Tudorism: Historical Imagination and the Appropriation of the Sixteenth Century
This three-day symposium (5-7 December 2008) to be held at the University of Bristol will bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines to explore the ways in which the Tudor period, its monarchs (Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I), its artistic expressions, and its cultural heroes (for example, Holbein, Shakespeare, and Byrd) have been appropriated by later generations. Its focus is thus ‘Tudorism’, which may be defined as the modern reception of the history, literature, art, architecture, design and music of the Tudor age. The modern cultural imagination has often derived a substantial, sometimes even predominant, portion of its ideas and images of the past from the sixteenth century, inspiring architects, artists, designers, musicians and writers. Tudorism is a topic with enormous potential for fertile inter- and cross-disciplinary exchange, and the symposium will be the first forum for the study of this remarkable phenomenon, its express purpose being to set the agenda for future research. The timing of the event anticipates the quincentenary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne in 1509. There will be numerous types of commemorations of the anniversary, but this timely symposium will concentrate on the long-term impact of this monarch and his family. Dr David Starkey will deliver a public lecture on 6 December. The symposium is sponsored by the Colston Research Society and the British Academy.
Directors: Professor Marcus Bull and Dr Tatiana C. String
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