UPDATE: Our Book of Abstracts - Fifth Digital DACH Victorianists Workshop: Victorian Affects, 08 December

+++UPDATE: You can now find our Book of Abstract for the upcoming workshop here.+++

With its burgeoning interest in materialism, physiology, and the body, Victorian culture can be seen as anticipating contemporary critical formulations of the affect concept. Modern affect theory, in turn, has developed an analytical language and a conceptual toolkit which provide, in Elisha Cohn’s words, a “provocative critical vocabulary and approach for Victorian studies.”
Whereas the “affective turn” has prompted research in various fields within the humanities and social sciences, Victorianists have only recently begun to explore the potential of affect for the study of nineteenth-century literature and culture. As a series of important articles, book chapters, and monographs by Rachel Ablow, Audrey Jaffe, Tara MacDonald, and others demonstrate, however, affect is emerging as one of the most exciting subjects in the field.
This workshop aims to bring Victorian notions of affect and contemporary theorisations of the concept into dialogue with one another. We seek to address a number of related questions: What can an affect-oriented criticism contribute to our understanding of Victorianism and its private, social, and “political emotions” (Martha Nussbaum)? What methodological potential does affect theory have for readings of canonical and non-canonical Victorian writing? Conversely, what can the study of Victorian (con-)texts contribute to the critical vocabulary of affect-based literary and cultural criticism?
We are happy to announce that the workshop programme will feature a keynote lecture by Elisha Cohn. The workshop is supported through funding from Deutscher Anglistenverband e.V. The workshop will take place online via Zoom on Friday, 08 December 2023, 9:00 - 18:00 CET (UTC+1). For our CfP, please click here. To register for the event and receive the Zoom link, please scan the QR Code below or use this link. Registration closes on 01 December 2023.

We look forward to meeting colleagues old and new - as always, feel free to pass our invitation on to any colleagues who might be interested in joining DACH Victorianists or redirect them to our website. Many thanks!

Very best wishes
Anja Hartl and Tim Sommer