Call for Papers

The Trollope Society Conference 2026

Trollope: The Law and Transgression

Friday 26th – Saturday 27th March 2026
Magdalene College, Cambridge

What does it mean to uphold the law, or break it, in the world of Anthony Trollope? His novels are filled with judges, barristers, contracts, and contested wills, but also with quiet (or not-so-quiet) acts of moral, social and religious defiance. Trollope presents legal institutions and transgressive acts not simply as plot mechanisms but as part of the moral and emotional fabric of his society.

Professor Dinah Birch CBE, BA, MA, DPhil, FRSA, FEA

Professor Dinah Birch will open the conference.

Professor Dinah Birch is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool. She chaired REF2014 Sub-panel 29 (English Literature and Language) and was Deputy Chair of Main Panel D (Arts and Humanities), and Chair of Main Panel D in REF 2021.

Dinah has published widely on Victorian fiction and poetry. She has published new editions of  Anthony Trollope’s Can You Forgive Her? (2012) and The Small House at Allington (2014) with Oxford University Press and her latest book, Anthony Trollope: A Very Short Introduction was published in March 2025.   She served as a member of the Man Booker prize panel in 2012. She is a regular broadcaster and contributor to the Times Literary Supplement and London Review of Books.

Call for Papers

The Trollope Society invites proposals for papers, panels, and alternative formats exploring the theme of Law and Transgression in Trollope’s work. We welcome proposals from members, academics, independent scholars, and general readers alike.

Papers might consider:

  • Legal professions and the role of the law in Trollope’s fiction
  • Representations of transgression: moral, social, sexual, or religious
  • Justice, injustice, and reform
  • Crime and punishment in Trollope’s novels
  • Trollope’s interest in contracts, inheritance, wills, and property
  • How Trollope’s characters challenge, or conform to, legal or social expectations
  • Trollope’s own experience with or views on the law

Sessions will be 50 minutes in total. We welcome:

  • 40-minute papers followed by Q&A
  • Joint proposals for two 20-minute papers
  • Roundtable discussions
  • Readings or performances
  • Other engaging and accessible formats

Proposal guidelines

  • Proposals: max 300 words
  • Include a brief biography (c. 50 words) for each speaker
  • Deadline: 30 September 2025

Call for papers

Name
Email(Required)
Format(Required)

Include a brief biography (c. 50 words) for each speaker.
Maximum 300 words (2,000 characters)