2010 Literary London Conference

Literary London: Interdisciplinary studies in the representation of London

Welcome to the website of The Literary London Conference

Literary London 2010
Representations of London in Literature: An Interdisciplinary Conference

Hosted by the Institute of English Studies, University of London
Organised by the University of Northampton, Kingston University, London, and the Institute of English Studies, University of London

7-9 July 2010

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Professor Michael Slater (Birkbeck, University of London)

Professor Susan Alice Fischer (Medgar Evers College, City University of New York)

Professor Roger Luckhurst (Birkbeck, University of London)

Proposals by 31 March 2010

The 9th Annual Literary London conference will be hosted by the Institute of English Studies, University of London. The Institute is located in Bloomsbury, at the centre of literary London, and just a few minutes walk from such attractions as the British Library, the British Museum, and the clubs, pubs, and restaurants of Soho. It is at the heart of London: one of the world's major cities with a long and rich literary tradition reflecting both its diversity and its significance as a cultural and commercial centre. Literary London 2010 aims to:

Read literary and dramatic texts in their historical and social context and in relation to theoretical approaches to the study of the metropolis.

Investigate the changing cultural and historical geography of London.

Consider the social, political, and spiritual fears, hopes, and perceptions that have inspired representations of London.

Trace different traditions of representing London and examine how the pluralism of London society is reflected in London literature.

Celebrate the contribution London and Londoners have made to English literature and drama.

Proposals are invited for 20-minute papers which consider any period or genre of literature about, set in, inspired by, or alluding to central and suburban London and its environs, from the city’s roots in pre-classical times to its imagined futures. While the main focus of the conference will be on literary texts, we actively encourage interdisciplinary contributions relating film, architecture, geography, theories of urban space, etc., to literary representations of London. Papers from postgraduate students are especially welcome for consideration. While proposals on all topics are encouraged, this year we would especially welcome paper or panel proposals on the theme of ‘centrality’. Topics that might be addressed are:

Representations of London’s position as a literary, cultural, social, and economic centre
Literature and power, political and cultural
Court literature and parliamentary literature
Money and writing
The relationship between the metropolis and its others
The centre as a zone of sociability
Literary clubs and cabals
City-centre literature and inner-city literature
‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford’
‘London is the place to be’
‘Things fall apart: the centre cannot hold’

Please send proposals for 20-minute papers by Wednesday 31 March 2010 to: contact@literarylondon.org. Your proposal should contain your name, your institutional affiliation, your email and postal addresses, the title of your proposed paper, and an abstract of no more than 300 words.

Proposals for comprised panels of three speakers are also welcome. Proposals for panels should contain the proposer’s name, institutional affiliation, email and postal addresses, and an abstract of the panel of no more than 500 words. You must also include a name, institutional affiliation, email address, and paper title for each of your speakers. You do not need to provide separate abstracts for each of the papers.

The conference fee will be Ł75 or Ł55 for concessions and IES members. Registration forms will be available after 12 April 2010.

Literary London Organising Committee: Dr Lawrence Phillips (University of Northampton) and Dr Brycchan Carey (Kingston University, London). Please direct any queries related to this conference to to: contact@literarylondon.org.

The Annual Literary London conference is mutually supportive of the e-journal of the same name.