'I wished to tell the truth': Anne Bronte at 201
The Brontë Society 2020 Conference on Anne Brontë, due to take place in Scarborough in September 2020, will now take place online on Saturday 4 September 2021.
The conference will celebrate the life and work of Anne Brontë in her bicentenary year, and presents an ideal opportunity to challenge the long-held perception that the youngest Brontë sibling was the least talented, and lacked the genius of her sisters.
We’re delighted to announce three keynote speakers: Professor Kathryn Hughes, literary journalist, historian, and Guardian columnist, who has published four books, including
The Victorian Governess; Professor Marianne Thormählen, author of
The Brontes and Education,
The Brontes and Religion, and editor of
The Brontes in Context; and Jane Sellars MBE, co-author of the seminal study
The Art of the Brontes.
The keynotes will address, respectively, the social context of Anne’s work, the realism/didacticism of her fiction, and her own artistic practice, and
panel sessions will engage with a broad range of topics. We will also be joined by Serena Partridge and Layla Khoo, the artists responsible for the Brontë Parsonage Museum's 2016 and 2021 contemporary art installations, and Samira Ahmed, writer, journalist, broadcaster, and creative partner at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, will close the conference with a personal talk that articulates how radical and inspiring the youngest Brontë sibling continues to be.
Click on downloads to see the conference programme. Booking closes at 12 noon on Friday 3 September.
Conference Tickets:
£40 Adult
£35 Bronte Society Members
£20 16-25 years old/people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment and people in receipt of a means-tested benefit
The conference ticket allows access to all the conference sessions between 9am and 8pm on Saturday 4 September and delegates will later be sent a link to the conference recordings (on or before 18 September) which they can access for seven days.
The conference will take place via Zoom and will be recorded. Delegates will be sent a link to the conference recordings on or before 18 September, and will be able to access the presentations for seven days.
The conference will feature captions via Otter.ai. There will be an explanation of how to make use of these services at the start of the conference.
Full details of how to join the event will be sent after you have booked your place, a few days prior to the event.
Please note that many museum staff are presently working from home, so at times, there may not be anyone in the office to take your call. Please email diane.fare@bronte.org.uk if you have any questions about this event.
We also appreciate you reading and adhering to our Code of Conduct:
This Code of Conduct represents The Brontë Society’s Duty of Care as convenors of digital events. We are committed to protecting and safeguarding all of our participants and speakers and operate a zero tolerance policy to harassment or intimidation of any kind toward staff members, artists, authors, creatives and audiences. We also have a policy of respect which means that all parties are expected to behave towards each other and speak to and about each other with respect at all times and do their utmost to promote and embed respect in all areas of the organisation.. The Brontë Society has a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and will not tolerate offensive comments relating to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, race, ethnicity, background or religion. Any attendee who attempts to harass or intimidate another person within the event will be immediately removed.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to welcoming you to the conference soon!