Previous Presentations
Fall 2011
SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
Graphic Matters: Women Making Comics
Dr Marni Stanley, Women’s Studies, English
Women have been making comics successfully since the early 20th century. Their comics in every genre from journalism to autobiography have helped elevate comic art to a major genre with its own well developed critical practice. This presentation will introduce us to the history and significance of women’s production in this medium.
OCTOBER 14, 2011
Romeo and Juliet and the Romantic Politics of Deepa Mehta’s Water
Dr Keith Harrison, Creative Writing, English
A movie that stirred controversy, riots, set-burning, and death threats, Deepa Mehta’s Water can be cited in many political contexts. By employing a less tragic variation of Romeo and Juliet as her dramatic structure and by locating her film during the British Raj, Mehta links romantic idealism to the historical journey towards national self fulfillment. With Shakespeare as an ally, Water also depicts the oppression of widows, dramatically protesting against a social denial of love in present day India.
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
A Printing House in Hell: William Blake’s Illuminated Printing
Gregory Ball, Dr Daniel Burgoyne, and Dr Ross MacKay, Art History, English
An engraver by trade, William Blake used an illuminated printing process to produce most of his poetry. This presentation will explain Blake’s method and explore its artistic and political implications.
For further information contact:
Katharine Rollwagen at Katharine.Rollwagen@viu.ca
