This talk will discuss how traditions of English literature can be seen to intersect with an Australian cultural imaginary. By considering issues of the literary canon alongside competing pressures from indigenous writing and cultural studies, it will analyse the implications of the various ways in which “English” has been constructed at the University of Sydney and other Australian institutions over the past hundred years. By comparing how the tradition of “English” became modified in the American critical academy, this inaugural lecture will outline possible futures for the professional study of literature from an antipodean perspective.

When: Thursday 16 September, 6pm (Refreshments will be served in the Woolley Common Room from 5.30pm)
Where: Woolley Lecture Theatre N395, Woolley Building, The University of Sydney.