Editor's Comment

Abstract

EDITOR'S COMMENT The publication of the lead article in this issue of Studies in American Fiction has special significance for me in that it appears on the occasion of the retirement of Philip Young as Evan Pugh Professor of English at Pennsylvania State University. My own desire to pursue graduate study at Penn State was directly inspired by Professor Young's landmark book Ernest Hemingway, first published in 1952 and revised in 1966 as Ernest Hemingway: A Reconsideration . As a student in his seminar on Hemingway, I came to know something of Professor Young's wealth of knowledge, the depth of his personal and scholarly sensitivity, and the respect and affection he inspires in students and colleagues alike. I feel all of this still, even though the experience that inspired it is more than two decades in the past. Philip Young has left his mark on the profession and on the lives of those who studied with him. I am deeply pleased that he chose to publish his article on Melville in SAF, and I present it with pride and humility and gratitude. We wish Professor Young a fulfilling and productive retirement. Brigham Young University will host "Willa Cather: The Family & Community" on September 14-17, 1988. Among the featured speakers will be James Woodress, Mildred R. Bennett, Susan J. Roskowski, David Stouk, John J. Murphy, and Marilyn Arnold. Papers are invited that explore Cather's treatment of the family, her insights into community history, and the historical and geographical cultures in her fiction. Please write to Professor Marilyn Arnold, Graduate Studies, D-3431 ASB, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. The Hemingway Review has announced the publication of a special issue devoted to Hemingway's involvement in the Spanish Civil War. The guest editor of the issue is William Braasch Watson, Associate Professor of History at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The principal feature of the issue is the publication of thirty newspaper dispatches (two of them never before seen) Hemingway wrote for the North American Newspaper Alliance in 1937 and 1938. There are also related articles by Richard Davison, Erik Nakjavani, Jeffrey Shulman, and William Watson. For information write to The Hemingway Review, Department of English, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio 45810. Richard Kopley will direct a conference on "Arthur Gordon Pym and Contemporary Criticism" on Nantucket Island, May 19-22, 1988. The aim of the program is to examine the ways in which various critical approaches can enrich an understanding of Poe's novel. For information please write to Wally Lester, 409D Keller Building, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802. Salem State College will host "The Salem Conference: The Rise of Nationalism and American Culture, 1788-1830" on October 14-15, 1988. The conference will explore the development of nationalism in the three decades after the Constitution was ratified, especially as it is expressed in the earliest novels, songbooks, and related cultural and historical works. Please contact Patricia Parker, Department of English, Salem State College, Salem, MA 01970. J.N. ...