English 117S

Other Readings and Media

Stephen Greenblatt, ed.: The Norton Shakespeare

Description

This course will foreground what we have always known--that Shakespeare�s plays were written to be performed, not simply read--so we�ll approach them with their performative aspects always in sight. This will make attention to the literary text more important than ever, since the printed words must be actively understood as expressions of thinking and feeling persons in motion. Our program will therefore be as follows: We will closely study the texts of about eight plays, with attention to diction and patterns of speech, theme, character, and plot--then imaginatively transfer the words on the page into space and action by conjecturally staging scenes, attending one or two live performances at the nearby California Shakespeare Festival, and seeing and critiquing filmed stage performances. The third dimension of our study will be to screen and analyze scenes from movie versions of our plays, recognizing that film adaptations have become a powerful medium for transmitting Shakespeare�s work to new audiences. What�s gained, what�s lost in the process will be part of our concerns. There will be two essays, two midterms, and a final exam.