Seminar: Orlando

Orlando, Sally Potter's 1992 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel, has been called "the most subversive history film ever made." 

Author Alysia Abbott will place the film in the context of queer art house cinema, discussing its non-linear structure, its gender-bending protagonist, and performances by gay icon Quentin Crisp and a then up-and-coming 

About Alysia Abbott: 

Alysia Abbott teaches literature and writing at Emerson College and MassArt, with a particular focus on queer studies. Her book, Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, was adapted into a film produced by Sofia Coppola and released nationally in 2025. Her memoir describes being raised by a single father in San Francisco during the 1970s and 80s. She has also published essays on memoir, media and culture for WBUR's Cognoscenti, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe.