Scholars and enthusiasts are coming together (online!) to celebrate the bicentenary of the publication of Charles R. Maturin’s Gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer (1820), with virtual events spanning from the 14th October – 18th November.

Hosted by the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University and in affiliation with the ‘Romantic Bicentennials’ initiative, Melmoth’s Afterlives gets underway on Wednesday 14th October with the first of three virtual book groups.  And further events in November include a special online seminar featuring Maturin scholars of global influence, a plenary lecture by Dr Christina Morin (University of Limerick), and an interview with the award-winning novelist, Sarah Perry, whose novel Melmoth (2018) reimagined Maturin’s Faustian character for a contemporary audience.

Co-organiser of Melmoth’s Afterlives, Dr Sonja Lawrenson, commented:

"We’re absolutely delighted to host this bicentenary celebration, which will see a wide range of international experts on Maturin coming together to provide exciting and insightful conversations on the text and its author. We also look forward to encouraging newcomers to the text to engage with its elusive and enigmatic narrative for the first time!"

Please see below for the full schedule of events.

Melmoth's Afterlives

‘Melmoth’s Afterlives’: Schedule of Events

14/10/20, 16:30 – 17:30

Reading Group 1:

Charles R. Maturin, Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)

Pre-register for free on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/melmoths-afterlives-book-group-1-charles-maturins-melmoth-the-wanderer-tickets-122294368749

21/10/20, 16:30 – 17:30           

Reading Group 2:

Honoré de Balzac, Melmoth Reconciled (1835) & Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)

Pre-register for free on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/melmoths-afterlives-book-group-2-honore-de-balzac-and-oscar-wilde-tickets-122301329569

4/11/20, 16:30 – 17:30

Reading Group 3:

Sarah Perry, Melmoth (2018)

Pre-register for free on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/melmoths-afterlives-book-group-3-sarah-perrys-melmoth-2018-tickets-122301748823

11/11/20, 16.00-18.30          

North-West Long Nineteenth-Century Seminar Special Session on Melmoth’s Afterlives.

Contributors include James Kelly (Exeter), Colin N. Azariah-Kribbs (Princeton), and Lisa Lampert-Weissig (California, San Diego)​

Pre-register for free via the Seminar’s Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/536508213171152/

18/11/20

Plenary Event

This plenary event will consist of two sessions: a plenary lecture by Dr Christina Morin & an interview with Sarah Perry, author of Melmoth.

14:00 – 15:00    Lecture by Dr Christina Morin (University of Limerick)

15:30 – 16:30    Interview with Sarah Perry, author of Melmoth (2018)

Pre-register for free on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/melmoths-afterlives-plenary-event-dr-christina-morin-and-sarah-perry-tickets-122709454281

For further information contact Drs Sonja Lawrenson and Matt Foley via the address melmoth2020@mmu.ac.uk

The organisers would like to thank the KSAA and BSA for their generous support of this project.