'Byron: Humanism, Liberalism, Philhellenism' Fifth International Student Byron Conference 25–30 June 2007, Messolonghi

Abstract

The Fifth International Student Byron Conference was this year held in June. As usual, the conference featured an international cast, with attendees from the Czech Republic, Lebanon, the United States, Ireland, England, Scotland and Greece, both academic (from undergraduate to professor) and non-academic (from journalist to engineer). Undeterred by the -isms of the conference theme and undaunted by the unusually hot weather, the participants came together for yet another enlightening and enjoyable conference on Byron's life and works. The conference opened on Monday afternoon with the gathering of the participants in the lobby of the lagoon-side Theoxenia Hotel. Having exchanged salutations, participants boarded a coach bound for the town centre. After a tour of the Municipal Gallery of History and Art and the Diexodos Gallery, along with a quick visit to the eighteenth- century Monastery of St Simeon on the outskirts of town, the group proceeded to the beautiful neoclassical residence of the pillar of the local Byron Society, Mrs Sonia Bombota, and the internationally renowned decorator, Mr Nikos Yagiozis, for dinner. Those unaccustomed to the local hospitality and the native viands soon became admirers of the one and authorities on the other. With dinner finished, the company headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest. The academic portion of the conference commenced on Tuesday morning at the newly air-conditioned Byron Research Center. After introductory remarks by Mrs Rosa Florou (conference organiser), Professor M. Byron Raizis (President of the Messolonghi Byron Society and Joint President of the International Byron Society) and Professor Peter W. Graham (Director of International Relations at the Messolonghi Byron Research Center), the opening session displayed the diversity of topics encompassed by the conference theme. Session chair Professor Andrew Hubbell (Susquehanna) started things off with 'Byron: Mad, Bad ... and Green?'. Considering Byron's views of Greece in light of modern ecocritical thought, Hubbell argued forcefully for Byron's awareness of the interdependence of Greek culture and its surrounding natural environment - what Hubbell called the 'green thinking' at the centre of Byron's philhellenism. Next, Emily Maurer (Susquehanna) contested Byron's reputation as an antifeminist in her paper 'Byron's Views of Women'. By tracing the similarities between Don Juan and Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication, Maurer ably demonstrated that a commitment to female liberation was central to Byron's liberalism. Sarah Welteroth (Susquehanna) followed with 'Byron: An Advocator for Education', a discussion of the influence of Greek humanist ideals on Byron's poetry. Ashley Foerster (Virginia Tech) concluded with 'Byron at Messolonghi: The Public and Private Faces of Philhellenism'. Through close readings of Byron's final poems, Foerster revealed the personal and political motivations behind Byron's going to Greece. The session was punctuated by a coffee break, during which participants took the opportunity to admire the Research Center's ever-expanding library holdings, including the items recently donated by the Director of the Australian Byron Society, Mrs Jacqueline Voignier-Marshall. With the academic portion of the day finished, Tuesday afternoon found the conference participants in a less bookish locale - the scenic seaside village of Krioneri. For conference veterans, it proved a welcome return to a familiar spot. For conference firsttimers, it promised the first of many adventures over the next few days. After the bus ride, participants were ferried by fishing boat to a secluded beach at the base of Mount Varassova. Led by the intrepid Drew Hubbell, students climbed the steep, twisting trail leading from the beach to the beautiful eleventh-century cave church of Agios Nikolaos, which offered a stunning view of the surrounding area. There were a few stumbles on the way down, but the hikers did not much mind bruising their carcasses in honour of the ancients. …