Storytellers have been fascinated with the Trojan War for centuries: adapting it, rewriting it, inserting characters, reframing moments to speak to contemporary concerns. One such author was medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, best known for his Canterbury Tales. In this proseminar, we will read and discuss Chaucer’s Middle English masterpiece, Troilus and Criseyde, alongside a translation of one of his source texts, Boccaccio’s Filostrato. In thinking about tellings and retellings, we will also examine other adaptations of this story, from a performance of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida to contemporary poetic adaptations by Lavinia Greenlaw and Francesca Abbate. This course will explore adaptation theory and creative-critical work through hands-on applications of these theoretical approaches. Course evaluation will include class participation, a short oral presentation, and an essay written in MLA style.
- Enseignant·e: Kristen Haas Curtis