Haifa Fersi

I am a Tunisian teacher, playwright and amateur actress.

Academic Interests: Renaissance Studies, mainly the influence of the Arabic medieval works on European Renaissance, Art History, and Theatre Studies.
Research: My M.A. thesis is entitled "Lost in Cardenio: Authority and Rebellion in the 'Lost Play'."

A comparison between "The History of Cardenio" in Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote and Double Falsehood, edited by Lewis Theobald and published as William Shakespeare's lost play Cardenio, traces the evolution of the character that strives to become the author of his own story against the Law of the   Father/Author.

A close approach to the character reveals the metafictional power that he acquires in Cervantes' novel and how his rebellion is subdued in the English dramatic adaptation.

I argue that the story of Cardenio has a humanistic and aesthetic value and that it should be studied beyond the ongoing 'feverish' 'quest' for the mystified 'lost play', idolizing the encounter between the two giants of European Renaissance.

Internship: I worked as a Writing Assistant for RWIT (The Institute for Writing and Rhetoric)

Future Plans: I intend to go back to my home country to partake in the democratic reform processes through art and education.

I also want to pursue a PhD research in Comparative Literature about the influence of The Arabian Nights and other classical Arabic works on the European (Spanish and English) Renaissance.