Gender, Sexuality, and Literature (361-0-1)

Topic

Queering the Crown

Instructors

Jeffrey A Masten

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Queering the Crown: Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Their Afterlives
How can we think about the transhistorical nature of queerness in English culture? Moving from the Renaissance to the present, the course follows the literary careers of two influential tragedies -- Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and Shakespeare's adaptation and rewriting of it in Richard II - to think about the representation of queer kingship over time. Together we'll analyze theatrical revolutionary Bertolt Brecht's landmark early twentieth-century adaptation of Marlowe's play and its "alienation effect," twentieth-century productions and films of Marlowe tied to the early gay-liberation movement (Ian McKellen) and the early AIDS crisis (Derek Jarman's), and twenty-first century rewritings, including a companion play that incorporates figures in/against queer culture from Gertrude Stein, Harvey Milk, and Julie Andrews to Margaret Thatcher (Tom Stuart's play After Edward). We'll conclude with the recent gay rom-com "Red, White, and Royal Blue." Critical readings will delve into the history of sexuality, queer readership and book history, and theories of dramatic adaptation and performance.

Teaching Method

discussion and mini lectures

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area