Arthurian Congress 2011
XXIIIrd Triennial Congress of the International Arthurian Society - Bristol, 25-30 July 2011
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Registration Form | Conference Programme | Conference Location | Getting There | Registration | Conference Themes | Plenaries, Masterclasses and Excursions | Further Information | Accommodation
Conference Location
We are pleased to announce that the 23rd Triennial Congress of the International Arthurian Society will be hosted by the University of Bristol, 25 - 30 July 2011.
Bristol is a thriving city in the South-West of England with a rich medieval history. It has many attractions, medieval and modern, and is ideally located for excursions to places associated with the Arthurian legend, and also to major tourist attractions such as the cities of Bath, Wells and Hereford.
All congress lectures and papers will take place in the University’s imposing Wills Memorial Building, right in the middle of Bristol’s bustling city centre. In addition to a wide range of nearby hotels and a YHA Youth Hostel, cheap single-room accommodation (not en-suite) is available in Clifton Hill House, an attractive student hall of residence in the picturesque area of Clifton, within easy walking distance of the university’s Wills Memorial Building.
Getting There
The city of Bristol is easily accessible. It has its own airport, with direct flights to New York and all major European cities; alternative airports nearby are London Heathrow (with bus-link to Bristol) and Birmingham (with rail-link). There are regular, direct train services to Bristol (arriving at Temple Meads Station) from London and from the North via Birmingham. Road access from London and the South-East is by the M4. For more detailed travel information, click here.
Registration
On Sunday 24th July, conference registration will be open at Clifton Hill House from 5-7pm. There will also be a very informal reception at this location from 5.30pm to 7.00pm, for early arrivers to meet one another.
After this, registration will be at the main conference venue, the Wills Memorial Building, from 8.30 on Monday morning, and will remain open throughout that day. (NB: Those who arrive later in the week will still be able to register in the Wills Building.)
Conference Themes
The conference themes are :
- Arthurian ideals and identities.
- Late Arthurian romance.
- Narrative techniques and styles.
- Arthurian manuscripts and early printed editions.
- Arthurian images and iconography.
- The supernatural and spirituality in the Arthurian world.
Plenaries, Masterclasses and Excursions
The conference will feature five plenary lectures, given by a truly international range of leading Arthurian scholars:
- Bart Besamusca (University of Utrecht) – Approaches to Arthurian Fiction: The Case of Torec
- Siân Echard (University of British Columbia) – Remembering Brutus: Responses to Arthur's context in the afterlife of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britannie
- Christine Ferlampin-Acher (University of Rennes) – La matière arthurienne à la fin du Moyen Âge: épuisement ou renouveau?
- Helen Fulton (University of York) – Celtic Magic in the Early Welsh Arthurian Tradition
- Andrew Lynch (University of Western Australia) – "What cheer?": Emotion and Action in the Arthurian World
In addition, postgraduate students will be able to attend two masterclasses:
- on publishing, given by Caroline Palmer (Boydell & Brewer) and Samantha Rayner (Anglia Ruskin University)
- on working with manuscripts and Arthurian texts in need of further study, given by Norris J. Lacy (Pennsylvania State University) and Keith Busby (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
The conference will also feature excursions to sites of Arthurian and medieval interest (including Caerleon, Chepstow, Glastonbury, Cadbury, and Hereford).
Click here for further information on the conference and here to view the full programme for the week. If you cannot find the answer to your question there, please email Arthur-2011@bristol.ac.uk.
NB: Participation is restricted to members of the International Arthurian Society