Defoe Society Conference 2011

The Culture of Grub Street

The Second Biennial Meeting of the Defoe Society - 14-16 July 2011

Daniel Defoe
The University of Worcester, UK, will host the second biennial meeting of the Defoe Society on 14-16 July 2011. The society’s continued ambition is to attract contributions that range across the extraordinary variety of activities and writings of Daniel Defoe and his contemporaries. The conference’s aim is to encourage fresh examination of the socio-cultural and literary milieu of Grub Street and its “duncical” authors and “Scriblerian” enemies.   

The Worcester meeting, which is scheduled to commence at 4:00 pm on 14 July, will be punctuated by three focal events: keynote lectures by Pat Rogers (University of South Florida) and Paula McDowell (New York University) and a President’s Roundtable on the topic of ‘Defoe bibliography’. Participants in the roundtable, chaired by Maximillian E. Novak (UCLA), include David A. Brewer (Ohio State University), J. Alan Downie (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Kit Kincade (Indiana State University) and Ashley Marshall (Johns Hopkins University).

Worcester is situated in the West Midlands and is one of England’s historic cathedral cities. It played a key role in the English Civil War, with the conflict’s initial skirmish and its final battle taking place in and around the city. Worcester’s loyalty to the king during the Civil War earned it the epithet ‘The Faithful City’. Places of interest include the eleventh-century Cathedral, from whose tower Charles II surveyed the Battle of Worcester in 1651; the Commandery, which functioned as the Royalists’ headquarters during the battle; the fifteenth-century Greyfriars; and the eighteenth-century Guildhall.

In the first instance, we invite proposals for panels or roundtables (deadline: 30 September 2010); proposers do not have to present a fully formed panel at this point and topics do not have to adhere strictly to the conference theme. An extended Call for Papers, including a list of session proposals, will be circulated in early October 2010 and invite individual paper/presentation proposals. The deadline for individual proposals is 31 January 2011.

Please email a panel or paper proposal of no more than 200 words to Dr Andreas Mueller at a.mueller@worc.ac.uk. Mail submissions should be sent to the following address: Division of English & Cultural Studies, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK.

 

Attending the Conference


Information for delegates



All major conference activities and accommodation are located on the University’s City Campus.  The conference is scheduled to commence at 4 pm on Thursday, 14 July 2011, with the first plenary lecture, followed by the official conference reception. It is anticipated that delegates will be able to register from 11 am on that day.

The University of Worcester- City Campus,
Castle Street,
Worcester


Travel to Worcester


By air
Birmingham International Airport is only 45 minutes away from the University of Worcester. Delegates travelling via London Heathrow should consider using the RailAir coach from the airport (http://www.railair.com/) to Reading Station (approx. 45 minutes) and continue their journey by taking a direct train from Reading to Worcester. RailAir also operates a coach service to Oxford.  

By rail
Worcester is served by two train stations: Worcester Foregate Street - is situated in the city centre and is a 5 minute walk from the City Campus; Worcester Shrub Hill - is a 15 minute walk from the City Campus or five minutes by taxi. Approximate train travel times:
  • Birmingham to Worcester Foregate Street: 50 minutes
  • Cardiff Central to Worcester Foregate Street: 1 hour 50 minutes
  • London Euston to Worcester Foregate Street: 3 hours
  • London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street: 2 hours 26 minutes (direct train)
  • Reading to Worcester Foregate Street:  1 hour 55 minutes (direct train)
  • Oxford to Worcester: 1 hour 28 minutes (direct train)
  • Manchester Airport: 3 hours
By car
Worcester is located on the M5 and is served by junctions 6 and 7. Delegates who are travelling by car to Worcester should park on the University’s St. John’s campus, as there is no parking available on the City Campus (except for a small number of disabled parking spaces). Approximate car travel times and distance:
  • Birmingham International to Worcester – approx. 45 minutes - 41.5 miles
  • London Heathrow to Worcester – approx. 2 hours 10 minutes - 107 miles
  • Manchester Airport to Worcester – approx. 2 hours - 110 miles

Conference Accommodation

There are two accommodation options:

A number of bedrooms have been provisionally reserved at the Whitehouse Hotel which is situated opposite Foregate Street Station and a five minute walk from the City Campus. Rooms cost £75 per night including breakfast (discounted conference rate). Rooms at the Whitehouse Hotel should be booked directly by calling +44 (0) 1905 24308, using the booking reference 55262.

Accommodation is available on the City Campus in the new City Halls. Rooms, including a continental breakfast, are available at a nightly rate of £36. These rooms can be booked using the official Conference Registration Form (available from January 2011).