Conference Theme:
The theme for this inaugural conference is general: papers cover his provocative essay "The Four Ages of Poetry"; aspects of medievalism in his novels; his influence on steamship communication between Britain and India; and there are three papers on his liberal, advanced theories of women's education and place in society.
Peacock, for those not too familiar with his literary work, influenced (among many others) Percy Shelley, John Keats, Lord Byron, George Meredith and (posthumously) Virginia Woolf, Norman Douglas, Rudyard Kipling, Aldous Huxley, Evelyn Waugh, Ray Bradbury, John Fowles and Gore Vidal.
See the conference programme at: http://www.thomaslovepeacock.net/conference/programme.

Featured Speakers:
Speakers include: Prof. Nicholas A. Joukovsky, editor of The Letters of Thomas Love Peacock (Oxford, 2001) and the world's leading Peacockian scholar; Sean McGlynn, a respected medievalist, and author of The Invasion of England 1216 (Sutton, forthcoming 2002) By Sword and Fire (Cassell, forthcoming 2002), and co-author of Atlas of Medieval History (Cassell, 1998); Dr Katherine Levin; several post-graduate students working on Peacockian theses; and more.

Abstracts of Papers:
To see some abstracts of papers, please go to: http://www.thomaslovepeacock.net/abstracts after 4 July.

Venue:
Apart from the associated events listed below, the venue is Room 477A, Humanities Wing, University of Tasmania, Hobart, in Sandy Bay.

Associated Events:
If you wish to attend any of these events, it is absolutely essential that you make a booking as early as possible.

On Thursday, the 4th of July, there will be a Symposium on the theme "What Good Has Come from America" held in the Aston Common Room, Jane Franklin Hall, beginning at 6.00 p.m. Numbers are restricted to twenty symposiasts, so please book early by writing to: symposium@thomaslovepeacock.net. For further details, please go to: http://www.thomaslovepeacock.net/symposium.

On the morning of Saturday, the 6th, there will be a Breakfast Seminar, from 8.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m., held at Hadleys Hotel, Hobart, which will feature a presentation (by video) from Prof. Nicholas A. Joukovsky. Please book early by writing to: breakfast@thomaslovepeacock.net. For further details, please go to: http://www.thomaslovepeacock.net/breakfast.

On the evening of Saturday, the 6th, there will be a Conference Dinner, also held at Hadleys Hotel, Hobart, from 8.00 p.m., which will feature a discussion on Peacock's poetry, and whether it be worth preserving, lead by Dr Philip Mead (senior lecturer in the English Dept. at the University of Tasmania, and co-editor of of The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Poetry (Penguin, 1991). Local jazz singer, Zoë Buckley, will sing some of Peacock's songs (with music by Informal). Please book early by writing to: dinner@thomaslovepeacock.net. For further details, please go to: http://www.thomaslovepeacock.net/dinner.

Regretably, the exorbitant charges of avaricious insurance companies prevented there being any official tour of cultural points of interest associated with the conference.

Accommodation:
The Tasmanian Government provides a guide to accommodation at http://www.tas.gov.au/subject/accom.htm.

Conference Costs:
Registration for students, unemployed, pensioners and those who cannot afford a higher fee, is $15.00; for academics and those who can afford it, the fee is $20.00. Costs to attend the symposium, breakfast seminar and official dinner are cheaper for those who register for the conference.
The cost to attend the symposium is $35.00 for delegates, and $40.00 for others.
The cost to attend the breakfast seminar is $22.00 for delegates, and $27.00 for others.
The cost to attend the dinner is $40.00 for delegates, and $45.00 for others.

Tasmania:
The island formerly known as Van Diemen's Land lies 42 degrees south of the equator and is the smallest State of the Commonwealth of Australia. National Parks cover 30% of the state, and over 20% of the state is listed within World Heritage Areas. Its foods and wines are gathering international renown for excellence. Unfortunately, what should be one of the most pleasant places on earth to inhabit or visit has at times been retarded by successive administrations of the island which, ever since white settlement, have too often been either corrupt, incompetent, inept or lazy, or a combination of these. Nonetheless, there are things which even supposedly democratic governments cannot ruin, and interstate and international visitors will certainly find much in Tasmania which is wonderful, delightful, and marvellous.
The Discover Tasmania site is at http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/, and a guide to World Heritage Areas, National Parks and Reserves by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service is at http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/whanat.html.
Tasmania has one of the world's ten best beaches (Wineglass Bay), according to US-based Outside Magazine. It has the world's best little town (Strahan), according to Chicago's Herald Tribune. It is rated as "the world's best temperate island" according to Condé Nast Traveler.
Live webcam views of Hobart and Mount Wellington can be found on Rose Bay High School's site at http://www.rosebay.tased.edu.au/camera.htm, and from the Wrest Point Hotel Casino at http://www.wrestpoint.com.au/webcam/ .
Australian Eastern Standard Time is ten hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Registration:
To register as a delegate, please go to Room 477A, of the Humanities Wing, at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, between 4.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, July 4th. You can also register by attending other sessions of the conference.
See the conference programme at: http://www.thomaslovepeacock.net/conference/programme.

The Society:
The Thomas Love Peacock Society attempts to popularise the eximious virtues of Peacock's novels and other works, as well as promoting the love of Classical learning which was a feature of his life and works.

Chief Conference Organiser: Informal, School of History and Classics, University of Tasmania, Hobart.

Please address all communications to:

            The Thomas Love Peacock Society,
            GPO Box 1189,
            Hobart TAS 7001
            Australia

      e-mail:

            conference@thomaslovepeacock.net; or
            informal@utas.edu.au.