Relational Forms ViIi

Love and Sex in Literature and the Arts since the 1960s

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an international conference hosted by the

University of Porto, Portugal

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This conference will focus on how perceptions and representations of intimacy have impacted imaginative production, especially literature and the visual / performative arts, since the 1960s. It derives its pretext from the sixty years that have passed since the date (dubiously) celebrated in Philip Larkin’s poem ‘Annus Mirabilis’, with its sardonic opening: ‘Sexual intercourse began / In nineteen sixty-three’.

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Taking its cue from these memorable lines, our programme will privilege the non-linear and often perplexing ways in which love and sex have been addressed, troped and narrated by writers and artists over the past six decades, and the aesthetic, ethical and political challenges posed by their representations.

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As indicated by the number in its title, this conference is the eighth in a series of academic events that reflect the ongoing concerns of the eponymous research group (Relational Forms), based at CETAPS (the Centre for English, Translation and Anglo-Portuguese Studies). The group’s rationale and remit entail that our conferences centrally address the cultures of Ireland and Britain – but we warmly welcome contributions bearing on other literary and artistic cultures.

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Relational Forms VIII - Love and Sex in Literature and the Arts since the 1960s is hosted by the Department of Anglo-American Studies (Faculdade de Letras, Universidade do Porto) and CETAPS – Centre for English, Translation and Anglo-Portuguese Studies.

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Financiado por fundos nacionais através da FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.,  no âmbito dos projectos UIDB/04097/2020 | UIDB/00502/2020.

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