22 January 2026, 6pm UK Time, via Zoom
Register: https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EzMc8b_SRAyyDFqMfHzqGg
London’s Minerva Press published many of the most popular novels
in Britain and Ireland between 1790 and 1830. Though remarkably
widely read, works by writers such as Isabella Kelly, Mary Charlton,
Elizabeth Meeke, and Anna Maria Mackenzie, among many others,
suffered critical condemnation at least in part because of their
association with the Minerva Press. As a result, titles like The Abbey
of St. Asaph (1795), Rosella (1799), The Abbey of Clugny (1795), and
Mysteries Elucidated (1795) have been marginalised in the literary
historiography of the Romantic period. However, as research is
increasingly showing, recovery of and close attention to these works
promises to flesh out our understanding of Romantic-era reading
habits as well as the critical perspectives that shaped the
contemporary literary marketplace and the received canon of
Romantic fiction. This roundtable seeks to contribute to this work
by highlighting individual Minerva novels, exploring the reasons for
their current neglect, and offering recommendations as to why they
should be more widely read.
Speakers: Beth Brigham, Bridget Donnelly, Hannah Hudson, Christina
Morin, Elizabeth Neiman, Sean O’Rourke