By Gert-Jan Meyntjens

How do media affect and change literary genres? Which new literary genres emerge under the influence of different media? How do genres work as classification instruments in different media? These are the main questions that will concern us during the Hermes-symposium that will be organized in Leuven from June 12 until 16.

The Hermes Doctoral Consortium for Literary and Cultural Studies is a collaboration between eleven universities (10 European, 1 American) that annually organizes a symposium about a specific theme. During one week PhD-students from the different partner-universities present their own work, a keynote lecture and seminar are given by a specialist in the field, and activities are organized alongside.

This year, Cultural Studies staff-members at KU Leuven will be organizing the symposium. On Monday, they will welcome professor Jim Collins (University of Notre Dame, author of the inspiring Bring on the Books for Everybody) for an introductory keynote lecture and a seminar. After that, over the course of the week, PhD-students will give talks about topics as seemingly diverse as the narrating of pornographic images, Shakespeare’s execution scenes in contemporary performances and spatiality in horror literature and video games.

All those who are interested are welcome at the Auditorium Wolfspoort, Schapenstraat 34 from Sunday evening 12/06 until Thursday 16/06.

More details and the programme can be found through the following link: https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/literatuurwetenschap/HERMESSymposium