"THE READING AND VALUATION OF LITERATURE"
5-6 DECEMBER 2003
VENUE: LONDON

This is the second workshop of the research project “The Social Context of Literary Production and Consumption,” hosted by the AHRB Centre for Asian and African Literatures (UCL/SOAS) in London. Building on the achievements of the first workshop (“Literary Education and Canon Formation”, 8-9 May 2003), this workshop aims to examine the different roles played by professional readers (critics) and non-professional readers in the process of attributing value to literary works.

The workshop organisers actively encourage specialists in all literatures (i.e. not just Asian and African literatures) to submit proposals, in order to achieve the widest possible comparative perspectives.

We invite proposals for papers of 25-30 minutes dealing with one or more of the following questions:

• How is the institution of literary criticism perceived, and how does it operate, within literary communities in different countries or cultures?
• How does the valuation of literary work by critics relate to the activities of non-professional readers? Do critics impose a preferred reading on other readers?
• What social, ethical, political and/or methodological questions are involved in the process of valuation of literature?
• How do reading and criticism contribute to the perpetuation or change of specific views of literature?
• How is the same literature valuated in different countries?
• What are the habits of, or attitudes towards, reading literature within a specific literary community?
• What is the position of readers and critics within the literary field?
• How can literary valuation be measured?

There are no fees, and accommodation is provided for speakers. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer any assistance with travel funding.

Paper proposals should be no longer than one page (typed A4) and should be sent by e-mail to Dr Ross Forman (rf19@soas.ac.uk) at the AHRB Centre by 13 October 2003.

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