Fall 2024 Graduate Symposium:

Welcome to the website for the Harvard English Department's Fall 2024 Graduate Symposium!

The theme for this year's symposium is "Trash: Bad Books."

In the academy we have often been taught that we shouldn’t waste our time reading or analyzing “bad” literature. But what counts as “bad” art? When we say something is “bad,” what do we mean? Is it poorly written? Is it immoral? Is it useless? Who gets to decide what is good enough to be read and what is bad enough that it must be left aside? Now especially, in an era where the literary market is oversaturated and everything seems to be able to get published, many claim there has been a decrease in the overall quality of literature. Do we require a certain kind of quality policing in the academy to counteract this trend?  

On the other hand, the production and publication of literature has material and ethical implications for our environment. What is the literary field’s relation to literal, physical trash? Do we as critics have an especial responsibility to check the impact of literature on the environment? 

The symposium will take place Thursday, November 14 (Thompson Room, Barker Center) and Friday, November 15 (Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall). Our keynote address will be delivered by Professor Caroline Levine (Cornell) and our conference will consist of three graduate student panels with faculty respondents. See the "program" tab for a detailed schedule of events and their locations. 

All are welcome to attend! Presenters are encouraged to invite friends and guests. Please contact englishcoordinator@g.harvard.edu if you have any questions.