Dr Joseph Phelan
A public lecture on the poet Robert Browning’s unease with celebrity status will be given in Leicester next month, as the literary world prepares to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Dr Joseph Phelan, reader in nineteenth-century literature at De Montfort University (DMU), will give the Leicester Lit & Phil Society lecture at 7.30pm in the Main Hall of the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, on Monday 5 March.
An acknowledged expert on Browning, and co-editor of the Longman Poems of Robert Browning, Dr Phelan said: “Taking as its starting point the brief lyric poem ‘Memorabilia’, first published in 1855, this talk will examine Browning’s treatment of the themes of fame and popularity in his work, and in particular his unease at the public’s increasing appetite for stories about the private lives of public figures.
“Few literary figures of comparable stature have seen such violent fluctuations in their critical reputation.
“Browning was acutely aware of these and often used his poetry to reflect on the vicissitudes of literary celebrity.”
As always, visitors and new members are welcome to meetings of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, generally known as the Lit & Phil.
Meetings take place fortnightly during the season and present a distinguished speaker who answers questions after the talk. The talks are followed by refreshments.
Membership of the society is £12.50 a year (£5.00 for students) for 12 events.
For more details, including dates of events or membership, please see the website|
Information about membership is also available by telephoning 01455 209291.
Other forthcoming Lit & Phil lectures include:
Professor Andrew Hugill, from DMU’s Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT) whose lecture on ‘Making Music with Computers’ will conclude with a performance he has composed called 'Pianolith' for piano and digital sound.
Posted on Wednesday 22nd February 2012