Mrs. Leicester and Ulysses

‘MRS LEICESTER AND ULYSSES’:
AN AFTERNOON SEMINAR on THE CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF CHARLES AND MARY LAMB AND THEIR CONTEXT
Speakers: Mary Wedd, Pamela Clemit, Malini Roy, Susan Manly

2pm, Thursday 4th December 2008
John Murray Publishers Ltd, 50 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BD

2008-9 marks the bicentenary of two fascinating books by Charles and Mary Lamb: The Adventures of Ulysses by Charles, and Mrs. Leicester’s School by Mary, with contributions by Charles. Both were published – like the Lambs’ Tales from Shakespeare – by Godwin’s Juvenile Library. This afternoon seminar, in the wonderful surroundings of John Murray’s publishing rooms on Albermarle Street, will be a convivial exploration of the contents, composition history, and publishing context of these books.

An introductory session on the books themselves will be followed by a more general panel on children’s literature at the period, including insights into the radical publishing house run by William Godwin and his wife, the Juvenile Library, and its books, and the ‘treasonable’ political edge to children’s books at the turn of the nineteenth century, including discussion of Maria Edgeworth’s novels.

We hope the seminar will give an insight not only into Romantic children’s literature, but also into familial and friendly ventures in creativity and publishing in the early nineteenth century – backed up by our surroundings in the John Murray's rooms, publisher of Byron and Austen, which are rarely opened to the public. Because of this, numbers will be very limited, so do get in touch as soon as possible.

To register, please send name and details to Felicity James (felicity.james@chch.ox.ac.uk). There is a conference fee of £5, which will be payable by cash or cheque on the day; however, registration is necessary because of the restriction on numbers.

PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, DEADLINE NOVEMBER 15th

Programme

Welcome from the Charles Lamb Society
Felicity James: ‘Adventures of Ulysses’
Mary Wedd: ‘Mrs. Leicester’s School’
Tea Break
Panel: The Publishing Context, chaired by M. O. Grenby (University of Newcastle)
Pamela Clemit (University of Durham) on Godwin’s Juvenile Library
Malini Roy (University of Oxford) on Godwin’s children’s literature
Susan Manly (University of St. Andrews) on ‘Schools for Treason and Mrs. Leicester's School’
Discussion