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Romantic Conflict, 2003

Romantic Conflict (24-27 July 2003)

The overall aim of the conference is to investigate sites of social, political and interpersonal conflict and their relationship to Romantic writing. Conflict may be taken literally (i.e. Revolution, war, rebellion, treason?) or figuratively (i.e. the clash of genres, the battle of the sexes, the dissolution of friendships?).

Conference description

Conference program

 

Macbeth 





British Association for Romantic Studies



Romantic Conflict

24-27 July 2003

University of Warwick

Coventry, UK




Plenary Speakers: Isobel Armstrong, David Bromwich, Saree Makdisi, Susan Wolfson

The overall aim of the conference is to investigate sites of social, political and interpersonal conflict and their relationship to Romantic writing. Conflict may be taken literally (i.e. Revolution, war, rebellion, treason?) or figuratively (i.e. the clash of genres, the battle of the sexes, the dissolution of friendships?).

General themes of the conference might include: the different ways Romantic writers construct conflict; the range of attitudes towards conflict, including incitement, justification, complaint, pacifism, avoidance, denial; and the ways in which the study of Romanticism depends upon notions of conflict and discord. Is 'Romanticism' itself a site of conflict? Is resolution possible or is the struggle always already lost? The conference will also be an opportunity to test the viability of Romantic models for peace and reconciliation.

 

 




Some of the specific topics to be addressed are:

  • war and the justification for war
  • exploration, adventure, travel ('culture clash')
  • class conflict, revolution
  • ideologies
  • religious differences
  • ecological conflict
  • gender conflict ('battle of the sexes')
  • friends and enemies
  • literary and political rivalry
  • competition
  • utopias
  • antagonism between writers and reviewers
  • conflicts between modes of discourse - literature, philosophy, history; poetry vs. prose
  • radical aesthetics
  • literary / cultural criticism as conflict
  • Romanticism and Modernism
  • Romantic studies as itself a site of conflict

Conference Committee: Jacqueline Labbe, Michael John Kooy, KarenO'Brien, Emma Francis, Stephen Shapiro, Peter Larkn
 

 
 

 

Proposals for papers of 20 minutes are invited on these and related topics. We are also interested in proposals for special sessions. Please submit sessiontitles and abstracts for potential participants by the deadline.Please either send in an abstract of 300 words to Jacqueline Labbe, BARS 2003, Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; j.m.labbe@warwick.ac.uk, or submit an abstract online. Deadline for abstracts: 15 October 2002