Monthly Archives: July 2023

CFP Reminder: Conference of the Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group

Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group 2023 Annual Conference
FATE AND FORTUNE
UWA, Saturday 21 October 2023

Renaissance thinkers were interested in moral philosophy, and they found inspiration in both ancient and medieval sources. How should one conduct themselves to be happy and useful within society? What will the future bring for us in a time of deep transformation?

An image of a new world to be discovered; changed perspectives in astronomy and medicine; Renaissance humanity wondered whether they were able to influence their path in life, whether their decisions were dependent on a free will—as Pico della Mirandola stated in his Oration on the Dignity of Man—or were but the choice of an omnipotent God, as Catholics, and even more strongly Protestants, each emphasised. The role of Providence would become prevalent across European culture, from visual art to Shakespeare’s plays, gradually replacing the capricious Wheel of Fate which was equally central to medieval thought.

This conference will broadly discuss themes concerning human destiny and the possibility of executing our own will, placed within the attempt to acquiesce to, to acquire, or to enforce a vision of peace and harmony within the constant social and political metamorphosis of the Renaissance, and of the world today.

Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group Incorporated welcomes abstracts which address the theme of ‘Fate and Fortune’ in the medieval and Renaissance periods including:

● Representations of Providence, of destiny, or of doom in literature and literary works.
● Paintings and sculpture relating to fate, divine or otherwise.
● Philosophical works or analyses of Fate and Fortune, or those relating to ethics and utopias.
● Astrology, which enjoyed a blooming during the Renaissance much as it has today, with people turning to psychics, magic, and the stars to search for answers to important questions.
● Political writings depicting the perfect ruler, a utopian vision, or condemning contemporary tyranny.
● Social ideals that valorised the reception of an ancient wisdom, from the Stoics, Plato, Aristotle, or others.
● Educational ideas inspired by Renaissance or classical philosophy, such as liberal and postcritical education.

We welcome abstracts for twenty-minute papers. This is an interdisciplinary conference, and we encourage abstracts from beyond the humanities. We particularly welcome submissions from undergraduate, honours, and postgraduate students, even if beyond the scope of the conference theme.

The conference will take place in hybrid form. Please specify in your submission whether you would attend in-person or online.

Please send abstracts of 150–200 words with your affiliation and a short (up to 50 words) biography to the conference subcommittee at pmrg.committee@gmail.com by 21 August 2023.

For further details, please see https://www.pmrg.org.au/conference2023.

ANZAMEMS Reading Group

The second session of the ANZAMEMS ECR/Postgrad reading group for semester 2 is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1, on the topic of “Shells, Bodies, and Materiality.” The session will be led by Alexandra Forsyth (University of Auckland).

Please find all further details, including the session topic and hour, in the attached schedule. Email Emma.Rayner@anu.edu.au / Emily.Chambers@nottingham.ac.uk with any questions.

SEMESTER-2-Schedule-with-ReadingsDownload

Lecture: Shakespeare’s First Folio – From London to Australia and Many Points in Between

The ANU Centre for Early Modern Studies is delighted to welcome Professor Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford to present a special lecture on Shakespeare’s First Folio.

Shakespeare’s First Folio is the world’s most important secular book. This illustrated lecture explores its significance, from the collaboration between the theatre and print worlds which brought it into being, to the readers, collectors and actors who have used it over the last four centuries. Lots of people have left their mark on this book in ways which tell us about its importance at different times and different places, including, since 1885, Australia.

Register Here

Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford. Emma has been a Fellow of Hertford and Lecturer in the Faculty of English since 1997 and is the 2023 Sam Wanamaker Fellow at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. She has written and lectured widely on Shakespeare, including the bestselling This Is Shakespeare (Pelican, 2019). Her latest publications are Portable Magic: A history of books and their readers (Penguin 2022), and two books on Shakespeare’s First Folio in 2023: The Making of Shakespeare’s First Folio, on how this book came to be produced, and Shakespeare’s First Folio: Four Centuries of an Iconic Book, on its long afterlife.

Emma’s research focuses on Shakespeare, early modern drama, and book history, and is particularly interested in Shakespeare’s reception in print, performance, and criticism. She is interested in early modern plays in performance, and has acted as consultant, dramaturge or reviewer for a number of recent productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, and Donmar Warehouse.

The lecture will be followed by a book signing in the NLA’s bookshop.