Beauty & Betrayal: Gendered Transformations in Translated & Adapted World Literatures

What constitutes a "good" translation or adaptation? To answer this highly contested question, our course will explore what happens when a treasured work of literature is reimagined for new audiences across cultural-linguistic boundaries. We'll consider how to define the core identity of an "original" work, asking ourselves what aesthetic and ethical measures should be used to judge the work's transformation. What roles do pleasure and power play in the re-formation of an important work of literature? What transformations constitute betrayal of the original, and how do gendered expectations shape our assessment of a work as beautiful--or beastly?

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

2 - Literature

2 - Translation Studies