The conference, organised by Professor Elizabeth Archibald, Dr Gareth Griffith and Professor Ad Putter of the Department of English, runs from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 July.  A public lecture on popular reaction to the Arthurian legend (free and open to all) will be given by the distinguished Arthurian scholar Richard Barber in the Great Hall of the Wills Memorial Building on Tuesday 26 July at 8pm. 

A wide-range of academic papers will be presented on the themes of Arthurian ideals and identities, late Arthurian romance, narrative techniques and styles, Arthurian manuscripts and early printed editions, Arthurian images and iconography, and the supernatural and spirituality in the Arthurian world.

The conference will also feature five plenary lectures by a truly international range of leading Arthurian scholars: Bart Besamusca  (University of Utrecht), Siân Echard (University of British Columbia), Christine Ferlampin-Acher (University of Rennes), Helen Fulton (University of York) and Andrew Lynch (University of Western Australia).

In addition, postgraduate students will be able to attend two masterclasses, one on publishing, given by Caroline Palmer (Boydell & Brewer) and Samantha Rayner (Anglia Ruskin University), and one on working with manuscripts and Arthurian texts in need of further study, given by Norris J. Lacy (Pennsylvania State University) and Keith Busby (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

Professor Archibald said: “We are delighted to be hosting this conference in the heart of Bristol, a thriving city with a rich medieval history.  It is also ideally located for a number of conference excursions to sites of Arthurian and medieval interest, including Glastonbury, South Cadbury, Caerleon, Chepstow, and Hereford.”