ENGL.Q 141 - Adapting _King Lear_

(PEQ - English/Literature) This course uses Shakespeare’s King Lear as a case study in how artists and audiences repurpose old stories in light of new concerns. After closely studying Lear and Shakespeare’s source texts, we will explore how the play has been translated into other genres: lyric poetry, the novel (Jane Smiley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Thousand Acres), and film (Akira Kurosawa’s brilliant Ran). The course texts together raise a number of interdisciplinary topics, including mental health, the aging process, sexual abuse, sibling rivalry, war, and social justice.

Prerequisites & Notes
Course codes: BR.

Credits: 3