Toronto Eighteenth-Century Group

Active on the UofT campus for over 50 years, the Toronto Eighteenth-Century Group (TECG) promotes interdisciplinary knowledge of long eighteenth-century literature and culture by inviting visiting scholars, local faculty, and graduate students to present their research in a collegial environment. Membership is open to faculty, graduate students, and independent scholars from across the GTA. Visitors are always welcome.
We hope you will join us!

Toronto Eighteenth-Century Group Events 2026-2027
-- All TECG talks are held at the Victoria University Common Room --
89 Charles St. West, on the NE corner of UofT’s campus.
Click here for directions.
The Common Room is accessible through the doors on the south side of Burwash Hall. Signs will be posted.

Thursday, October 1, 2026 | 4:30 pm refreshments | 5:00 pm talk
Katherine Binhammer, Professor of English, University of Alberta
"Feminist Literary History in the Digital Age: Eighteenth-Century Women Writers and Orlando"
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Abstract: Did women need a room of their own to write, as Virginia Woolf claimed? This talk draws upon a collaborative research project to produce the first volume (pre-1780) of a four-volume feminist literary history of women’s writing in Britain and Ireland, the narrative companion to Orlando’s digital textbase. The volume harnesses the power of Orlando's encoding to test the 'chestnuts' of feminist literary history, including Woolf's. Is the novel the gateway genre into print culture? What can we learn about the 'average' woman writer by synthesizing the lives of almost 400 early women writers? The talk answers these questions by introducing new evidence and data visualizations, resulting in fresh insight into the material conditions of gender and its intersections.

Thursday, February 25, 2027 | 4:30 pm refreshments | 5:00 pm talk
Emily Nacol, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
“Title TBA”
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Abstract: TBA

Graduate Student Reading Group
Local graduate students in eighteenth-century studies have formed a reading group,
which meets before each TECG talk to discuss a reading recommended by the speaker.
New members are always welcome!
For more information, please contact: Rebecca Dillon