A colloquium on vital books in the humanities

The theoretical underpinnings and praxis of literary studies have come under scrutiny in influential books published in recent years. Focusing on two such books, this event appraises the state of criticism, its value and suppositions, and future directions. Panelists discuss the significance of Jonathan Kramnick’s Criticism and Truth (Chicago 2023), and Decolonizing the English Literary Curriculum (Cambridge 2023), edited by Ato Quayson and Ankhi Mukherjee, while pursuing productive lines of inquiry beyond the texts. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear and engage leading scholars of literary criticism, including Ankhi Mukherjee, Ato Quayson, Debjani Ganguly, Elaine Scarry, Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Joe Cleary, Jonathan Kramnick, and Paul Saint-Amour.

Schedule

12:15 LUNCH
(for those who RSVP by March 23)

1:00 DECOLONIZING THE ENGLISH LITERARY CURRICULUM
Joe Cleary, Yale University
Debjani Ganguly, University of Virginia
Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Johns Hopkins University
Moderated by Priyasha Mukhopadhyay, Yale University

2:15 ON METHOD: CRITICISM AND TRUTH
Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford
Paul Saint-Amour, University of Pennsylvania
Elaine Scarry, Harvard University
Moderated by Anastasia Eccles, Yale University

3:30 LITERARY FUTURES AND FUTURES OF LITERARY CRITICISM: A CONVERSATION
Jonathan Kramnick, Yale University
Ato Quayson, Stanford University
Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford
Moderated by Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Johns Hopkins University

Poster