‘The Threatened Child in Nineteenth-Century Popular Fiction and Culture’
Friday, 20th September 2019
Humanities Institute, University College Dublin
Owing to rapid population growth coupled with high mortality rates, nineteenth-century Britain was a young society, with those under fourteen constituting from between a third to forty percent of the population. While the romantic conception of childhood as an ideal, innocent state gained widespread acceptance during the nineteenth century, at the same time the realities of child neglect, exploitation, physical and sexual abuse were well known. We seek proposals for 20-minute papers on any aspect of the topic of the threatened child and his/her world in Victorian popular fiction and culture from scholars and students at all levels. For details, see the CFP.
Hosts: Ailise Bulfin and Leanne Waters
Keynote: Professor Kathryn Hughes (University of East Anglia)
Walking Tour: Victorian Gothic Dublin, followed by dinner
Abstract Deadline: Friday 14th June 2019
Download the VPFA – Threatened Child Study Day – CFP here
‘Religion and Victorian Popular Fiction and Culture’
Saturday 9th May 2020
University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies (SIIBS) and the Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies
The category of the popular has played an important role in the ‘religious turn’ in Victorian studies over the last two decades. Whilst historians of Victorian religion have often turned to the popular to challenge existing paradigms of decline and secularisation, literary scholars have increasingly recognised the influence of new religious movements on popular literary and visual forms. This study day aims to bring together scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to explore the role of religion in shaping Victorian popular literature and culture. We seek proposals for 20-minute papers or a themed panel of three papers from scholars and students at all levels.
Hosts: Naomi Hetherington and Clare Stainthorp
Keynote: Nickianne Moody, Liverpool John Moores University
Workshop: researching nineteenth-century religion, led by Dr Naomi Hetherington (University of Sheffield), Dr Clare Stainthorp (UCL) & Dr Rebecca Styler (University of Lincoln)
If you are interested in running a VPFA study day, please download the Study Day Proposal Form, and email it to Drs Janine Hatter and Helena Ifill at vpfainfo@gmail.com.