Department of English

• Friday, September 11, 2026 - 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Fisher-Bennett Hall Faculty Lounge (room 135)

Please join us on Friday, September 11 for a talk by our very own Prof. Michael Gamer, which is titled "War, Peace, and the Agency of the Child/Animal Actor." Michael writes:

I’ve set this talk in the Peace of Amiens (1802-03), the fourteen-month cease-fire that divided the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815). Though officially a cessation of hostilities, both Britain and France spent the period re-arming themselves, and the resulting tensions of these times register palpably in the theater, that primary vehicle by which urban populations experienced the world beyond their ken. With this in mind, I will introduce you to the two most famous theatrical acts of this uneasy non-Peace and its aftermath: a Bernese mountain dog named Carlo, star of The Caravan (1803), and an eleven-year-old acting prodigy renowned for his performances of adult roles named Master William Henry West Betty. Both were celebrated stars drawing record crowds to their performances. Both gave indisputable proofs of heroism, daring, and genius. And both performed before audiences that were not willing to accord them full consciousness or agency. Was Carlo acting, and, if so, what constituted animal acting? Did Master Betty understand the adult emotions and motivations of the characters he performed? Coming primarily out of animal studies, my talk asks how focusing on performance might shift the ground from which we ask key questions about the human/animal and the adult/child divide.

Refreshments will be served. We hope to see you there!