Katie Mennis

Thesis Title: Latin translations of English literature, 1580-1760

Supervisor: Professor Colin Burrow & Professor Stephen Harrison

Research interests: Early modern classical reception; neo-Latin; translation; the transformation of classical genres, especially epic; imitation and allusion; love lyrics and their settings; Shakespeare and Greek tragedy

Doctoral research: My thesis examines the translation of literature from English to Latin in the early modern period. This practice has been characterised as regressive, but in fact played an important part in canonising and exporting vernacular literary achievement. The translations provide unique test cases for mapping the relative statuses of classical and English languages, literatures, genres and authors across the period from the 1580s, when the first translation of The Shepheardes Calender was composed, to the 1750s, when the last complete translation of Paradise Lost was published. The authors discussed include Chaucer, Spenser, Fletcher, Herbert and Milton. 

Teaching: Currently a Stipendiary Lecturer in English at New College, I have experience teaching Paper 1 (Shakespeare), Paper 3 (1550-1660), and Classical Reception.