transformation in literature. While Jungian literary criticism has traditionally focused on personified archetypes such as the Hero, Shadow, Anima, Animus and Self, this collection shifts attention to symbolic situations, places, ways and means through which transformation is represented. We welcome theoretical, comparative and interdisciplinary contributions examining recurring symbolic modalities—including descent, liminality, initiation, metamorphosis, death, renewal, journeys, ritual and natural cycles—across literary traditions and cultures. Contributions may investigate how these archetypes illuminate psychological transformation, individuation, ecological relationships, mythic structures and narrative processes. It is crucial for contributors to take into account that any and all interpretations must be within the scope and theoretical foundation of Carl Gustav Jung and his theories.

Themes and Topics

• Jung’s two categories of archetypes

• Archetypes of transformation as symbolic modalities

• Descent, liminality and initiation

• Death, renewal and regeneration

• Journeys, paths and threshold spaces

• Metamorphosis and becoming

• Nature, seasonality and cyclical transformation

• Archetypes of transformation in myth, fairy tales and folklore

• Archetypes of transformation in fantasy, Gothic and children’s literature

• Archetypes of transformation in trauma narratives and psychological change

• Archetypes of transformation in ecological literature and environmental humanities

• Cross-cultural and comparative perspectives

Who Should Contribute

Scholars in Jungian studies, literary criticism, comparative literature, mythology, psychology, cultural studies, ecocriticism, and related disciplines.

Submission Guidelines

Chapter proposals (approximately 500 words, excluding biography) should be sent to a.kechan@ibu.edu.mk and they should include:

• Proposed title

• Overview of chapter

• Short biography (approx. 200 words) with affiliation and email

Final chapters: 3,000–6,000 words.

Important Dates

• Proposal deadline: December 31, 2026

• Notification of acceptance: January 20, 2027

• Full chapter deadline: April 1, 2027