The Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP) Conference 2008

SHARP's sixteenth annual conference will be held at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies, Oxford Brookes University, UK, 24-28 June 2008. The organization is now accepting submissions of individual paper and panel proposals. The deadline for submissions is 30 November 2007. For more information, please visit the conference website.

Marketing Shakespeare: The Boydell Gallery (1789-1805) and Beyond
An exhibition at the Folger Shakespeare Library
September 20, 2007 -- January 5, 2008

Explore the birth of the Shakespeare market in Jane Austen's England with paintings and engravings from the fashionable Boydell Gallery in London. Then view a variety of Shakespeare knick-knacks inspired by famous actors of the time such as Sarah Siddons and John Philip Kemble: figurines, jewelry, enamel boxes, and Wedgewood objects. On display will be original paintings, engravings and documents from the Boydell Gallery, as well as cartoons and other reactions to it. We will also show a variety of decorative wares that were sold at the time.

More info here.

Making Theatrical Publics in Early Modern Europe
A Research Seminar for Dissertation-Stage PhD Students and Junior Faculty sponsored by The Making Publics Project (MaPs) at McGill University.
Leaders: Steven Mullaney (Michigan) and Paul Yachnin (McGill)
Time & Location: Victoria University of the University of Toronto, May 14-June 9, 2008

How did the shift from earlier forms of theatre, such as Corpus Christi cycles or moralities and interludes, to sixteenth- and seventeenth-century forms, such as the amphitheatre drama of Reformation London or the corrales drama of Golden Age Spain, alter the ways in which individual and collective identities were modeled?

As many as 12 Canadian and non-Canadian dissertation-stage students and junior faculty from across the humanities and social sciences will be invited to take part in this month-long interdisciplinary seminar that will bring together scholars interested in the relationship among forms of performance, the formation of "publics," and the development of public life. The travel and living expenses of the participants in the seminar will be covered by the MaPs project. Participants in the seminar will have access to the rich resources of the University of Toronto¹s John P. Robarts Research Library and Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, as well as the specialist collection of the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, at Victoria University in the University of Toronto.

Further information and application instructions can be obtained from the MaPs Project website.

Application Deadline: November 15, 2007.

A History of Social Dance in America
Presented by the Society for Historic American Visual Culture (CHAVIC) at the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA)

One of the goals of CHAVIC is to engage students and scholars with American prints and ephemera to enhance our understanding of America's history and culture. A life-long interest in classical ballet led Meghan Meade, a student at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester and Graphics Arts Intern, to undertake a project describing the history of social dance. The content of the project is driven by the holdings of the Society and we are pleased to present her work as a supplement to present scholarship; we encourage others to develop this topic using the Society's collections.

The illustrations and objects depicted in this exhibition provide a brief glimpse into the history of social dance. The abundance of artwork and social artifacts available attest to dance's importance throughout American history. Featured is not only its origin, fashion and forms, but also the unspoken language of dance. Always moving, always changing, dancing has never failed to enchant American society.

Access here.