International Symposium

Byron’s Voices: Cultural and Textual Interactions

11 November 2017

Museum of Byzantine Culture of Thessaloniki  
Amphitheatre "Stefanos Dragoumis"

 

The School of English of Aristotle University, the Laboratory of Narrative Research at the School of English and the Hellenic Association for the Study of English (HASE) are organizing a day symposium on Lord Byron on Saturday 11 November 2017.

The complex interweaving of the literary, the personal, the historical and the political is a hallmark of the Byron phenomenon. Byron may best be understood or appreciated through his remarkable diversity, multiplicity of styles and poetic transitions which often develop in response to his geopolitical movements and allegiance to foreign cultures and traditions. His works therefore elicit a dynamic confluence of voices—narrative, intertextual, biographical, political, cultural—which both challenge and surprise the reader. The symposium aims to bring together a group of scholars who will offer their perspectives on the multiplicity and complexity of Byron’s voices and will address some of the following concerns: What is the broader literary, cultural and historical significance of these voices and how do we negotiate their interrelations? How do we read the repertoire of Byronic personae, the narrative positionings and social identities which cross the work and the life? How do the poet’s voices reverberate across the diverse cultures of reception that sustain the Byron phenomenon to this day? The symposium is also interested in addressing the contemporary relevance of Byron’s work, hoping to highlight neglected aspects of the energetic interaction between his life, his poetry and the wider world. 

Speakers

  1. Timothy Webb, University of Bristol
  2. Jane Stabler, St Andrews University
  3. Ekaterini Douka-Kabitoglou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  4. Argyros I. Protopapas, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens / Greek Ministry of Education 
  5. Maria Schoina, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 

The talks will be followed by a round-table discussion and a performance of Byron’s poetry and letters by students of the School of English of Aristotle University.

The organizers would like to acknowledge the financial support of the University’s Research Committee, the Hellenic Association for the Study of English (HASE), the School of English, and the valuable contribution of the Museum of Byzantine Culture (Thessaloniki). The event is also affiliated with Romantic Bicentennials.

Organizing Committee