This day conference, hosted by the Sheffield Centre for Early Modern Studies, celebrates the 400th anniversary of Ben Jonson’s folio Workes (printed in 1616). Its publication was a landmark in English literary history, grouping together Jonson’s work in multiple genres, implicitly aligning him with the classic authors of the past, and embodying his writing in a monumental, thousand-page object.

The conference brings together specialists from a range of disciplines both to explore the text of the Workes and to consider Jonson in relation to the wider social and cultural forms of his day. These include music, the visual arts, clothing, and drinking, as well as the multimedia performance that was his 1618 walk to Scotland.

Session 1: Jonson, books and editing:

• Martin Butler (University of Leeds)
• Jane Rickard (University of Leeds)
• Matthew Steggle (Sheffield Hallam University)

Session 2: Jonson and other media (music, dress, painting):

• John Cunningham (Bangor University)
• Eleanor Lowe (Oxford Brookes University)
• Crosby Stevens (University of Sheffield)

Session 3: Jonson and sociability:

• Anna Groundwater (University of Edinburgh), James Loxley (University of Edinburgh) and Julie Sanders (Newcastle University), representing the ‘Ben Jonson’s Walk to Scotland’ project
• Tamsin Lewis and Passamezzo
• Phil Withington (University of Sheffield), representing the ‘Intoxicants and Early Modernity’ project

Registration is now available via the University of Sheffield’s online store. The cost (£15) includes lunch.

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