Warsaw Literary Meetings have been an integral part of our research. This series of one-day workshops is organised to generate discussions and encourage cooperation among scholars with diverse research interests. Each workshop focuses on a specific theme in the literary and cultural life of the 18th and 19th centuries, examining the rewritings of these themes.
While WLM is for “grown-ups”, WLM Rising Stars is the younger sibling of WLM – as we humorously call it in our research group, a “baby” version of the workshop. However, this does not mean it is less serious or of lower quality. In fact, we aim to create a platform for young scholars and researchers (BA, MA students, PGRs, PhD students and ECRs) to share their research, discuss their arguments, and experience a constructive and supportive side of conferences.
This year, we are organising the third edition of WLM Rising Stars, with the main theme of the Gothic, focusing on its traditional representations and contemporary rewritings. As David Punter aptly writes, the Gothic “has inflected form and meaning across a huge range of cultural discourses, from medieval architecture to contemporary gaming; from graveyard poetry to modern dance; from the eighteenth-century novel to internet fiction” (1-2). We wish to follow Punter’s line of thinking and explore the Gothic as a discourse that helps us understand and conceptualise broader notions of transgression, taboo, resistance, limitations, and aesthetics.
During our workshop, we aim to explore a variety of discourses loosely connected with the Gothic – its traditional uses as well as its echoes in contemporary media. Instead of focusing only on traditional forms, we plan to discuss diverse forms of cultural expression, including art, literature, poetry, theatre, performativity, radio, film, TV, games, and digital media.
WLM Rising Stars will be held online via Zoom to allow participants to join the workshop without extra costs. All necessary information will be provided via our social media and the QAQV website, so stay tuned!
Works Cited
Punter, David. The Edinburgh Companion to Gothic and the Arts. Edinburgh University Press, 2019.
Image: Harry Clarke, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1919)
