Newstead Abbey Byron Conference CFP – Byron: Independence and Integrity

NEWSTEAD ABBEY BYRON CONFERENCE

21-22 April 2023

At Newstead Abbey

CALL FOR PAPERS

Bursaries available (see bottom of page)

In July 1823, Byron embarked upon his ill-fated trip to Greece. Although this trip resulted in his death at the age of 36, it also redeemed a somewhat tarnished reputation and forever immortalised him as the poet of liberty and revolution. Instead of a degenerate exile living in jaded Italian debauchery with a menagerie of animals and a string of mistresses, Byron was transformed into a globally-recognised freedom fighter, willing to sacrifice everything to challenge oppression and tyranny. 1823 also saw the continuation of Byron’s provocative and controversial poetic activities with the publication of Heaven and Earth and ‘The Blues’ in The Liberal, the writing of The Island, and the completion of Canto 16 of Don Juan.

The 2023 Newstead Abbey Byron Conference will therefore focus on the themes of independence and integrity in Byron’s life and works. Topics can include but are not restricted to:

• Byron and Greece

• Invasion and defence

• Democracy and despotism

• Questions of morality and immorality

• British radicalism and revolution

• State control and State corruption

• Byron’s use of non-traditional poetic modes

• Byron and the Blessingtons

• Byron and Teresa Guiccioli

• Byron, Hunt and The Liberal.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words can be sent to Dr Emily Paterson-Morgan (newsteadbyronconference@gmail.com) by 31st January 2023.

The Byron Society will be offering 4 bursaries of £250 each to enable students, postgraduates and early career researchers to attend and present at the conference. If  you would like to apply for a bursary, please include a short application statement outlining your biography, your career stage and status, and reasons for requesting the bursary, and send this with your presentation abstract to the conference organiser.