Preface

The year 2011 marked a significant event in the history of HUSSE, the Hungarian Society for the Study of English: on January 27-29, the Institute of English and American Studies at Pázmány Péter Catholic University hosted the tenth HUSSE conference on the University's Piliscsaba campus. The large number of presenters and participants (over 200 registered members and non-members visited the campus during the three days of the conference), together with the diversity of topics discussed, and the high quality of scholarly work exemplified by conference papers, workshops and discussions, all testified to the success of the conference, but also proved that even in conditions less than favourable for research in the humanities, not only nationwide, but throughout the international community, there is still a vitality and enthusiasm that gives all of us cause for optimism.

Beside a number of other volumes and independent articles that have been inspired by discussions that took place during HUSSE 10, the current publication is the most representative one among all the fruits of the conference, with its 57 articles arranged in two volumes. Apart from two articles which are based on presentations at the 2009 HUSSE conference at Pécs, the rest of the collection reflects the achievements of HUSSE 10. Huba Brückner's writing at the head of the literature-culture volume is particularly significant as it invites all of us once again to offer our warmest greetings to Professor Donald Morse, whose 75th birthday was celebrated with a special panel at the conference, given by his friends and colleagues, dedicated to the various fields of his research and expertise.

The publication's two-part format has been suggested by the traditional subdivisions between disciplines within English studies: linguistics and applied linguistics on the one hand, literature, history, cultural and translation studies on the other. These divisions are, nonetheless, even if not completely arbitrary, certainly not the only possible arrangement of our rich and diverse material, since a number of the articles reflect interdisciplinary, experimental and innovative approaches that defy such easy classification - even so, the editors hope that the present arrangement will be seen as reasonable for practical purposes. The reason for deciding on an electronic, rather than a traditional paper-based edition was, most of all, the recognition that volumes of conference proceedings by their nature often fail to attract the wide audience that the quality of their contents would deserve. We sincerely hope that in these days of expanding global networks of communication, the format offered by the Hungarian Electronic Library (MEK) combines quality of presentation with accessibility of content, both of which are vital in the dissemination of high-standard research work worldwide.

All articles have undergone meticulous editing, both with respect to their content and their form, including language and style, and they are presented in a simple and easy-to-read format, as pdf documents, downloadable and printable, but not modifiable in any way. The editors wish and sincerely hope that the articles in both volumes will continue to inform and inspire English studies in Hungary and abroad for many years to come.

Piliscsaba, October 2011.
Kinga Földváry