The London-Paris Romanticism Seminar is an international research forum devoted to British Romantic literature, its European connections, and the broader culture of the Romantic period. Founded in 2016, the forum is a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London, four other colleges of the University of London (Birkbeck, Goldmiths, King’s, and UCL), and a number of French institutions and organisations: the École Normale Supérieure (Paris), Sorbonne Université, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Université Paris Cité, University of London Institute in Paris, and the Société d’Études du Romantisme Anglais.
The forum has two main strands. The first is a monthly research seminar in London, co-hosted in Senate House by the Institute of English Studies and the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies in the School of Advanced Study, University of London. The second is a two-day symposium in Paris, held every two or three years at the École Normale Supérieure and Sorbonne Université. The London-Paris Romanticism Seminar also organises collaborative events with other research groups and recently launched an annual international graduate summer school.
London seminars
The London seminar, organised by a steering group of Romanticists from the London area, meets monthly on a late Friday afternoon and features a series of distinguished visiting speakers from across the UK, Europe, and beyond. Some seminars involve the pairing of speakers from different countries, a key aim of the series being to foster dialogue between Romanticists in the UK and scholars from abroad. All aspects of Romanticism are covered, including comparative and interdisciplinary topics. The seminar is open to everyone, including postgraduates and members of the public. Admission is free.
Paris symposium
The Paris symposium is organised by a steering group of Romanticists from French institutions, with assistance from the Société d’Études du Romantisme Anglais and in liaison with the London team. The theme of the next symposium, in 2025, will be Romantic Shock and Surprise. Information about this event will be posted in due course on this website.
Previous symposia themes were Oaths, Odes and Orations 1789-1830 (2022), Exiles, Émigrés and Expatriates in Romantic-Era Paris and London (2018) and Wordsworth: The French Connection (2017). Selected papers from these conferences have been published in special issues of the journal Litteraria Pragensia (with the volume from the 2022 symposium forthcoming in 2025). They can be downloaded free on the Publications page of this website.
Collaborative events
In 2019, the London-Paris Romanticism Seminar teamed up with the Fordham Romanticism Group, New York, and the Royal Institution of Great Britain to organise a one-day symposium at the Royal Institution on the theme Romanticism at the Royal Institution. A special issue of the journal Romanticism based on the symposium will be published in 2025.
International Summer School of Romanticism
A recent initiative is the International Summer School of Romanticism, launched in 2022 at the Charles University, Prague. Affiliated to the London-Paris Romanticism Seminar, this week-long graduate summer school extends the aims of the Seminar by bringing together postgraduate students and staff from across Europe and offering intensive instruction on current developments in Romantic studies. The second Summer School was held in Prague in 2023. The third will be hosted in 2025 by Ghent University.
We look forward to welcoming you to our events.
David Duff (QMUL) London Director Marc Porée (ENS/ Sorbonne Nouvelle) Paris Director
