{"id":221,"date":"2026-04-30T17:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T21:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsci.utk.edu\/marcoinstitute\/?p=221"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T21:15:17","slug":"21st-annual-marco-symposium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsci.utk.edu\/marco\/21st-annual-marco-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"21st Annual Marco Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cThe Roland Tradition: From History to Legends, From King Charles to Stephen King<strong>\u201c<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 10-11, 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Toyota Auditorium, Howard Baker Center<br>University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marco Symposium is the Institute\u2019s premier annual event, and is held every year in March or April. The Symposium brings leading experts in their field to the University of Tennessee for two days of talks on that year\u2019s theme, and concludes with a round-table discussion by all the participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year\u2019s Symposium celebrates the partnership between the Marco Institute and the Centre d\u2019\u00e9tudes sup\u00e9rieures de civilisation m\u00e9di\u00e9vale (CESCM) at the Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers, a research institute similarly dedicated to interdisciplinary studies of Middle Ages (literature, history, art history, philosophy, musicology, archaeology, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The topic of the 21st annual Marco Symposium is&nbsp;<em><strong>The Roland Tradition: From History to Legend, From King Charles to Stephen King<\/strong><\/em>, organized by&nbsp;<strong>Pascale Drouet<\/strong>&nbsp;(Poitiers),&nbsp;<strong>Matthew Bryan Gillis<\/strong>&nbsp;(History), and&nbsp;<strong>Anne-H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Miller<\/strong>&nbsp;(Riggsby Director). This Symposium explores the dynamic tradition of the eponymous hero from The Song of Roland. Scholars of literature and languages, history, music, film, art history and religion examine numerous manifestations of Roland from his medieval beginnings as Charlemagne\u2019s brave but betrayed paladin to Stephen King\u2019s famous gunslinger, Roland Deschain, from&nbsp;<em>The Dark Tower<\/em>&nbsp;series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symposium Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Friday, April 10<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9:15am<\/strong>&nbsp;Welcome and Opening Remarks<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9:30-10:45am \u2013 Session 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rachel May Golden<\/strong>\u00a0(Musicology, University of Tennessee), \u201cThe Oliphant Reverberates: Negotiations of Sound, Time, and Place in\u00a0<em>Chanson de Roland<\/em>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corinne Lamour<\/strong>\u00a0(CESCM, Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers), \u201cSounding or Blowing: Physiopathological Issues in the Chanson de Roland\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>11:00am-12:15pm \u2013 Session 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Margaux Laproye<\/strong>\u00a0(CESCM, Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers) \u201cA New Judas: The Ganelon Figure, Traitor and Double Agent\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Matthew Bryan Gillis<\/strong>\u00a0(History, University of Tennessee), \u201cThe Battle of Roncevaux in the\u00a0<em>Karolellus<\/em>, the Metrical Version of Pseudo-Turpin\u2019s\u00a0<em>Historia Karoli Magni et Rotholandi<\/em>\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1:30-2:45 \u2013 Session 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Alexis Minault<\/strong>\u00a0(CESCM, Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers) \u201cThe Epic Horizon of the Duel between Roland and Ferragut: From Visual Legend to a Process of Historicization\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anne-H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Miller<\/strong>\u00a0(Riggsby Director, Marco Institute), \u201cPrequels, Sequels, and Reboots of the Old French\u00a0<em>Roland<\/em>\u00a0in Occitan\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Saturday, April 11<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9:15am<\/strong>&nbsp;Welcome and Opening Remarks<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9:30-10:45am \u2013 Session 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Samuel Gleason<\/strong>\u00a0(English, University of Tennessee), \u201cRecasting Roland: The Middle English Fragment and the Epic Tradition in Late Medieval England\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Katherine Zieman<\/strong>\u00a0(CESCM, Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers), \u201cRoland in Yorkshire: Charlemagne Romances in the London Thornton Manuscript\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>11:00am-12:15pm \u2013 Session 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Harrison Meadows<\/strong>\u00a0(WLC Spanish, University of Tennessee), \u201cRoland\u2019s Asturian Foil: Staging Ibero-Carolingian Encounters in Early Modern Spanish Drama\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mathilde Fabre<\/strong>\u00a0(CESCM, Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers), \u201cFrom French\u00a0<em>Chanson de Geste<\/em>\u00a0to English Victorian Poem: An Analogy Between\u00a0<em>The Song of Roland<\/em>\u00a0(11th century) and Browning\u2019s \u2018Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came\u2019 (1855)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1:30-2:45 \u2013 Session 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pascale Drouet<\/strong>\u00a0(CESCM, Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers), \u201cRoland and the Epic: From Medieval Narrative to Frank Cassenti\u2019s 1978 Screen Adaptation\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sarah Yancey<\/strong>\u00a0(English, University of Tennessee) \u201cKa is a Wheel:\u00a0<em>The Song of Roland<\/em>\u2019s Afterlife in Stephen King\u2019s\u00a0<em>Dark Tower<\/em>\u00a0Series\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3:00-4:00pm<\/strong>&nbsp;Roundtable Discussion<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keynote Lecture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cRoland Between a Medieval Scribe and a Modern King: Medieval Holy Warrior to Modern Gunslinger\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Matthew Gabriele<\/strong>&nbsp;(Virginia Tech)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Friday, April 10, 5:30pm<\/strong><br>Lindsay Young Auditorium, Hodges Library<br>University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Registration Information:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 symposium will be held in person in the Toyota Auditorium of the Howard Baker Center, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The keynote will be held in the Lindsay Young Auditorium at Hodges Library. All events are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please email&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:marco@utk.edu\">marco@utk.edu<\/a>&nbsp;with questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the annual Marco Symposium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marco Symposium is held every year in March or April. The Symposium brings leading experts in their field to the University of Tennessee for two days of talks on that year\u2019s theme. A round-table discussion by all the participants concludes the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Symposium is Marco\u2019s signature event of the year, and typically attracts members of the larger Knoxville community in addition to students and faculty at UT and scholars from across the region. The theme of the Symposium changes each year. Faculty who are interested in submitting a proposal should contact&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:marco@utk.edu\">marco@utk.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe Roland Tradition: From History to Legends, From King Charles to Stephen King\u201c April 10-11, 2026 The Toyota Auditorium, Howard Baker CenterUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville The Marco Symposium is the Institute\u2019s premier annual event, and is held every year in March or April. The Symposium brings leading experts in their field to the University of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>21st Annual Marco Symposium - The Marco Institute for Medieval &amp; Renaissance Studies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/artsci.utk.edu\/marco\/21st-annual-marco-symposium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"21st Annual Marco Symposium - The Marco Institute for Medieval &amp; Renaissance Studies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe Roland Tradition: From History to Legends, From King Charles to Stephen King\u201c April 10-11, 2026 The Toyota Auditorium, Howard Baker CenterUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville The Marco Symposium is the Institute\u2019s premier annual event, and is held every year in March or April. 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