Cypris Roalsvig

Cypris graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in English Literature and MA in Classics, with a focus on reception of Greek and Roman literature in late medieval and early Italian Renaissance. Their Master’s thesis researches the queer undertones of Orpheus’ backwards glance and his reception as a figure of artistic creation in 20th German poetry and 21st French film. They are interested in tracing the connection between translation and trans theory by studying both ancient and modern queer poets.

At UCSB, their “Literature and Theory” emphasis is an interdisciplinary degree in literature, theory, and cultural studies, in addition to the philology of the classical languages, includes fields such as cultural anthropology, literary criticism, feminist theory, and theory of drama. Cypris researches and teaches ancient Mediterranean mythology and literature through its queer and feminist reception from a social justice and reformative action perspective. For their dissertation, and therefore central predoctoral research, they consider Catullus, a Latin poet of the Late Republic, within a framework of queer and trans theories of identity, narrative, time and performance. They hope to subvert the hegemonic voices in Classics and and to make room for more diverse interpretations, by continuing work to diversify the depth and spectrum of gender studies in ancient literature during their graduate studies.