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 re-imagined for new audiences across cultural-linguistic borders. 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 a 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