An International ConferenceThe Power of the Word: Poetry, Theology and Life 17-18 June 2011
Heythrop College, University of London
This conference is organized by Heythrop College and the Institute of
English Studies, University of London.
Keynote Speakers: Professor Gianni Vattimo (University of Turin),
Professor Helen Wilcox (University of Bangor), Professor M. Paul
Gallagher (Gregorian University, Rome), Professor Paul Fiddes
(University of Oxford), tba.
Other invited speakers include: Professor John Took (UCL), Professor Jay
Parini (Middlebury College, Vermont), Prof. Georg Langenhorst (University of Augsburg), Olivier-Thomas Venard (Professor Ecole
Biblique, Jerusalem), Dr Antonio Spadaro (Gregorian University, Rome), Dr Stefano Maria Casella (IULM University, Milan), Dr Florian Mussgnug (UCL).
Conference organizers: David Lonsdale (Heythrop College, University of
London) and Dr Francesca Bugliani Knox (Heythrop College, University of
London): f.knox@heythrop.ac.uk; d.lonsdale@heythrop.ac.uk
Conference committee: Professor John Took (UCL), Dr Anna Abram (Heythrop
College), Dr Antonio Spadaro (Gregorian University, Rome), Dr James
Sweeney (Heythrop College), David Lonsdale (Heythrop College), Dr
Francesca Bugliani Knox (Heythrop College), Dr Michael Kirwan (Heythrop
College).
Religion has always been part of Western literary traditions. Many
canonical literary texts engage extensively with theology and religious
faith and practice, and theological and spiritual writers make liberal
use of literary genres, tropes and strategies. Recent work in philosophy
of religion, theology, the study of religions and literary criticism has
once again brought to the fore issues which arise when literature,
faith, theology and life meet, whether in harmony or in conflict. This
international conference aims to:
foster a dialogue among scholars in theology, philosophy, spirituality
and literature and between these and creative writers;
discuss the ‘truth’ of poetry and the ‘truth’ of theology in relation to each other;
reassess the idea of poetry as a criticism of life;
discuss the relationship between faith, theology and the creative
imagination through an examination of theoretical issues and the study of specific texts;
examine the importance of poetry for personal and social identity,
social cohesion and relations between faiths and cultures.
The organisers invite scholars currently working in the subject field to
offer panel papers (30 minutes plus 10 minutes discussion) to address
the following titles and themes. Please email
abstracts of 500 words max. by Friday 14 October 2010 to:
f.knox@heythrop.ac.uk and d.lonsdale@heythrop.ac.uk
Titles and themes of panels:
1. Why poetry matters
The activity of reading
‘Tolle, lege’: reading as transformative
Poetry and the development of the reader
The purpose and value of religious poetry
Is religiously committed literary criticism possible, desirable, necessary?
Specific writers and texts
2. Poetry, faith, religion and theology
Faith and the poet
Poetry and poets in theological perspective
Religious experience and the experience of poetry
Devotional poetry
What makes a work of poetry theologically or religiously significant or relevant?
Metaphor, symbol, faith and theology
Is the writer/poet as such theologically significant?
Specific writers and texts
3. Poetry and the mystical
Relationships between mysticism and poetry
Mystical poetry
Poets as mystics, mystics as poets
Specific writers and texts
4. Imagination, faith and theology
The place of imagination in religion, faith, theology, spirituality
The ‘sacramental imagination’; poetry as sacramental
Reason and imagination in faith and theology
Theology, spirituality and the poetic imagination
Specific writers and texts
5. Poetry and sacred texts
‘Secular’ and ‘sacred’ poetic texts
‘Secular’ poetry and sacred texts
Specific writers and texts
6. Poetry and society
Does poetry make anything happen?
Poetry, literary criticism and ethics
Poetry and politics
Specific writers and texts
