English 117S

Book List

Greenblatt, Stephen: The Norton Shakespeare

Description

This class is a general survey of Shakespeare’s dramatic and poetic works. One of the main issues I'd like to focus on is the oscillation between "regular" and "irregular." What is the rule, and what is the exception in Shakespeare's works? How is a comedy supposed to end? How does it end? What makes a tragic hero? Is Hamlet a tragic hero? What are the rules of theater? What are the rules of literature? Who creates them and why? When do they get transgressed, and why? A tentative list of the plays includes Titus Andronicus, Richard III, 2 Henry IV, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Cymbeline, and The Tempest. We'll also read the sonnets and a longer narrative poem. There will be three assignments and a final paper; no exam, but we'll conclude one class every week with a brief response paper.