Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Roundtable: 2:30-4pm
Reception: 4-5:30pm
Faculteitszaal (1st floor, Blandijnberg 2)
This interdisciplinary roundtable will explore the rich and varied afterlives of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature in contemporary media, culture, and criticism. A panel of leading scholars in literary studies will delve into how historical figures and forms—from seafaring pirates and biting satirists to queer protagonists and Enlightenment thinkers—continue to shape cultural narratives today. Our discussion will examine the reimagining of early modern tropes in contemporary literature, film, and television; the resonances of eighteenth-century satire in postcolonial thought; and the legacy of Enlightenment ideals in current debates on religious toleration. By interrogating how the past is adapted and reframed in the present, the roundtable promises to offer fresh insights into literature’s role in navigating ongoing conversations around gender, identity, colonialism, and belief.
The event will conclude a lively Q&A session and an informal reception to encourage further exchange.
Speakers:
Manushag Powell, Arizona State University
David Alvarez, DePauw University
Ros Ballaster, Oxford University
Helen Deutsch, UCLA
Chair: Andrew Bricker, UGent
Sponsors:
GEMS: Group for Early Modern Studies
CEL19: Centre for the Study of 19th-Century Literature
International Summer School of Romanticism at UGent
With the support of:
The Department of Literary Studies, UGent
The English Literature Section, UGent
The Doctoral Schools, UGent, with funding from the Flemish Government
