The purpose of this
project is to address the following question: How can we restore
the drama and culture of the Restoration Era and the Eighteenth
Century for a modern audience? How and why are these texts still
relevant today? Your project should seek to solve this problem
in 6-10 pages (1800-3,000 words), which may constitute any of
the following:
Option 1: Traditional Paper
a
research paper on one or two dramas (perhaps, but not
necessarily) on the performance history/aspects of one or
two plays, or;
an essay that
features close analysis of one or two dramas.
Option 2: Creative
Work that incl. a Cover Letter
creative
writing on or about one or two dramas, or;
an
annotated version of one or two scenes from a drama,
including research references, or;
a
dramatic recording or enactment of a dramatic scene, or;
or
any other project that seeks to restore to one or two dramas
we have read this session for a modern audience.
For Option 2 only, you
must write a cover letter (at least 1.5 pages). This cover
letter should explain what is included in your project
(you may, for example, include multiple types of writing), and
include all the elements of a traditional essay (see criteria
below). In other words, analyze your own creative work and tie
it to at least one of the dramas we read in this class. You
should make an argument about the meaning of your creative work
(analyze it as if it were a literary work); tie it
specifically to the original text/author; and maybe cite at
least one scholarly, peer-reviewed source and/or scholarly
debate.
Sample Questions to prompt you to create your own topic:
Class & Gender: In what ways do sex, gender, and
class intersect in one or two plays? What is the monetary value
of each character, and in what ways does that influence how they
express their gender identity (themselves as men and women)?
Other ways to narrow down this topic might be to consider one or
more the following questions: What is the function of the
prostitute in one or two plays? What is the significance
of promiscuity?
Generations: What role does generational
difference play in one or two plays? Consider the role of
cuckolding in each play.
Religion: What might the absence of religious
discourse in The Rover, The Country Wife,
and Venice Preserved say about the function of theater
during the Restoration Era?
Gender Identity: How do Behn's and/or Centlivre's
portrayal of gender identity differ from Wycherley and Otway's?
In what ways do women negotiate themselves into roles that are
not sacrificial (or does Behn also depict the "defenseless
woman" as an icon of societal representation)?
Tragedy: What is the tragedy of modern society that
Otway and Lillo attempt to teach modern audiences? What about
this early modern world needs to change in order to restore
virtue and justice?
Marriage: What might Restoration writers be expressing
about their concerns regarding marriage? What does
marriage represent in Restoration society? Other ways to narrow
done this topic would be to consider time period, or male vs.
female writers. For example, compare Behn or Wycherley's idea of
marriage with Centlivre or Lillo's. In what ways do their ideals
for marriage differ? In what ways do women playwrights differ in
their depiction of marriage to male playwrights?
Comedy vs. Tragedy: In what ways does comedy afford
women characters more freedom, as opposed to a tragedy?
Friendship: What role does same-sex friendship play in
one or two dramas? How is homosociality represented in
both plays, and what is their relationship to the plays' major
themes or issues?
Research Questions:
- Audience: What was audience reaction to these dramas,
and what does this reaction tell us about ideas about gender in
the time period
- Orthography: Why is Restoration era spelling so
different, and why are their printing practices so different than
ours?
Grading
Criteria:
CONTENT / 50:
1. Originality
2. Argumentative Thesis
3. Introduction Prepares Reader for Following
Paragraphs
4. Logical Structure / Logical Progression of
Ideas
5. Appropriate Evidence and Examples
6. Each Supporting Paragraph is United around a Main
Idea
7. Clarity and
Sophistication of Thought
8. Conclusion Reminds Reader of the Importance of the
Essay
9. Understanding
of Scholarly Issues in Restoration and 18th-century drama