The Literary London Society

The Literary London Society is a United Kingdom-based scholarly society focused on the study of London in literature and related cultural representations. Its remit is deliberately broad: it encompasses writing from different historical periods and genres, as well as works about London, set in London, inspired by the city, or concerned with its real and imagined environments. The society’s constitutional purpose includes interdisciplinary and historically wide-ranging research into London literature in social, cultural, and historical context, extending from the city’s pre-Roman origins to imagined futures. The society formalised an academic network that had already developed around the Literary London Conference and The Literary London Journal. An annual conference had been running informally since 2002, creating a recurring forum for researchers interested in the city’s literary history, representations, and changing cultural meanings. The Literary London Journal began appearing twice a year in 2003 and provided a continuing publication outlet for scholarship in the field. The society itself was founded in July 2011 to give these activities a more permanent institutional structure. Its activities combine publication, conferences, postgraduate support, and community-building. The organisation publishes the online Literary London Journal and normally organises an annual Literary London Conference at the Institute of English Studies of the University of London. It also arranges reading groups, presents prizes to postgraduate students, and, when resources and circumstances permit, provides support for scholars researching London literature. These activities position the society as both an academic publisher and a specialist research network rather than as a consumer-facing commercial brand. The society’s work spans literary studies while also engaging with history, urban studies, cultural geography, social history, and related disciplines. Its subject range includes central and suburban London and the city’s wider environs, allowing researchers to examine London not only as a physical location but also as a symbolic, imagined, and contested cultural space. The society remains associated with the University of London’s academic infrastructure through its conference venue and with university-based scholars through its leadership and editorial work. Brycchan Carey of Kingston University was its first president. Martin Dines of Kingston University is identified as its current president, while Nick Bentley of Keele University is identified as the current editor of The Literary London Journal.

The Literary London Society emerged from an academic community concerned with the literary and cultural meanings of London. Before the society was formally established, an annual Literary London Conference had been held informally from 2002. The conference created a recurring setting for scholars to present research on London in literature and to explore the city through multiple periods, genres, and disciplinary perspectives. A second institutional strand developed through The Literary London Journal, which began appearing twice a year in 2003. Edited by Lawrence Phillips during its earlier period, the journal supplied a dedicated publication venue for research on London literature. Its subject matter was not limited to canonical writing or to a single historical period. Instead, the broader Literary London project considered representations of London across literary forms and in relation to the city’s social, historical, and cultural contexts. In July 2011, The Literary London Society was founded to formalise the existing conference and journal activities. The new society gave the network a continuing organisational identity and established a framework for coordinating scholarly events, publications, and related forms of academic support. Brycchan Carey of Kingston University became its first president. The society’s stated constitutional purpose is to encourage interdisciplinary and historically broad research into literature connected with London, including writing about the city, writing set there, works inspired by it, and representations that allude to central or suburban London and its environs. The society’s chronological scope is similarly expansive. Its remit reaches from London’s roots in pre-Roman times through historical and contemporary writing to imagined futures. This enables research into London as both a material city and a changing imaginative construct. The organisation’s work can therefore intersect with literary history, urban culture, social history, cultural geography, and other fields that examine how cities are written, remembered, represented, and projected. The society’s programme includes an annual conference, normally held at the Institute of English Studies of the University of London, alongside publication of the online Literary London Journal. It also organises reading groups and gives prizes to postgraduate students. When possible, it offers support to scholars working on London literature. These activities make the society a research community and scholarly service organisation rather than a commercial publisher or conventional consumer brand. Martin Dines of Kingston University is identified as the society’s current president, and Nick Bentley of Keele University as the current editor of The Literary London Journal. The society continues to provide a specialist platform for research and exchange concerning London’s literary past, present, and possible futures.

• 2011

  Society founded

  [1]The Literary London Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Literary London Society is founded in July to formalise the established conference and journal activities. Brycchan Carey of Kingston University becomes its first president.

• 2003

  The Literary London Journal begins publication

  [1]The Literary London Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Literary London Journal begins appearing twice yearly, providing a dedicated scholarly publication outlet for research concerning literary London.

• 2002

  Informal annual conference begins

  [1]The Literary London Societyen.wikipedia.org

  An annual Literary London Conference begins operating informally, creating a recurring forum for scholarship on London and literature.

A specialist academic society and research network serving interdisciplinary scholarship on London literature, literary history, and cultural representations of the city.

• Online scholarly journal · 2003

  The Literary London Journal

  The society’s online academic journal publishes research on London literature and the city’s literary, historical, social, and cultural representations. Its remit reflects the society’s broad chronological and interdisciplinary approach, covering different periods and genres as well as writing about, set in, inspired by, or alluding to London and its surrounding areas.

• Academic conference · 2002

  The Literary London Conference

  The annual Literary London Conference is the society’s principal recurring scholarly event. It developed informally from 2002 and was later brought within the society’s formal organisational framework. The conference normally takes place at the Institute of English Studies of the University of London and provides a venue for interdisciplinary research and academic discussion.

1. 1The Literary London Societyen.wikipedia.org