English R1B

Other Readings and Media

"A Course Reader

English Renaissance Drama

A Companion to Shakespeare

The Elements of Style"

Description

We will hone the skills of composition, argumentation, and research as we journey through the glory days of the early English stage. The �stage� here not only refers to the plays that we have come to accept as masterpieces of the English literary cannon�Dr. Faustus, Hamlet, King Lear, etc.�but it also directly implicates the material realities of dramatic performance, the social trends, economics, technologies, laws, and people enabled the English drama to thrive and endure. We will read a selection of plays within the available contexts of actual dramatic performance in the period; while the readings will certainly include Shakespeare, they will also embrace an array of lesser known dramatists. Readings will also include a selection of critical and historical essays. We will learn to appreciate the unstable essence of dramatic texts, working to mediate the distance between the play-as-book and the play-as-performance. We will visit the Bancroft library to examine authentic early printed versions of plays�such as the 1623 Shakespeare First Folio�but we will also study film and stage performances to earn richer understanding of these works. Students will attend regular writing sessions, working with the instructor to develop a number of short essays based on class readings. The semester will culminate in a research-intensive project (approx. 8 pages) that will challenge students to imagine how they would stage a scene from a Renaissance play; research will include a primary text (the play itself), critical essays, light historical research, film, and perhaps an interview (these are just a few examples). At least one of the research lessons will involve an amusing experiment in hands-on learning. There may also be opportunities for one or more optional fieldtrips outside of class hours.