Edition Spring Lecture 2026: Emily Wingfield In brief Date - 27 March 2026Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George Square (lecture); Centre for Research Collections (optional preceding workshop)Speaker - Professor Emily Wingfield (University of Birmingham)Chair - Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (Scottish & English Literature)Title - Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots Book your ticket on Eventbrite About the eventThe Edition Spring Lecture 2026 will be given by Emily Wingfield, Professor of English and Older Scots Literature at the University of Birmingham. It is titled 'Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots', and will include a discussion chaired by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh). It will be held in the Project Room 1.06, 50 George Square at 4pm to 5:30pm.The lecture will be preceded from 2pm until 3pm by an optional workshop at the Centre for Research Collections. This workshop is titled 'Reading and Writing Mary, Queen of Scots and Scotland's Royal Women'.Capacity for this workshop is limited, so please book separately for it and the Spring lecture below.About the lectureby Emily WingfieldIn this lecture I reflect on the initial steps I have taken to produce a new critical edition, and English translation, of the literary works of Mary, Queen of Scots.In addition to considering the need for and opportunities of such an edition, I also evaluate the challenges it poses, focusing here in particular on difficulties of authorship and attribution, and of capturing Mary's notable word play in translation.I concentrate especially on the notorious Casket Sonnets, thinking about: what place these texts might play in the canon of Mary's writings, how best to present and translate them, and how/why we might make a new case (or cases) for Marian authorship.About the workshopIn this workshop, we examine a range of items from Edinburgh University Library's Special Collections relating to writings by and about Mary, Queen of Scots, including copies of George Buchanan's De Maria Scotorum Regina and Ane Detectioun of the duinges of Marie Quene of Scottes, and the latter's publication of the Casket Sonnets (discussed in the later lecture).We set these volumes alongside additional Marian material, including copies of Mary's 1566 will, and letters sent to Elizabeth I, and alongside material relating to Scotland's royal women and/or their European counterparts (including a copy of Virgil's Aeneid associated variously with James III of Scotland, and James I's daughter, Eleanor), and a Book of Hours belonging to Anne of Brittany.About EditionEdition (formerly the Centre for the History of the Book) is a collaborative initiative at the University of Edinburgh supporting new research in all aspects of the history of the book, from traditional forms of bibliography, codicology and textual editing to the latest theoretical and digital innovations. Book your free ticket via Eventbrite Access and recordingPlease note that this lecture is a free, in-person event held on the University of Edinburgh campus. It will not be live streamed - tickets are for access to the venue. However, the lecture may be photographed and/or recorded and added to the University website afterwards. If you would prefer not to appear in any recordings, please contact us in advance or speak to us on the day. It's not a problem.After the eventWe may like to contact you in the future to hear what you thought of the lecture and invite you to other Edition events. Please mention at the time of booking if you are happy for us to do that.Are you interested in studying English Literature at LLC?Based in the first UNESCO City of Literature, we are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world. Study with us and you'll explore the varying and vital roles that literary writing plays in our lives and societies.We offer a range of single and joint honours undergraduate degrees, taught postgraduate degrees, and research-led pathways, including MSc by Research degrees and PhDs. Find out more about English Literature at Edinburgh Tags English and Scottish Literature Mar 27 2026 16.00 - 17.30 Edition Spring Lecture 2026: Emily Wingfield An in-person lecture (and optional preceding workshop) by Professor Emily Wingfield (University of Birmingham) entitled 'Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots'. The lecture will be followed by a discussion chaired by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (Scottish & English Literature). Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Book your free ticket on Eventbrite
Edition Spring Lecture 2026: Emily Wingfield In brief Date - 27 March 2026Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George Square (lecture); Centre for Research Collections (optional preceding workshop)Speaker - Professor Emily Wingfield (University of Birmingham)Chair - Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (Scottish & English Literature)Title - Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots Book your ticket on Eventbrite About the eventThe Edition Spring Lecture 2026 will be given by Emily Wingfield, Professor of English and Older Scots Literature at the University of Birmingham. It is titled 'Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots', and will include a discussion chaired by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh). It will be held in the Project Room 1.06, 50 George Square at 4pm to 5:30pm.The lecture will be preceded from 2pm until 3pm by an optional workshop at the Centre for Research Collections. This workshop is titled 'Reading and Writing Mary, Queen of Scots and Scotland's Royal Women'.Capacity for this workshop is limited, so please book separately for it and the Spring lecture below.About the lectureby Emily WingfieldIn this lecture I reflect on the initial steps I have taken to produce a new critical edition, and English translation, of the literary works of Mary, Queen of Scots.In addition to considering the need for and opportunities of such an edition, I also evaluate the challenges it poses, focusing here in particular on difficulties of authorship and attribution, and of capturing Mary's notable word play in translation.I concentrate especially on the notorious Casket Sonnets, thinking about: what place these texts might play in the canon of Mary's writings, how best to present and translate them, and how/why we might make a new case (or cases) for Marian authorship.About the workshopIn this workshop, we examine a range of items from Edinburgh University Library's Special Collections relating to writings by and about Mary, Queen of Scots, including copies of George Buchanan's De Maria Scotorum Regina and Ane Detectioun of the duinges of Marie Quene of Scottes, and the latter's publication of the Casket Sonnets (discussed in the later lecture).We set these volumes alongside additional Marian material, including copies of Mary's 1566 will, and letters sent to Elizabeth I, and alongside material relating to Scotland's royal women and/or their European counterparts (including a copy of Virgil's Aeneid associated variously with James III of Scotland, and James I's daughter, Eleanor), and a Book of Hours belonging to Anne of Brittany.About EditionEdition (formerly the Centre for the History of the Book) is a collaborative initiative at the University of Edinburgh supporting new research in all aspects of the history of the book, from traditional forms of bibliography, codicology and textual editing to the latest theoretical and digital innovations. Book your free ticket via Eventbrite Access and recordingPlease note that this lecture is a free, in-person event held on the University of Edinburgh campus. It will not be live streamed - tickets are for access to the venue. However, the lecture may be photographed and/or recorded and added to the University website afterwards. If you would prefer not to appear in any recordings, please contact us in advance or speak to us on the day. It's not a problem.After the eventWe may like to contact you in the future to hear what you thought of the lecture and invite you to other Edition events. Please mention at the time of booking if you are happy for us to do that.Are you interested in studying English Literature at LLC?Based in the first UNESCO City of Literature, we are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world. Study with us and you'll explore the varying and vital roles that literary writing plays in our lives and societies.We offer a range of single and joint honours undergraduate degrees, taught postgraduate degrees, and research-led pathways, including MSc by Research degrees and PhDs. Find out more about English Literature at Edinburgh Tags English and Scottish Literature Mar 27 2026 16.00 - 17.30 Edition Spring Lecture 2026: Emily Wingfield An in-person lecture (and optional preceding workshop) by Professor Emily Wingfield (University of Birmingham) entitled 'Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots'. The lecture will be followed by a discussion chaired by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (Scottish & English Literature). Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Book your free ticket on Eventbrite
Mar 27 2026 16.00 - 17.30 Edition Spring Lecture 2026: Emily Wingfield An in-person lecture (and optional preceding workshop) by Professor Emily Wingfield (University of Birmingham) entitled 'Initial Steps Towards an Edition of the Poetry and Related Writings of Mary, Queen of Scots'. The lecture will be followed by a discussion chaired by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri (Scottish & English Literature).
