Rochester Hosts Conference on 14th-Century Poet
Nearly 150 scholars and students from as many as 20 countries will converge at the 人妻少妇专区 from June 30 through July 3 to share their research鈥攁nd excitement鈥攁bout John Gower, a 14th-century English poet whose popularity is on the rise among medieval researchers.
During the 3rd International Congress of the John Gower Society, scholars will explore the life and work of Gower, a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, and one of the major poets during the reign of Richard II. He was admired by Chaucer and influenced such later writers as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, John Milton, and Ben Jonson. 鈥淗e鈥檚 has become a major topic these days among young medievalists worldwide,鈥� notes Russell Peck, the John Hall Deane Professor of Rhetoric and Literature at Rochester and an internationally recognized expert on the poet.
The John Gower Society, founded by R. F. Yeager in collaboration with Alistair Minnis and Peck, has been a crucial force in the development of Gower studies. Under Peck鈥檚 tutelage, the creation of Gower texts for use in the classroom as well as research has evolved primarily at the 人妻少妇专区, making the upstate New York university an ideal location for this year鈥檚 conference. Peck produced in 1968 an abridged version of Gower鈥檚 Confessio Amantis and more recently, his three-volume edition of the same text has become the standard text of that poem.
Peck鈥檚 pioneering also has been embraced by the National Endowment for the Humanities as a model program in the growing field of digital humanities. The program has been instrumental in making Gower鈥檚 works in English, French, and Latin available not only in print but online, facilitating research and collaborative investigation. Indeed, one of the reasons for the growing interest in Gower, especially among young researchers, is the 鈥渋ncreasing accessibility of good editions鈥� of his poetry, which are not only affordable, but maintain a high standard of scholarship, notes Rochester graduate student Kara McShane, one the conference鈥檚 facilitators. Many of those young medievalists will be in attendance at the conference, which is titled John Gower: Language, Cognition, and Performance.
Gower鈥檚 three major works are written in the three languages that were current in 14th-century England 鈥� Latin (Vox Clamantis), Old French (Mirour de l鈥橭mme), and Middle English (Confessio Amantis). Gower was not only one of the greatest storytellers of his time, but also a political analyst with a profound interest in law and institutions, says McShane. He 鈥渉elps us better understand the trilingual political and cultural context through which these languages work together,鈥� she explains. 鈥淕ower is very involved in political questions, in questions of growing nationalism.鈥� For example, Gower is the only English poet to provide a detailed personal account of the Peasant鈥檚 Revolt of 1381, as well as a complex allegory on the overthrow of Richard II.听 鈥淗e examines historical moments that give us insights into the institutions and political systems and questions that are still with us,鈥� she says.
Thanks to the trailblazing spirit of Gower scholars, original Gower manuscripts can now be accessed online. One notable web archive is the , founded by 人妻少妇专区 alumnus Eve Salisbury, who is now a professor of medieval literature at Western Michigan University.
鈥淔or people like us who cannot easily go to a British library, we can actually look at these originals with all their illuminations, handwriting, and annotations,鈥� says Pamela Yee, a Rochester graduate student who also is helping to facilitate the conference. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all benefiting from the availability of these materials.鈥�
About the conference
The 人妻少妇专区 will be represented by more than 20 presenters and presiders, including current faculty, graduate students, and alumni from the departments of English, History, and the Eastman School of Music. Aspects of language, cognition, and performance in Gower scholarship will be examined in four plenary lectures and more than 30 panel sessions, said Yee.
Each session will each involve three to four presenters and a brief question and answer conversation. Presenters include distinguished scholars from North America, England, Europe, and Asia. Most sessions will be held in Rush Rhees Library. The conference agenda includes:
- Plenary addresses by Helen Cooper (Cambridge and Oxford University), Derek Pearsall (Harvard and York University), Ardis Butterfield (Yale University and University of London), and Russell Peck (人妻少妇专区).
- A concert at the Memorial Art Gallery featuring the music of Guillaume de Machaut, a French contemporary of Gower, followed by a plenary panel on French in England.
- A session on the creative uses of Gower, including a machinima presentation of 3 of Gower鈥檚 tales by Sarah Higley (人妻少妇专区) and a reading by Bruce Holsinger from his new novel A Burnable Book, a historical thriller in which Gower plays a central role.
- An exhibit featuring digitized reproductions of medieval Gower manuscripts, illustrations from these manuscripts, and important editions of Gower鈥檚 major works in Rare Books and Special Collections at Rush Rhees.
- A Genesee River boat ride aboard the Sam Patch, in recognition of Gower鈥檚 interest in rivers.
For more information, visit the conference or email questions to jgs.rochester2014@gmail.com.
