Autour de l'extrême littéraire
3rd June 2011
University of London Institute in Paris
A postgraduate conference organised and supported by the University of London Institute in Paris. Leading on from postgraduate reading group sessions held during 2010/2011 at ULIP, this conference day will culminate in a publication late 2011.
« Les extrêmes marquent la frontière au-delà de laquelle la vie prend fin, et la passion de l'extrémisme, en art comme en politique, est désir déguisé de mort. » Milan Kundera
The French literary imagination has been consistently drawn to the extreme from the writings of Sade to the novels of Michel Houellebecq and the poetry of Baudelaire. In continually seeking to push conceived boundaries of the extreme, whether through physical experience, psychological exploration, linguistic experimentation or metaphysical reflection, the avant-garde has shifted perceptions and definitions of this term.
Through the expression of the extreme, writers have been confronted with the insufficiency of language and the act of writing. The following questions will be considered during the conference:
Is the extreme in literature a critical perspective?
Does the extreme in literature express absence?
What do we mean by the extreme and its literary expression?
Speakers may wish to consider, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Violence
Writing and language
Censorship
Death
Revolution
Sex
The avant-garde
Transgression
The contemporary extreme
Taboo
Extreme theory
Political extremities
Literature of the 'contemporary extreme'
We invite proposals for twenty-minute papers from postgraduate students. Papers can be in English or in French. Abstracts (maximum 300 words), together with a short biography indicating your academic background and research interests, should be submitted via e-mail to extreme@ulip.lon.ac.uk by 1st March 2011. Please include your name, academic affiliation, and contact details.
Organisation and Editorial Committee: Laura Owen, Russell Williams, Alastair Hemmens