Modern Literature & Culture Research Centre & Gallery

1.

A Landmark Gift of 20 War Quilts

MLC Archive received a donation of 20 war quilts, establishing the largest collection of Canadian war quilts in the world. Crafted by Canadian women during World War II, they are integral to the MLC’s “Repatriating Canadian War Quilts” project.

2.

High Impact Research

Read about MLC’s high research impact including the collaborative study “How to Dress the Body Artfully,” Karen Mulhallen’s In Memory, Ingrid Mida’s Reading Fashion in Art recognized by Art in America, and an Arte-commissioned TV documentary on Baroness Elsa.

3.

Literary Response to the Trump-Era

“How to be a Woman During the Trump Era” explored American literature’s reaction to the tumultuous Trump era through a public colloquium as part of English 417, featuring insights from Pulitzer Prize winner Carlos Lozada.

4.

Telling COVID-19 Stories

The SSHRC-funded Telling COVID-19 Stories initiative involved the training of a new team of ten members in partnership with TMU Library, while forging new international networks in COVID-19 studies.

5.

Jason Wang’s TTC Revelation in Toronto Life

Postdoctoral fellow Jason Wang transforms a personal experience reporting an assault to the TTC into an evocative essay for Toronto Life Magazine, shedding light on an important social issue.

6.

Ruth Loggie’s War Diary

The SSHRC-funded Operation Canada Digital Project showcases the 1915 war diary of Canadian nurse Ruth Loggie. Discover the diary through the MLC’s digital Archive.

7.

Emily of New Moon Centennial

Marking the 100th anniversary of Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon in 2023, New York Times’s Elisabeth Egan interviewed experts, including Irene Gammel, on the belated appreciation of the oft-overlooked novel.

8.

MLC Welcomes New Voices

The MLC welcomed diverse new members including doctoral student Chris Tarantino, coordinator Brenda Aleman, Angela Larosa, Jeanette LaPolla, Jasleen Brar, Wai Yin Ho, Sana Munir, along with the Fashion Studies group led by Jaclyn Marcus.

9.

MLC Impact Report 2023

For highlights of achievements such as hosting 37 international speakers, training 39 HQP, and creating an international advisory board, along with notable publications and conference contributions, see our MLC’s Impact Report: A Year of New Connections.

10.

The MLC’s Next Frontier

The MLC will be launching the Telling Covid-19 Stories database in the spring 2024. For updates, become a member and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MLC_Research.

 

To become involved, contact me at gammel@torontomu.ca.

Twitter @MLC_Research         Facebook @MLCRC        Instagram  @mlc_research

Recent News

Gaurangi Batish joins MLC

Gaurangi Batish joins MLC

Gaurangi aspires to articulate the centre’s core values and vision through her contributions to the centre’s social media platforms.

Caitlin O’Keeffe joins MLC

Caitlin O’Keeffe joins MLC

At the MLC, Caitlin is excited to explore modernist women artists, the modernism archive and collection of modernist ephemera.

Cigdem Asatekin MacInnis joins MLC

Cigdem Asatekin MacInnis joins MLC

Cigdem joins the MLC and will be involved in research administration, exhibitions and events.

Amina Chaudhry joins MLC

Amina Chaudhry joins MLC

Amina assists Dr. Irene Gammel with her course ENG 710 Special Topics in Canadian Literature: Contemporary Life Writing.

The Great War in Literature and Visual Culture

MLC Themes

The Great War in Literature and Visual Culture

Amid the unprecedented social change of World War I, women renegotiated their identities by dramatically changing the way they engaged with the arts. But how did they do so? And how did everyday citizens engage with the war?
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven

MLC Themes

Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven

Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, considered by many to be the mother of Dada, was a daringly innovative poet and an early creator of junk sculpture. “The Baroness” was best known for her sexually charged, often controversial performances.
Modernism in the World

MLC Themes

Modernism in the World

Recent research has departed from the Euro-centric and national view of Modernism to include approaches and methods studying Modernism across national boundaries and across different art forms to include fashion, dance, performance, technology, and visual culture.
Lucy Maud Montgomery

MLC Themes

Lucy Maud Montgomery

L.M. Montgomery is perhaps Canada's most important literary export. She was prolific writer of over 500 short stories and poems, and twenty novels, including the beloved Anne of Green Gables.
Canadian Modernism

MLC Themes

Canadian Modernism

The works of numerous Canadian authors who lived during the modernist era may well constitute the most central and experimental articulation of Canadian modernism in prose, allowing authors to stage cross-cultural, controversial, and even conflicted identities.
Modernist Biography and Life Writing

MLC Themes

Modernist Biography and Life Writing

Life writing, including autobiographical accounts, diaries, letters and testimonials written or told by women and men whose political, literary or philosophical purposes are central to their lives, has become a standard tool for communication and the dissemination of information.