Speakers -  Prof. Kalyan Kumar  Das
(Assistant Professor, Presidency University, Kolkata)

Speakers -  Prof. Shanta Dutta
(Department of English, Presidency University, Kolkata)

Speakers -
Prof. Sukanta Chaudhuri FBA
(Professor Emeritus, Jadavpur University, Kolkata)

Speakers -
Prof. Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty
(Vice-Chancellor, Presidency University, Kolkata)

Prof. Amrit Sen
(Department of English, Visva-Bharati University)

Moderator-  
Prof. Sumit Chakrabarti
(Department of English, Presidency University, Kolkata)

Speaker - Dr. Mousumi Mandal
(Assistant Professor, Department of English, Presidency University, Kolkata)

Speaker - Anirban Ray (Assistant Professor, Department of English, Presidency University)

Concept note:

In the departments of “English/Literatures in English” in Indian institutions, Classical, Biblical, and Oriental Studies have been influential for a long time. Studies in ancient Egypt have not been incorporated institutionally since Egyptology is not studied professionally in our academia. However, “Egyptomania” is a global phenomenon and ancient Egypt intrigues Indian scholars and travelers even when access to Egyptology - a multifaceted discipline involving empirical research and excavation - has been challenging for interested Indian readers.

Is it possible to apply “Egyptological reading(s)” in some specific texts which may also help the Indian students understand the networks of iconography, mythology, and borrowings which often maintain the differences between the Occident and the Orient? The discussion aims to look at three texts: (i) Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” (1818), (ii) Asterix and Cleopatra by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (1965-1969), and (iii) The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker (1903) and in each case, a comparative analysis will be attempted, striking a balance between Egyptological studies and textual appraisal.