Unit I Essay Assignment (due Thursday 2/12 at 1 p.m.)

Other due dates:

Prospectus specifying questions and mode of inquiry (via email or hardcopy, Thursday 2/5)

Instructions: Write a 3.5-5 page (875-1250 words) essay on Sophocles’ Oedipus, Euripides’ Medea, or both dramas. The goal of this argumentative paper is to demonstrate your fluency in original literary analysis and understanding of the features of Classical drama that emerge after close interpretation. Some of the prompts are written in a comparative manner to encourage argumentative, critical thinking and to discourage plagiarism. You may, however, write an essay just on one of the plays. Please read the evaluative criteria at the end of this document. All essays should cite pertinent evidence and analyze the technical aspects of the texts and try to specify their meaning/answers; see How to Cite Drama.

The following are merely prompts; this means they should prompt you into formulating your own specific questions which you can begin to explore in the prospectus. Choose one of the following topics:

1. Design your own topic! This is strongly encouraged, since students write better essays when they write about something they cherish.

2. Who, according to Aristotle’s definition of tragic character in Poetics (or, your own carefully articulated one), is the ideal tragic character—Oedipus or Medea? Which figure epitomizes, for you and/or Aristotle, the meaning of tragedy more fully?

3. Analyze either Oedipus the King or Medea. What does the tragedy say about the religious, political, or civic values of its audience? What, according to this tragedy, does the audience hope for and fear?

4. Analyze the motif of eyes, seeing, and blindness in Oedipus the King. To what ephemeral truths does Sophocles want to open his audience’s eyes?

5. What does Medea signify about the status of women, foreigners, and non-citizens in ancient Athens? Compare Medea as a female character to Jocasta. In what ways might these characters, singly and as a composite, be seen to represent the conditions actual women might have experienced in Athenian society?

6. What do the Oedipus the King and Medea signify about leadership/kingship (perhaps versus democracy)?

7. What is the meaning of infanticide in Oedipus the King and Medea? What kinds of social, cultural, and/or political problems does infanticide allegorize? 

Unit III Essay: Modern European Theater

Instructions: Write a 4-7 page (1100-1800 word) essay on Ibsen’s A Doll House, Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, and/or Churchill’s Cloud Nine. The goal of this argumentative paper is to demonstrate your fluency in original literary analysis and understanding of the features of modern European drama that emerge after close interpretation. You are strongly urged to write a comparative paper that treats two of the plays that we have read thus far to encourage argumentative, critical thinking and to discourage plagiarism. You may, however, write an essay just on one of the plays (but not all three).

This final essay will count for 30% of your final grade. I suggest that you read the Appendix (p. 947-56) for how to write about theater; it has some essay examples from Churchill and Ibsen. Like most literary interpretive papers, your essay should offer textual support and clearly articulated arguments. Unlike papers treating novels, short stories, or poems, your essay should consider the techniques of theater, including gesture/stage direction, setting, and the possibilities for interpretation that emerge from performance. If you are struggling to find the significance for a thesis (a.k.a. the ‘so what?’ of any good controlling idea), consider the purpose of modern European drama; what purpose does it serve, how does it critique society, and why might audiences have been shocked by it?

The following are merely prompts; this means they should prompt you into formulating your own specific questions which you can begin to explore in the prospectus. Choose one of the following topics:

1. Design your own topic (preferably on two of the dramas we’ve read thus far)! This is strongly encouraged, since students write better essays when they write about something they cherish.

2. Is A Doll House a feminist play? Clearly articulate what you mean by feminist. Comparing Ibsen’s drama to the idea of the Victorian woman in Churchill would provide an even stronger case for your argument. You might consider the ways in which these plays treat the nineteenth-century “woman question,” which queries whether or not women engaging in public life can still retain their “femininity” (i.e., their traditional roles as mothers and wives); according to this credo, Nora leaving her family is a clear example of what happens when women gain independence. Alternatively, you might explore the homosocial (female-female, or male-male) relationships in two different plays; does gender equality start with gender alliances, or are groups of men and women divided to begin with (and why)?

2. What is the tragedy of the ‘modern family’ according to Ibsen, Brecht, and/or Churchill? Which playwright offers the most plausible ‘solution’ to overcoming and/or avoiding familial tragedy? How are motherhood and fatherhood portrayed? Why is modern marriage in a state of crisis? Why is the modern European drama (as it originated in the nineteenth century) so preoccupied with the issue of parentage and inheritance?

3. What roles do work and economics play in Ibsen and/or Brecht? How does work inform characters’ identities? Does work have a positive or negative effect on social progress?

4. Cross-dressing and role doubling are theatrical conventions employed by Churchill. What effects does this gender bending have on the plot, themes, and characters of one of Cloud Nine? How does this use of cross-dressing and role doubling effectively illuminate the theme of oppression (colonial, economic, and/or sexual)?

5. Karl Guthke remarks that “dramatic theory” frequently sanctions what dramatists “put into practice” (Modern Tragicomedy, Random House, 1966, p. 12). Compare Ibsen, Brecht, and/or Churchill to one of the performance theorists we read this semester (Aristotle, Zola, Brecht, Artaud, etc.). What is the relationship between performance theory and playwriting? You might consider arguing against Guthke’s rationale, since many of the plays we have read were written after the theorists’ treatises. Does dramatic theory influence performance, or vice versa? Some additional questions you might consider are: Does Brecht’s play live up to the author’s expectations of performance? Does Ibsen’s play fulfill the Naturalist vision of Zola? Does Churchill model her play after Artaud’s theories, Brecht’s, or both? How do you envision the performance of one or more of these plays? 

6. If war is so horrible, why does it persist? What answers do Brecht and/or Churchill’s plays give to this eternal question? How is the playhouse the appropriate (or inappropriate) place to stage an anti-war critique?

Please note:
- You should have an original title for your essay

- These are prompts, designed to prompt you into thinking about your own writing. You should revise and specify the exact kinds of questions your essay will be addressing.

- Please avoid plot summary. Focus, instead, on specific motifs (symbols, repetitions, allegories) and narrative techniques (position of narrator, genre conventions) and clearly articulate their interpretation/meaning.

- Unlike papers treating novels, short stories, or poems, your paper should consider the techniques of theater, including gesture/stage direction, setting, and the possibilities for interpretation that emerge from performance.

- If you are struggling to find the significance for a thesis (a.k.a. the ‘so what?’ of any good controlling idea), consider the purpose of drama; what purpose does it serve, how does it critique society, and how might spectators have reacted to it?

- Cite information according to MLA (author #) and include a Works Cited.

- Struggling for vocabulary? Take a look at this page about Vocabulary for Literature and Writing.

• Please simply staple, number, and label each page with your last name (no cover pages or booklets). Include a title. 
  
• Papers should be no longer or shorter than the length assigned and submitted on time. Use twelve-point type, in Times New Roman or CG Times (or 10 pt. in Veranda, etc.). Late papers will result in grade reductions. Never submit a paper without proofreading it carefully.
• Late papers will be penalized.
• Please carefully proofread your paper; grammatically sloppy papers will have points deducted.
• In order to avoid plagiarism and to guide your readers in following your sources, please cite texts according to MLA standards. You may use outside sources but are not required to do so. If you do use outside sources, please be sure to cite them properly.
  

• Academic Honesty and Plagiarism: Definition of Plagiarism (from Student Handbook)

  "Plagiarism means the use of another's words as if they were your own, and the unacknowledged incorporation of those words in one's own work offered for credit.  The following guidelines for written work will assist the student in avoiding plagiarism:

              a) General indebtedness for background information and data is acknowledged by inclusion of a bibliography of all works consulted.

              b) Specific indebtedness for a particular idea, or for a quotation of four or more words from another text, is acknowledged by footnote reference to the actual source.  Quotations of 4 -5 words or more from a text are indicated by the use of quotation marks."

  Honesty is expected of you.  It is expected that the work you hand in will always be your own, and that you will never copy sentences, phrases, paragraphs or whole essays from any other person's work, for that is plagiarism.  Plagiarism is dishonest, and against both University policy and my own.  If you are ever unclear about how to cite another person or author's ideas, come see me or consult the staff in the Writing Center.  We can help you do this correctly.  It's important to understand that plagiarism is a big deal in this university and in my class.  Don't make this mistake.  Students who are caught plagiarizing will fail the course and be referred to the Dean of Student's office for disciplinary sanctions.

  
  
• This paper will be evaluated according to the strength and clarity of its argument, validity of its support, and originality of its conclusions. In addition, evidence of each student's ability to communicate these ideas in writing weighs considerably on the final evaluation. Therefore, you are encouraged to engage in peer-review and extensive proofreading.
  

• Students are encouraged to make use of the University Writing Center, located in Dickson Hall 285 (655-7442); students are benefited most by making an appointment, but drop-in hours are also available. I am more than willing to provide extra help and extra office hours! Please come to my regular office hours in Dickson Hall 324 or email me at nielsenw@mail.montclair.edu for an appointment.

Portfolio Assignment: Drama and Its Critics

Due in class, Thursday 4/29

Format: Stapled sheets, binder, or folder

The purpose of the Portfolio is to allow students the opportunity to present a body of cumulative work that underscores their understanding of the “Art of Drama.” Like the Midterm, this assignment, which is in lieu of a final exam, counts for 15% of the final grade. Students will share their views on theater, theater criticism, and performance in brief presentations on the last day of class, Thursday 4/29.

Contents:

I. Attach a Cover Letter to your Portfolio

The first part of this portfolio letter should explore and analyze what you have learned about the “art of drama.” In a sense, I am asking you to “close read” the form of writing we have been studying all semester, both primary (dramatic authors) and secondary (scholarship about theater). What are the main features of the tragedy and/or comedy, and how have they evolved over time? What is the purpose of dramatic criticism, and how is it best characterized (and by which authors)? Your goal here is to show that you have acquired “membership” in an academic community that has a sophisticated understanding of drama as a genre. Prove your membership by carefully explaining what characterizes drama, and provide an explanation of the ways in which dramatic criticism engages with performance.

The final section of this letter should build on the definition of drama scholarship you described in the first part. Use this last portion of your cover letter to highlight why your writing this semester shows progress toward developing the idealized academic discourse you described in the first part. In other words, how does your writing this semester demonstrate that you are prepared to share your expertise in drama inside and outside the academy? What is your own perspective as drama critic, and by what historical/theoretical attitudes is it formed?

II. Items to be Submitted

1) Theater Review

2) 2 revised responses: include original or highlight changes in BOLD font

3) Revision of Unit I Essay [optional]: include original or highlight changes in BOLD font

4) Discussion questions [optional]

On the last day of class, as part of your portfolio of work during the semester, you will submit a theater review. Theater reviews appear in newspapers and magazines and serve the purpose of informing potential audiences about the merits of a particular performance. For scholars, reviews are important evidence about the ways in which performances affect audiences. You may choose to write your review with a specific audience in mind, such as readers of The Montclairion.

It is suggested that you model your theater review on professional ones; one example has been passed out in class, and you can find others in any major newspaper. Generally, theater reviews begin with the exact details of the performance (name, place, and date of the performance). Some begin with information about the playwright and a short synopsis of the play. Reviews include critiques of the production, including cast, setting, and their combined effect on the audience. Reviews also critique performances and often conclude by either recommending or dissuading readers from attending a play.

Locating a play:

- I would prefer if you'd see a play that we are reading (such as Hamlet playing in New Jersey on 3/9 or Mother Courage playing in Harlem through 2/29); you will be a better judge of a performance's merits if you have studied the play in advance. If that is not possible, choose something that is indeed theatrical (with an author, script, etc.--in other words, not purely a dance or musical production like Stomp). Here are some suggested links to find a performance:

- TheatreFest at Montclair: http://www.montclair.edu/TheatreFest/

- New York theater tickets . . . CHEAP! : http://www.tdf.org/programs/tkts/

- New York city theater reviews : http://www.nytheatre.com/

- The NY Times Theater section : http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/theater/

- New Jersey Theatre Alliance: http://www.njtheatrealliance.org/

Presentation of Theater Reviews

Evaluation: part of portfolio grade

Crystallize your thoughts:

Set priorities.

Capture others' attention and imagination.

Make your audience want to know more.

Convey the flavor of the rest of the portfolio.