English 114B

English Drama from 1603 to 1700

Book List

Congreve, William: Love for Love; Fletcher, John: The Island Princess; Ford, John: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore; Jonson, Ben: Bartholmew Fair; Jonson, Ben: Masques; Jonson et al.: Eastward Ho!; Marston, John: The Malcontent; Middleton and Dekker: The Roaring Girl; Middleton and Rowley: The Changeling; Milton, John: Samson Agonistes; Shakespeare, William: The Tempest; Webster, John: The Duchess of Malfi; Wycherley, William: The Country Wife

Description

Reaching across the upheavals of the seventeenth century, this class studies the triumphant age of drama after Shakespeare, the Jacobean period; the reactions against the drama that led to the closing of London's theaters during the English Civil War and the Commonwealth; and the renewal of drama in the Restoration of the monarchy. We'll consider the relations between staged action and the chaotic urban environment of London; the growth of consumer culture, international trade, and global consciousness; the defiant frivolity of wit; and the darker delights of... revenge.

This course satisfies the pre-1800 requirement for the English major.