This volume represents the proceedings of a conference convened by the editors and held at Liverpool Hope University from 6 to 8 September 2005. With the exception of the Introduction, all of the chapters were read as papers at the conference. We are delighted that our plans to hold the conference, originally discussed in the early 1990s, came to fruition and wish to express our gratitude to all those who helped to make the conference a success. These include the scholars who gave papers at the conference and Dr Marjorie Chibnall whose presence in Liverpool graced the proceedings and who very kindly wrote the Introduction to this volume. We would like to thank them all for their contributions and their patience and understanding during the editorial process. We also wish to thank colleagues, including Dr Chris Lewis, who chaired sessions of the conference, Professor Edmund King for reading the paper of Professor Thomas N. Bisson (who was unable to attend the conference), and all who came to hear the papers and contribute to the discussions. Our thanks also go out to Liverpool Hope University for hosting and supporting the conference, in particular the Vice Chancellor and Rector, Professor Gerald Pillay, Mrs Anne Kermode for her impeccable, extensive and gracious administrative assistance, Dr John Appleby and Dr Fiona Pogson, the Research Committee for the award of a grant, and the conference office, catering, cleaning and portering staff who helped in a variety of ways.