臺大外文系學術演講

NTU DFLL Faculty Colloquium

Title: “Let the Sky Rain Potatoes”: Shakespeare through Culinary History

Speaker: Prof. Sheila T Cavanagh (Emory University)

Moderator: Prof. Lilith Acadia王莉思助理教授 (National Taiwan University)

Time: 15:30~17:00, Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Venue: 1F DFLL Conference Room, Gallery of University History, NTU (臺大校史館1樓外文系會議室)

Abstract: Food plays an unexpectedly key role in Shakespeare’s works, regularly signaling important social, political, economic, and religious circumstances. Many of the plays use food to communicate matters of social importance and distinction. These markers are not always evident to modern audiences, but they help to illuminate critical social divides in the society of Shakespeare’s world. The preparation, availability and scarcity of food, play a significant part in the structure of the plays. Disputes involving food, for instance, often reveal interpersonal conflicts, frequently connected with competing hierarchies associated with status as well as domestic, political, financial, or social power. Both feast and famine regularly signal complex moral and ethical issues. While food is not the only marker of status or authority appearing in the drama, it draws attention to close ties between diet and social or political standing. Shakespeare and food offers a rich literary and culinary tour.

Bio: Sheila T Cavanagh is Professor of English at Emory University and Director of the World Shakespeare Project. She is the author of 3 books, most recently Multisensory Shakespeare and Specialized Communities (Arden Shakespeare 2024) and over a hundred essays focused on early modern literature, adaptation, exhibition design, pedagogy, and other topics. She holds a PhD from Brown University and recently completed a Master’s in Public History from Georgia State University.