Living Literature
Living Literature is an annual series of events from the School of Advanced Study, University of London, bringing an iconic literary work to life by using research expertise to create an immersive and theatrical world for audiences to explore.
Living Literature
Based on the model of immersive theatre, Living Literature breaks down the barriers between audience and researcher, and between audience and work of art, by creating dynamic, participatory avenues for audiences to discover key ideas, themes, histories, and contexts. Moving beyond the idea of an audience passively listening to a single expert, these multidisciplinary, experiential, dynamic, educational experiences immerse audiences in the world and ideas of an iconic work of art, breaking down perceived barriers between study and enjoyment.
Living Literature is currently taking a break. Take a look at some of the previous Living Literature events below.
Living Frankenstein (2018)
In a year celebrating Leading Women, 2018's Living Literature transformed Senate House into a late-night epic thriller bringing to life the world of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Participants were treated to chilling ghost stories by candlelight as our experts set the scene of that night in the ‘year without a summer’ at the Villa Diodati, where the first version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was created, walked through Victor Frankenstein’s rooms in Ingolstadt, got to relive the birth of the monster, and learnt about the scientific and medical innovations of the period that provided inspiration for Shelley through talks and activities led by gothic experts.
Supported by the Convocation Fund, the Hilde Hume Fund and the University of London’s Leading Women Campaign.
Living Frankenstein
In Search of Lost Time (2017)
In 2017, Living Literature welcomed audiences to explore Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time. Senate House was transformed labyrinthine universe where erotic desire and scientific method combine, with attendees surrounded by the scents, fashions and music of the belle époque, feasting on food inspired by In Search of Lost Time and sipping linden tea cocktails.
The Great Gatsby (2016)
In 2016, Living Literature launched with a celebration of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Audiences were invited to travel back in time to 1922, exploring the tastes, sights, smells and sounds of Gatsby’s lost world, with guidance from experts in the history of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Prohibition-era New York.
The Great Gatsby event
Living Literature: The Great Gatsby
