Concepts of Creativity in Seventeenth-Century England
Two-day International Interdisciplinary Symposium
6-7 September 2008
'Creation: a making or forming of something, as it were, out of nothing'
Edward Phillips, A Nevv VVorld of VVords, Or a General English Dictionary (London, 1678)
The early modern period witnessed the flowering of what, today, we would call the creative arts in England, and in recent years the social and cultural significance of such activities has come to be appreciated increasingly by scholars across a broad range of disciplines. But what exactly did it mean to form something, 'as it were, out of nothing' in the seventeenth century? While our modern understanding of creativity is firmly based around ideas of imagination and originality, it is far from clear that such concepts were always relevant to the production of visual art, music, plays, poetry and literature in the seventeenth century; moreover, basic tenets that we tend to take for granted - such as the primacy of the author - have been shown to be inappropriate in a number of significant studies.
The aim of this interdisciplinary symposium is to explore ways in which we can seek to understand what it meant to be creative in the early modern period. It forms part of a four-year research project, 'Musical Creativity in Restoration England', funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and directed by Dr Rebecca Herissone, Senior Lecturer in Musicology at the University of Manchester.
General information: at a glance
For further details of the symposium schedule and contributors, and information about the venue and accommodation, please navigate using the links on the left hand side of the page.
Convenor
Dr Rebecca Herissone
Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama
University of Manchester
Bridgeford Street
Manchester
M13 9PL
fax: +44 (0)161 275 4994
email: rebecca.herissone@manchester.ac.uk
Organising Committee
- Dr Rebecca Herissone, University of Manchester (chair)
- Dr Alan Howard, University of Manchester
- Prof. Amanda Eubanks Winkler, Syracuse University
- Prof. Andrew Walkling, Binghamton University
Registration
The standard fee for delegates is £80; a special price of £40 is available for students.
Please note that the deadline for registration (including receipt of payment) is Friday 15 August; delegates wishing to register after this date will be charged at a higher rate of £100 (£60 students).
For full details of how to register please click here.
Accommodation
Accommodation for delegates is being handled by Marketing Manchester; for further details please click here.