Enfilade

Though primarily a literary conference, organizers are interested in interdisciplinary work that addresses issues of architecture, urban space, &c. From the conference website:

Literary London 2011: Representations of London in Literature, An Interdisciplinary Conference
The Institute of English Studies, University of London, 20-22 July 2011

Proposals due by 31 March 2011

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

The 10th 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 2011 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-Roman 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 particularly welcome for consideration. While papers on all areas of literary London are welcomed, the conference theme in 2011 is ‘Green London’. Topics that might be addressed are:

• Representations of London’s parks, commons, and other green spaces
• Ecocritical approaches to London literature
• The relationship between the city and the country
• London’s leafy suburbs
• ‘The smoke’: polluted London
• The Zoo, the Botanical Gardens, the Natural History Museum, and other environmental organisations
• ‘Natural London’: the city as a habitat for wildlife
• Imagined environmental catastrophes in fiction
• ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair’
• ‘There is in London all that life can afford’.

Please send abstracts of about 250 words for 20-minute papers by 31 March 2011 to: contact@literarylondon.org. Abstracts should include your name, institutional affiliation, and the  title of your proposed paper. You should state your main thesis and give an indication of the main texts or subjects under consideration. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words in length. Please send your abstract in an editable format (plain text, RTF, or Word). Please do NOT send PDF files.

Proposals for comprised panels of three papers are also welcome. Please provide a 250-word description of the panel which includes the panel’s title, the name of the panel chair, and the chair’s institutional affiliation. Please also provide the names and institutional affiliations of the three speakers along with the titles of their papers. You do not need to provide a separate abstract for each paper. Please send your panel description in a editable format (plain text, RTF, or Word). Please do NOT send PDF files.

Registration will open in spring 2011 and will be handled by the Institute of English Studies. For more information, visit www.sas.ac.uk/events/list/ies_conferences.

Participants must make their own arrangements for accommodation. London is a large city with many accommodation options. The area around the Institute of English Studies (Bloomsbury) is particularly well-known for its wide range of hotels. For more information on accommodation, please visit the Institute’s accommodation page.

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: contact@literarylondon.org.

The Annual Literary London conference is mutually supportive of the e-journal of the same name. For more information please visit: www.literarylondon.org.