Silence: A Literary History
Date & Time
Sat, 21 Mar 2026
19:00
Venue
Oxford University Mathematical Institute: Lecture Theatre 3
Tickets
Get ticketsAbout this event
Kate McLoughlin explores the role and representation of silence in literature. An academic examination of how silence functions as a literary device, cultural phenomenon, and means of communication across different periods and genres.
Why you should come
AI-powered• Hear Professor Kate McLoughlin analyze 12 centuries of silence in English literature
• Learn how medieval lyricists used lullabies to express complex theological notions
• Discover how Shakespeare and Anglo-Saxon poets utilized silence as a literary tool
Event Highlights
- •A journey through 1,200 years of English literature focusing on the theme of silence
- •Analysis of silence in works ranging from Anglo-Saxon poems to Shakespeare
- •Exploration of silence as a response to war and a form of political protest
- •Insights into how medieval lyricists used lullabies for theological expression
Speaker
Kate McLoughlin
Professor in English literature at the University of Oxford
Programme
Silence: A Literary History
A one-hour lecture exploring the power and possibilities of silence across 12 centuries of literature.
Organized by: Oxford Literary Festival