Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Gender and History

Trends in Contemporary Fiction: Gender and History

Flyer and programme (download)

17/18 June 2010
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Großbritannien-Zentrum
Mohrenstr. 60, 10117 Berlin
first floor, room 105

Organisation:
Prof. Dr. Eveline Kilian (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik)
Sandra Müller (Großbritannien-Zentrum)
Prof. Dr. Gesa Stedman (Großbritannien-Zentrum)

Explorations of history through fiction (or film) have reached a high degree of popularity in recent years: the neo-Victorian novel from John Fowles to Matthew Kneale and Sarah Waters comes to mind, or the current revisitings of the Tudors in the TV series of the same title, in Shekhar Kapur’s two films about Elizabeth I and, most recently, in Hilary Mantel’s historical novel Wolf Hall, winner of the 2009 Booker Prize. Through the lens of postmodernism, historical fiction has experienced a number of inflections that have led to the foregrounding of a decidedly self-reflexive stance as to the processes, limits and possibilities of historical reconstruction. The end of the ‘grand narrative’ has paved the way for the emergence of a variety of histories and new perspectives on the past. Moreover, the impact of Gender Studies on contemporary historical fiction has produced a number of literary investigations of the relationship between gender and power in societies of the past, of female views on history, as well as literary queerings of the past. It is specifically the interaction between gender, sexuality, race, history and contemporary fiction that the conference focuses on.

Registration via e-mail:
Catherine Smith (GBZ), gbz[at]gbz.hu-berlin.de
Please register before 10 June to give us an approximate idea of the number of participants.

Conference fee:
5 Euros (students and unwaged)
10 Euros (everybody else)
(includes coffee and reception)

Conference venue:
Großbritannien-Zentrum / Centre for British Studies Room 105
Mohrenstr. 60
10117 Berlin
Subway station: Stadtmitte (U2 and U6)

Further information:
Prof. Dr. Eveline Kilian
Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
eveline.kilian[at]staff.hu-berlin.de
Sandra Müller
Großbritannien-Zentrum
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
sandra.o.mueller[at]staff.hu-berlin.de