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On October 31 and November 1, Czech and foreign English scholars gathered in Pardubice to present the outcomes of their research and teaching activities at a conference in Pardubice. The conference, titled In and Outside the Frame, was held in Pardubice for the seventeenth time.

"In addition to seasoned teachers, there were also PhD students presenting their papers, who did not lag behind in the quality of their contributions, which is a great promise for the future of Czech English studies," said Alice Tihelková, a regular participant of the Pardubice conference. She represented the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB) together with two other members of the Department of Philological Studies of the Faculty of Philosophy, Ivona Mišterová and Iryna Nedainová.

And what were the topics presented by the Pilsen Anglophone experts? Ivona Mišterová gave a presentation on Shakespeare Inside Out: British and Czech Adaptations in New Contexts, in which she discussed an unconventional theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, emanating from the creative workshop of Roman Sikora called The Morning of the Magicians, which gives the traditional story a completely new setting and social context and thus brings it closer to a young audience. "It evokes themes of mystical power and transformation, which can serve as a perspective for a new look at (not only) Shakespeare's tragedy, " said the author of the paper.

Iryna Nedainova, a linguist who came to UWB from the University of Kharkiv, presented a very topical issue - in her paper Dynamics of President Zelensky's Discourse in the Course of War in Ukraine she focused on the changing nature of the linguistic means chosen by the Ukrainian president in his appeals for help from Western states. "Zelensky's speeches go beyond mere rhetoric and bring about significant discursive changes that stimulate institutional dialogues across Europe, " she explained.

Finally, Alice Tihelková introduced participants to the stereotypes within which poverty and the claims of the poor to state aid are conceptualised in the British public discourse. The paper was titled The Blameless and the Feckless: The Enduring Stereotypes of the Deserving and Undeserving Poor in Britain's Past and Present and, in addition to a historical perspective, offered an analysis of the current political and media debate on the phenomenon of poverty in the UK. "Reflecting on current events in English-speaking societies, for example by analysing public discourse on issues such as poverty, is both a great challenge and a never-ending task for Anglophone scholars, " she added.

The lively discussions over the papers gave rise to a number of opportunities for future collaboration between faculties not only at home but also abroad.