Barrett Honors student Jillian Coronato’s English literature-focused thesis supported by honors projects funds

Jillian Coronato has been interested in medieval literature since she was a child.

“I loved reading books about fairy tales and mythical creatures, particularly unicorns, many of which can be traced back to the Middle Ages,” said Coronato, a senior English literature major in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University.

Through the years, her interest has grown, now with a particular focus on Geoffrey Chaucer, the great English narrative poet of the Middle Ages.

Coronato was introduced to Chaucer in a course she took last year with ASU English Prof. Richard Newhauser.

Chaucer is well-known for his work “The Canterbury Tales,” a collection of short stories told by a variety of fictional pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, the location of a holy site for Christians in England.

“I read a selection of these tales for Prof. Newhauser’s class and was captivated by Chaucer’s storytelling and the scholarly discourse surrounding his poetry,” Coronato said.

So enthralled was Coronato that she decided to include Chaucer’s work in her honors thesis. Under the guidance of Newhauser and Barrett Dean Tara Williams, for her thesis Coronato will conduct an analysis connecting three Middle English texts, one authored by Chaucer, that center on the literary trope called “the loathly lady”, a character who magically transforms from a wizened, ugly crone into a lovely young maiden.

“I am particularly interested in the aspects of feminine identity and hidden magical knowledge in the trope as it appears in the texts,” Coronato said.

Coronato received honors project funding from Barrett Honors College to help support work on her thesis and cover the costs of attending the New Chaucer Society’s Biennial Congress held in July in Pasadena, Calif., where she attended research sessions and met with other scholars.

“I was thrilled to receive this scholarship from Barrett to attend the New Chaucer Society Congress. The conference was held this year in Pasadena, so although I didn’t have to travel far, I still needed financial assistance with lodging, registration, and other incidentals. Barrett Honors Project funding helped make my experience possible,” she said. 

At the conference, Coronato attended sessions on Chaucer’s use of character in the Canterbury Tales, specifically his portrayal of the Wife of Bath, one of the main characters in the story, and how to teach students about her. She also learned about literary feminist and disability studies and how to apply them in reading and understanding Chaucer’s works.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in English literature, Coronato plans to study English literature at the graduate level and pursue a career in academia.

“I am deeply passionate not only about these texts, but also their continued relevance to contemporary audiences. It is crucial that we make the conversations surrounding these Middle English works accessible to non-academics as well as scholars and medievalists,” Coronato said.

“We have so much to gain from reading and interacting with historical literature. Doing so connects us across time with people of the past – people we can both learn from and relate to from our position in the present.”

Coronato encourages other Barrett students to apply for honors project funding.

“Once you have a project in mind, do your research and apply! It’s definitely worth it to take a chance on yourself.”

Find out more about financial assistance available to honors students to conduct their honors thesis, fund travel to a national conference, or to participate in the Celebrating Honors Thesis Symposium. Honors students from any ASU campus may apply.