Working it Out: A Day of Numbers in Early Modern Writing

Saturday 18th May 2013

Keynes Library, Birkbeck College, University of London

Call for Papers

Early modern books are full of numbers, representing both practicality and mystery. This

multidisciplinary conference explores numbers in British early modern literature and textual

culture. How were numbers and numerical techniques used in drama, dance, and music? What

were the practical issues arising from printing numerical texts, and how were numbers

represented on the page? How were the index and the cross-reference created and used? To

what extent would an early modern audience recognize mathematical references in literary texts

and performance? Who would buy an arithmetic book and how might they use it?

Proposals for papers are invited on, but not confined to, the following subject areas:

- Ways of counting and things to count: inventories and accounts; time and tempo; feet

and metre.

- Numbers in print: reference tables, logarithms, cross-referencing, indices.

- Books on arithmetic, double-entry book-keeping and merchants’ handbooks.

- Ciphering and deciphering.

- The use of zero and other mathematical symbols in literature and drama.

- Dance, music and other numerical art forms.

- Making a reckoning: performing numbers on stage.

- Numbers in the material text: ways of using numerical books, and their owners.

- Mystical numbers, kaballah, numerology.

- Mathematical methodologies; measuring, mapping and quantifying.

Confirmed speakers are:

- Stephen Clucas, Birkbeck College, London.

- Natasha Glaisyer, York.

- Emma Smith, Hertford College, Oxford.

- Adam Smyth, Birkbeck College, London.

We welcome proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers, working in departments of

Literature, History, History of Science, Art History, Education, Accounting and Finance, and other

relevant subject areas. Proposals for 20-minute papers should include an abstract of no more

than 250 words and a brief CV, and should be emailed to numbersday@gmail.com. General

questions can be directed to the conference organisers, Rebecca Tomlin and Katherine Hunt, at

the same address. All abstracts must be received by 15 January 2013.

We are able to offer some contributions towards the travel costs of postgraduate participants

presenting at the conference. Please mention when submitting your abstract if you would like to

be considered for this.

The conference organisers are grateful for the generous support provided by the Society for

Renaissance Studies, the Royal Historical Society, the London Renaissance Seminar, and the

Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales Charitable Trusts.

Women and Maps in Early Modernity

Call for Papers -

Abstracts are invited for papers about "Women and Maps in Early Modernity," for a possible SSEMW Co-Sponsored Session at the American Historical Association's annual meeting in Washington DC in January 2014.

We seek papers from a range of disciplines -- including, but not limited to, history, art history, literary studies, and historical geography -- which address the nexus between early modern women and maps/cartography in any geographical region or culture, during the time period c. 1400-1700.  Paper topics might consider women as:

-       Explorers contributing data from which maps are made

-       map illustrators

-       printers/publishers/sellers of maps

-       navigators/users of maps

-       writers on the topic of cartography

Abstracts (400-500 words) for papers 20 minutes in length should be submitted by January 10, 2013, by email, to Allyson Poska (aposka@umw.edu) and Erika Gaffney (egaffney@ashgate.com).

Representing Pregnancy

Karen Hearn has recently joined UCL English Department as an Honorary Professor after a distinguished career as curator of 16^th- and 17^th-century art at Tate Britain. We’re delighted that on Thursday 6^th December Karen will give a special lecture on a particular interest of hers, 'Representing Pregnancy in Elizabethan and Jacobean Portraits'. The lecture is at 4pm in Archaeology G6 Lecture Theatre in the Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY; for maps and directions please see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/find-us/. All welcome.

Medieval & Renaissance Reading Group

Please see the message below from Mary Wellesley (marylwellesley@gmail.com).

Medieval & Renaissance Reading Group

To co-incide with a lecture at UCL on  'Representing Pregnancy in Elizabethan and Jacobean Portraits' by Karen Hearn, we will be looking at texts relating to the theme of pregnancy. 

The texts, alongside some wine, will be provided.

Thursday 6th December, 5.30pm, Room 220, Senate House.

Renaissance Men in the Middle Temple

CONFERENCE AND ELIZABETHAN CANDLEMAS REVELS

1^st and 2^nd February, 2013

To be held at Middle Temple Hall and Birkbeck College, London

Registration is now open!  

Flyer attached - please pass on to anyone you think might be interested...

To register or for further information go to http://middletemple2013.wordpress.com/

and follow us…

Confirmed speakers:

Dr Sarah Knight (Leicester University), Dr Subha Mukherji (Cambridge University), Dr Lucy Munro (Keele University), Dr Paul Raffield (Warwick University) and Professor Jessica Winston (Idaho State University)

‘Delight in revels and in banqueting

Wanton discourses, musicke and merie songes’

  

The four Inns of Court were, according to Ben Jonson, ‘the noblest nurseries of humanity’.  All highly influential in terms of their members’ legal, political and artistic roles, the Middle Temple proved a particularly fertile context.  At the end of Elizabeth’s reign especially, the Middle Temple saw many of its members involved in the creation, reception and development of literature and performance.  The Inn was a training ground for men who came to transgress and challenge societal norms, and whose future careers were to influence disparate areas of life, from law and politics to dance and drama.  Famous members of Middle Temple included John Marston, John Ford, John Webster, Edward Sharpham, Richard Martin, John Davies, John Hoskins, Henry Wotton, Thomas Overbury, Benjamin Rudyerd, Charles Best and John Manningham.

Traditionally a night of celebration, the second day is Candlemas, and the conference will conclude with our own Revels, including dinner and entertainment in Middle Temple Hall.  There will be a medley of music, dance and drama inspired by some of the Renaissance Men of the Middle Temple featured in the conference, with performers in historical costume, including The Nonsuch Dancers. The evening event is also open to those not attending the conference.

See http://middletemple2013.wordpress.com/ or email one of the conference organizers:

Jackie Watson – jwatso05@mail.bbk.ac.uk and

Darren Royston - droyst01@mail.bbk.ac.uk

Conference hosted by the London Renaissance Seminar

The London Renaissance Seminar meets regularly at Birkbeck College, London,

holding seminars, events and conferences.

See www.bbk.ac.uk/english/our-research/research_seminars/lrs or contact s.wiseman@bbk.ac.uk