Romantic Afterlives

Academics gather at the University of Leicester to discuss the afterlives of the great Romantic writers

The University of Leicester is holding a special event on Thursday 11 March to look at the origins of our obsession with the private lives of famous writers.

The seminar will include talks by three prominent academics in this field – Jane Darcy from King’s College London, David Higgins from the University of Leeds and Julian North from the University of Leicester.  All three have done research which traces our current obsession with the private lives of authors back to the Romantic era.

Jane Darcy will look at a crucial year in the history of biography and celebrity culture: 1816 – when Lord Byron’s separation from his wife sparked debates in the press that are still with us today, on how much licence biographers should have to reveal private lives.

David Higgins will talk about the autobiographical work of Charles Lamb in the context of his career, working for the East India Company in the early years of the 19th century.

Julian North will look at how Mary Shelley coped with the death of her husband, Percy Shelley, by writing him back into life in her letters and her biographical editions of his work.  Dr North’s recent book about the afterlives of Romantic poets, The Domestication of Genius, has also featured in Times Higher Education.  To read the article in full, click here <http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/index.asp?navcode=92 >.

Dr North commented: “We’ll be discussing the lives of some of the great Romantic writers of the early 19th century – a time when our modern obsession with biography (especially the lives of celebrities) really began. Then, as now, people were arguing in the press about how much the public should know about the private lives of the famous. But there was also a real public appetite for biography – and writers’ lives in particular.

“The biographies and autobiographies we’ll be discussing in this seminar contain some of the most vivid and moving writing you’ll find in literature of this period.”

‘Romantic Afterlives’ takes place from 2-5pm on Thursday 11 March in Room 1315, Attenborough Tower, University of Leicester.  Tea and coffee will be served from 2pm and the talks begin at 2.30pm. All are welcome.

For further information, please contact: Dr. Felicity James at fj21@le.ac.uk.

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