International Summer School – Romanticism on the Coast – Castle of Lerici
“Literary Lerici: Itineraries between places and imagination”
Coordinator: Lilla Maria Crisafulli (University of Bologna)
The Interuniversity Centre for the Study of Romanticism(branch of the University of Bologna), in partnership with Lerici City Council and the Cultural Association “Amiche e Amici di Mary Shelley”, is organising a yearly Summer School in Lerici entitled ‘Romanticism on the Coast’. The first edition, to be held between 17 and 21 June 2019, will be devoted in particular to what might be called “ocean studies”, or “Mediterranean and maritime studies”, involving topics related to the sea, marine life, Mediterranean landscapes or anything concerning the idea of ‘the coast’.
The Summer School is addressed to postgraduate students and Early stage researchers (MA, PhD students, Post-docs), as well as scholars of Romantic literature and culture. Registration will be open to both national and international participants. The summer school will offer master classes and workshops in English, on topics related to aesthetic, artistic and cultural discourses, as well as literary criticism, methodology and creative writing. These classes will be held by national and international experts. Attention will be also addressed to the history of landscape and to its evolution/change across time. Particular emphasis will be given to the multilayered meaning of travel, from the Grand Tour to contemporary Cultural Tourism. The different master classes and workshops offered by the Summer School will deal with issues related to British and European Romanticism, focusing in particular on the personal and cultural connection between some of the most famous Romantic poets, writers and critics (including PB Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Women Romantic Poets), the city of Lerici and the famous Gulf of the Poets. The literary and cultural heritage of the Lerici area and its surroundings will also offer the occasion to investigate the work of travelers and writers of more recent periods, including Henry James, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and Charles Tomlinson. Surrounded by the evocative atmosphere of the Gulf of the Poets, participants will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of texts and contexts of the British literary tradition, and of pre-Romantic, Romantic and post-Romantic literature. Primary sources will be examined with reference to contemporary critical theories and a stimulating variety of methodological and disciplinary approaches. The summer school will also focus on critical and literary texts that have contributed to the construction of the British and European cultural heritage and the dissemination of concepts such as inclusion/exclusion; construction/fragmentation of borders; migration/citizenship; gender/identity; nature /culture; landscape/cultural memory. The Summer School will host national and international scholars who will discuss these issues together with poets, critics or novelists. Speakers will include: Jane Stabler, Alan Rawes, Rossana Bonadei, Keir Elam, Gioia Angeletti, Norbert Lennartz, Lilla Maria Crisafulli, Michael Bradshaw, Carlotta Farese, Mirka Horova, Diego Saglia, Gilberta Golinelli, Fernando Cioni. Events open to the public, organized in collaboration with the Association “Amiche e Amici di Mary Shelley”, directed by Carla Sanguineti, will include literary walks, readings, exhibitions, theatrical performances and boat and bus trips to some of the most beautiful places of the area (such as Fiascherino and Portovenere).
The Summer School will last four days (arrival on the morning of June 17 and departure on the afternoon of June 21). The overall fee of 350 euros will cover the following: masters classes and workshops; welcome party on the17th; accommodation for 4 nights, breakfast; 3 meals; events and cultural activities. It will also be possible to book further excursions or trips.
The Summer School program is available here