Byron and Loss
2020 Newstead Abbey Byron Conference
24th-25th April, as Newstead Abbey
2020 marks the bicentenary of a troubling year. George III had lost his life and the new king George IV was rapidly losing what little shreds remained of his dignity, lost what little shreds remained of his dignity, pursuing his errant wife with hypocritical vengeance during the so-called Queen Caroline Affair. The government had lost the trust of the people, and many politicians would have lost their lives had the Cato Street Conspiracy succeeded. Meanwhile Byron, now in the fourth year of his self imposed exile, was rapidly losing his hair, teeth, famous good looks, and – some might argue – his own dignity. It is against this backdrop that he became interested in Italian politics, or rather the loss of political authority and national autonomy.
To mark the year of 1820, we welcome papers considering the theme of Byron and loss. Topics could include, but are not limited to:
- Grief, familial loss and suicide
- Melancholy, weltschmerz, Romantic melancholia
- Material and aesthetic losses
- Appetite and diet
- Loss of status, land, and national autonomy
- Loss of love, lovers, and spouses
- Religious convictions and anxieties
- Idealism and political convictions
- Anxieties about poetic reputation and legacy
- Writer’s block and poetic inspiration
- Financial losses, economic instability and usury
- Ruins and degeneration
Submissions by 1st February 2020. Send to Conference Organisers, Dr Emily Paterson-Morgan and Dr Charlotte May, email: newsteadbyronconference@gmail.com