Contemporary Literature and its Contexts: Conference

29 Jun 2010

Academic panels, readings and discussions on 1-2 July

1-2 July 2010, 9am-6pm
Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama

As Contemporary Literature becomes established as a lively and fruitful discipline within English Literary Studies, increasing numbers of critics are turning their attention afresh to the material contexts of that literature's production, dissemination and reception.

Such an attention comprises, amongst other things, a growing awareness of, and interest in, the effects of prize culture, the critical functions and languages of reading groups, the new forms of marketing and new opportunities for reviewing made possible by the internet, the shifting dynamics of the author-reader relationship due to rising numbers of festivals and literary events, and the apparatus of authorship with its increasing focus on celebrity, promotion, branding and the authorial persona.

In addition, the popularity of academic creative writing courses raises questions about the relationship between author and critic, and between creative and critical discourse.

The conference brings together critics, practitioners and industry experts from the field of Contemporary Literature and features, in addition to traditional academic panels, a number of literary readings and discussions.

Venue: The Martin Harris Centre
Contact: Kaye Mitchell
Email: kaye.mitchell@manchester.ac.uk
Further information: Contemporary Literature and its Contexts