Interview, in groups of three, one
of your
classmates and
prepare
to report
the following information to the rest of the class:
- Major
-
- Favorite
play or movie
Course
Introduction
“Modern European Drama”
:"
- What is the tragedy of
the
modern family? How are family members
expected to “perform”? And can the theater even begin to portray the
comedy and tragedy (or tragicomedy) that is modern life?
- So-called
Anti-Aristotelian dramas, or the plays written and produced between ca.
1870 and 1950, address these and many other questions. This course
covers Naturalist Drama to Theater of the Absurd.
- We will read and
consider the performance histories of Scandinavian, Irish, French, and
Italian theater: Ibsen, Strindberg, Ernst Rosmer (Elsa Bernstein), Shaw
(Mrs. Warren's Profession),
Wedekind, Pirandello, and Genet. Students will leave with a profound
appreciation for the development of modern Europe and its playhouses.
Satisfies 1b (pre-1900); Drama; multinational; class
- Students will leave with a profound appreciation for the turbulent
world of the modern playhouse.
Unit I: Drama
before
1900
and
the
Naturalists
1. Henrik Ibsen, Doll's House (Signet )
2. Henrik Ibsen, Hedda Gabler
3. A. Strindberg, The Father
4. A. Strindberg, Miss
Julie
5. Elsa Bernstein, Twilight
Unit II:
Twentieth-Century
Families and Performances
Brecht and Artaud (pdf/online)
6. Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession
7. Wedekind, Spring Awakening
8. L. Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an
Author
9. Jean Genet, The Maids
Course
Objectives
(pre-1900, Drama, multinational, gender issues, 300-level course)
- Historical/Literary Epochs: Sophisticated Command
of “Modern European Drama” ca. 1870-1950 (Naturalist Drama &
Theater of the Absurd)
- Genre: Ability to distinguish between Drama as Text
and Performance
- Comparative Prowess: Contrasts and Similarities
between Scandinavian, French, Irish, English, German and Italian Plays
- Appreciation for Gender Issues in Modern Drama and
Culture
- Scholastic Growth and Maturity (from Consumer to
Producer of Knowledge)
Course
Requirements:
- The Spirit of
a
Democratic Classroom: Respect, Collegiality, and Integrity
- Participation
(incl.
attendance,contribution to class discussion, discussion questions)--10%
- Midterm (Unit
I:
Pre-1900)--30%
- Performance
Paper--30%
- Journal
Portfolio (incl. pres. of work on day of final)--30%
- Optional but
strongly
encouraged: attend a performance of one of these plays
What do you like about modern
family life? What do you think could change about modern family life?
- like: share stories,
experiences; can be anything you want them to be (diversity of sexual
identity, etc.); the importance of being together; that modern families
share concerns openly; technology's influence on families; that women
can be breadwinners, and that men can stay at home;
- dislike: media's
influence on family roles; too dispersed; that marriage isn't seen as a
commitment; that teenage pregnancy has increased; that parents are
afraid to discipline their kids; no clear cut roles in families
anymore; parents that act like friends, not guardians; technology can
break families apart; providing takes precedence over caretaking
What
traits
do
you associate with traditional fathers? traditional mothers?
Both: hard-working
Fathers: disciplinarian, decision-maker,
provider;
provides
physical and financial security, more
stand-off-ish
Mothers: nurturer, caretaker; provides emotional security,
more emotionally available
Familial Tragedies in
Pirandello:
- separated
- father of Stepdaughter and 2 kids is dead
- Stepdaughter is a prostitute
- Father visits Stepdaughter as prostitute
- Little girl drowns
- Boy shoots himself
Brecht and Artaud are theorists
essential for understanding Theatre of the Absurd and other avant-garde
movements in twentieth-century theater