Mar. 29—The annual Medieval Fair of Norman is next weekend, but the University of Oklahoma is hosting a public lecture to help residents learn more about the history before the fun.

Tonight at 6:30, the OU Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies is presenting “Whose Gender Is It? Constructing Characteristics and Personalities in Medieval Literature,” a study of how Chaucer and his contemporaries used gender in The Canterbury Tales and other early English stories.

Chaucer and some of his fellow contemporary authors enjoyed playing with gender and characteristics in their literary characters. In this talk we will explore those gender constructions and what might influence medieval authors in their character development.

Jason Lubinski, an assistant teaching professor at OU, will host the lecture. Lubinski is currently pursuing a Ph.D, and his dissertation is over the same topics he’ll cover tonight.

The lecture will be held at Norman Public Library East in the Community Room. Seating opens at 6:15, and no registration is necessary. If you can’t make it in person, the presentation will be livestreamed at https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/91497925617.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the Medieval Fair of Norman. The fair will run from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Admission is free.