The Forms of Criticism: a Symposium

Can criticism be creative? And if so, should critics be writing in other forms as well as the article and monograph, the default forms of criticism in contemporary academia? Join us on April 27th from 9:30 – 5:30 at the Institute of Advanced Studies at UCL for a discussion of these issues with Jonathan Kramnick (Yale), Ross Wilson (Cambridge), and other speakers.

2023 saw the publication of two seminal books, Criticism and Truth by Jonathan Kramnick, and Critical Forms by Ross Wilson, which raise crucial questions for the future of literary studies in and beyond the university. Can criticism be creative? Is criticism a craft? And should criticism always be written, as it is now, in the form of essays, articles, and monographs? What about the panoply of other forms in which criticism has long thrived, among them the preface, the selection, the review, the lecture, the dialogue, the letter, and the autobiography, to say nothing of the various forms of poetry and fiction, and the act of translation?

We will hear 25 minute papers on these questions from Jonathan Kramnick; Ross Wilson; Irina Dumitrescu; Thomas Karshan; Yvette Siegert; Lucy Newlyn; Ryan Ruby, and there will be plenty of time and space for thoughtful and vigorous debate.

Admission is free but space is limited so please register to confirm your place.The event is sponsored by creativecritical.net, the IAS, and the School of Literature University of East Anglia.

Date & Time: Saturday, 27th April, 09:30 – 17:00
Location: UCL Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), South Wing UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT

All are welcome to attend! Complimentary tea and coffee will be available. 

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/formsofcritcism

Generously supported by UEA and IAS.