Composite Calendar
This interdisciplinary conference aims to explore the roles which satire and laughter played in the society and culture of Early Modern Europe, with a particular focus on Britain. Traditionally approached through the study of literary 'greats' of Augustan satire, in recent years scholars have begun to approach satire as a mode of writing rather than clearly defined genre. This has led to recognition of its relatedness to other areas of British culture – libel, popular festivity, visual culture, shame and the policing of moral mores, polemic – and defining the relationships between these areas more precisely is a major aim of this conference. We seek papers from scholars working on any aspect of Early Modern satire from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century in order to address how prevalent satire was in European and British cultures, the extent to which points of contact can be drawn between 'popular' and 'elite' satires and satirists, and the way(s) in which satire developed over the course of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Two concerns pertaining to satire will be particularly prevalent: 1) the role of satire in forming and sustaining stereotypes as a form of political discourse; and 2) the development of visual satire over the course of the period. Papers which make recourse to either of these areas will be warmly received.