The Keble Debates | The Sonnet

The Keble Debates are a programme of termly conversations, bringing together leading figures from the worlds of theatre, fiction and poetry.

Endowed by Keble Honorary Fellow Robin Geffen (1976), the debates look to explore contemporary issues in the arts, and the way the arts engage with contemporary issues in wider society.

Having hosted successful debates in Michaelmas and Hilary terms focusing on How the poetry of the 20th century reflects the turbulent and often traumatic century (Hilary 2023) and What lessons can be learnt from Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Michaelmas 2022), Trinity Term saw the debate take on The Sonnet.

With guests Professor Christine Gerrard (St Hilda’s 1977), Chair of the English Faculty and Barbara Scott Fellow and Tutor in English, Lady Margaret Hall, and Keble Honorary Fellow Vincent Gillespie (1972), Emeritus JRR Tolkien Professor of English Literature and Language, the panel looked at when the Sonnet first began to influence English Literature, why it pulls on the imagination of poets and whether it is relevant for 20th and 21st century poetry.

Watching the lively debate between Professor Gerrard and Emeritus Professor Gillespie were students, alumni and academics from across the Collegiate Colleges.

If you missed it, you can view the Trinity Term Keble Debate here:

Watch this space…the Michaelmas 2023 Keble Debate will feature a best-selling novelist and biographer.