Literature in the Age of the Self
Monday, 16 June 2025, 15:00-19:15
UCL Cruciform Building, Lecture Theatre 1
UCL Gower Street campus, London WC1E 6BT
Registration is required. Please click here to register via the Eventbright page.
.
This event is generously supported by the British Society of Aesthetics and the Leverhulme Trust, the UCL Centre for Humanities Education, UCL Philosophy, UCL English, and UCL Global Engagement.
.
Reference to the self is ubiquitous in contemporary culture. But what is the self? Is it discovered or created? How do the stories we tell about ourselves shape our identity? What part does literature play in reflecting or defining an era’s culture of selfhood? To help us answer these questions, we have assembled distinguished writers and academics whose works in various genres shine a light on these issues. This afternoon event will comprise two parts:
.
15:00-16:30 An academic panel of talks about the self in literature, philosophy, and history.
Prof Clare Carlisle, KCL Philosophy
Dr Eric Langley, UCL English
Prof Tom Stern, UCL Philosophy and A&H Vice-Dean for Interdisciplinarity
.
16:30-17:15 Tea and coffee break, to be served in adjoining rooms.
.
17:15-19:00 A creative roundtable about experiences and representations of selfhood in the 21st century.
Rachel Cusk, novelist, memoirist, and playwright
Brian Dillon, memoirist, novelist, curator, and author of genre-defying books
Vidyan Ravinthiran, memoirist, poet, and Harvard academic
.
Please see the Eventbright page for more information about our guests and their publications.
.
.
.
Following NHS guidance, all attendees are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated (including boosters) against Covid-19, unless medically exempt. Our group is diverse; please continue to be considerate of those who wear face coverings and those who don’t. Thank you.