Conference: “Restoration Epistolarity”
In response to the corona virus threat, all events at FAU have been cancelled.
Conference on “Restoration Epistolarity”
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Erlangen, 27-28 March 2020
The changing media environment of the English Restoration brought forth a sizeable increase in various forms of literary culture, including the birth of large-scale periodical publishing and the ready availability of the letter. Contrary to the widely held consensus that the letter promoted reliability, recent scholarship has stressed the form’s deconstructive potential, allowing both readers and writers to reflect on the mediated nature of writing and the tenuous relationship between sign and reality. At this conference, we will therefore discuss Restoration epistolary culture as intimately tied to media criticism, new forms of corporeality, and changing literary values. We are delighted to welcome Prof. Dr. Thomas Beebee (Penn State), Prof. Dr. Helen Berry (Newcastle), Prof. Dr. Markman Ellis (Queen Mary, U London) and Prof. Dr. Joe Bray (Sheffield) as our invited speakers.