Department of 19th Century Literature

Research in this department focuses on Czech literature from the second half of the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century in the context of Central Europe. Members of the department also participate in the publication of contemporary works and resources concerning Czech literature and culture, as well as important works in the field that would otherwise remain inaccessible or that have yet to receive scholarly treatment. Members also participate in projects overseen by other related ICL departments (In the General Interest: Literary Censorship in Modern Czech Culture, for example, and the Critical Hybrid Edition of Mach’s May). In recent years, members of the department have focused mainly on an extensive team project, which aimed to discuss the role of the Dvůr Králové and Zelená Hora manuscripts in the development of Czech culture and art, within the context of European romantic nationalism (The Dvůr Králové and Zelená Hora Manuscripts in Culture and Art, 2018).

Members of the department (which was established in May 2010) organise professional lectures, interdisciplinary conferences, and colloquia – the Plzeň Symposium on 19th-Century Issues, for example –, as well as collaborating on exhibitions and teaching in the university context (the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, and Catholic Faculty of Theology at Charles University; Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University; Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; and University of Padua). In April 2017, an independent Germano-Bohemist team was established within the auspices of the department.