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REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED
Harvard's Houghton Library to Sponsor Symposium and Exhibition to Celebrate Arthur Conan Doyle's Sesquicentennial in 2009
Overview
The year 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Arthur Conan Doyle. To celebrate his life and works, Harvard’s Houghton Library will host a symposium to honor the man whose enduring contributions to the post-Victorian world include the creation of modern detective fiction and the genre’s most famous literary character, Sherlock Holmes. The symposium will be held from Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, May 9, 2009, and will coincide with the opening of a major exhibition at Houghton Library: “‘Ever Westward’: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in American Culture”.
The symposium aims to broaden our understanding of Doyle in light of recent biographical studies; to examine the enduring popularity of the Canon and to revisit the non-canonical fiction, historical and social writings; and to witness Doyle’s literacy legacy as promoted by literary societies and through teaching. Confirmed speakers, session chairpersons, and participants include Peter X. Accardo, John Bergquist, Peter E. Blau, Giles Constable, John Constable, Thomas Francis, Thomas A. Horrocks, Leslie S. Klinger, Andrew Lycett, Eve Mayer, Julie McKuras, Glen Miranker, Richard Olken, Daniel Posnansky, Constantine Rossakis, Steven Rothman, Charles J. Rzepka, Daniel Stashower, Randall Stock, William P. Stoneman, and Michael Whelan. The conference will conclude with a gala dinner and musical program of Sherlockian songs performed by Henry Boote, and W. Scott Monty II, under the direction of Judge Albert M. Rosenblatt and Dr. Julia Carlson Rosenblatt.
The exhibition will feature rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera from Houghton’s collections (including the H. W. Bell/Speckled Band of Boston collection of Sherlockiana and the recently donated Baker Street Irregulars archive) and private collections. A special emphasis will be placed on Doyle’s lifelong interest in America and American culture. The exhibition will be on view through the summer.
Registration Form
Registration for the symposium is now closed. The registration fee is $175.00 per person and includes all symposium events and one dinner. Completed registration form and payment must be received by March 1st, 2009. No refunds will be given after April 1st, 2009. Attendance is strictly limited due to venue capacity. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Hotel Information
Registrants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations for the symposium. A limited number of rooms has been reserved for confirmed registrants only at the Sheraton Commander Hotel.
Exhibition Information
“‘Ever Westward’: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in American Culture.” Curated by Peter X. Accardo, Dan Posnansky, and Glen Miranker, this major exhibition will feature rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera from Houghton Library collections (including the H. W. Bell/Speckled Band of Boston collection of Sherlockiana and the recently donated Baker Street Irregulars archive) and private collections. A special emphasis will be placed on Doyle’s lifelong interest in America and American culture. Two related exhibitions will also be on view: “At the Corner of Baker Street and Gough Square: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Johnson” and “The Adventure of the Three Students.”
For more information, please visit the exhibition's website: Exhibitions and Events - Harvard College Library
Contact Peter X. Accardo at accardo@fas.harvard.edu or (617) 496-4027 with additional questions.
Symposium Program
*BSI indicates Baker Street Irregulars
Thursday, May 7th |
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| 9:00am - 1:30pm | Registration (Houghton Library) |
| 1:30 - 1:45pm | Welcoming Remarks (Emerson Hall, Room 105) |
| 1:30 - 3:15pm | Session I: Conan Doyle at 150 |
| Moderator: Dr. Constantine Rossakis, BSI | |
| Speakers: Daniel Stashower, BSI, I Read it Young When My Mind Was Plastic: Arthur Conan Doyle on Edgar Allan Poe |
|
| Professor Giles Constable, Institute for Advanced
Study, Sherlock Holmes and History |
|
| 3:15 - 3:30pm | Break |
| 3:30 - 5:00pm | Thomas J. Francis, BSI, There’s More to Conan Doyle than Holmes |
| Andrew Lycett, Conan Doyle’s Biographers | |
| 5:15 - 6:30pm | Reception: "'Ever Westward': Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in American Culture" (Houghton Library) |
| An exhibition curated by Peter X. Accardo, Glen Miranker and Dan Posnansky | |
Friday, May 8th |
|
| 9:00am - 11:30am | Session II: Conan Doyle in America (Emerson Hall Room 105) |
| Moderator: Julie McKuras, BSI | |
| Speakers: Dan Posnansky, BSI, America! Here I Come | |
| Eve Mayer, Harvard University, Conan Doyle’s Mormons: A Study in Black, White, and Scarlet | |
| Glen Miranker, BSI, Conan Doyle in American Popular Culture | |
| 11:30am - 1:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30 - 3:00pm | Event: Screening Conan Doyle (Harvard Film Archive) |
| Speakers: Haden Guest and David Pendleton, Harvard Film Archive | |
| Film Program: Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900) | |
| Cousins of Sherlocko (1912) | |
| The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916) | |
| A Black Sherlock Holmes (1918) | |
| The Devil's Foot (UK, 1921) | |
| 3:15 - 4:15pm | Curator's Chat (Houghton Library) |
| Speakers: Peter X. Accardo, Thomas A. Horrocks | |
Saturday, May 9th |
|
| 9:00 - 10:30am | Session III: The Conanical Writings (Emerson Hall Room 105) |
| Moderator: Peter Blau, BSI | |
| Speakers: Leslie S. Klinger, BSI, Partners in Crime: Arthur Conan Doyle and John H. Watson | |
| Professor Charles J. Rzepka, Boston University, Conan Doyle: Sources and Resources | |
| 10:30 - 10:45am | Break |
| 10:45am - 12:15pm | John Bergquist, BSI, The Manuscript of ‘The Adventure of the Three Students’ and Its Publication in Facsimile |
| Randall Stock, BSI, A Sherlock Holmes Census: What’s Really Out There | |
| 12:15 - 2:00pm | Lunch (on own) |
| 2:00 - 4:15pm | Session IV: Good Stewards: Preserving Conan Doyle’s Literary Legacy (Emerson Hall Room 105) |
| Moderator: Michael Whelan, BSI | |
| Speakers: Steve Rothman, BSI, Christopher Morley: Reading, Reviewing and Reichenbach | |
| Peter X. Accardo, Houghton Library, Harvard University, H.W. Bell: A Chronology of His Adventures | |
| Richard Olken, BSI, "Children Yet Unborn” (How We Envy Them!): Teaching Conan Doyle | |
| 5:30 - 8:30pm | Reception and a Doyleian Dinner (Sheraton Commander Hotel) |
| Musical Program: Conan’s Concerto: A Selection of Early Doyleian and Sherlockian Music | |
| The Performers: Albert M. Rosenblatt, BSI, director | |
| Julia Rosenblatt, BSI, director | |
| Henry Boote, BSI | |
| W. Scott Monty II, BSI | |
| Betsy Rosenblatt, BSI | |
| James B. Saunders, BSI | |