Arthur Holmberg Brandeis University
THA 106 Fall, 2016
Preliminary Syllabus
British, Irish, and Postcolonial Drama
From Victoria to Freud
From Empire to Postcolonialism
From Modernism to Postmodernism
An exploration of the playwrights, political struggles, and aesthetic movements that shaped the evolution of British, Irish, and postcolonial drama in the twentieth century. Attention paid to race, class, gender, sexuality and theater in performance. The goal of the course is to understand theater as a response to a social and political context. In its response, theater both expresses and helps to form identities—national identities, class identities, and gender and sexual identities.
An Empire of Paradox
Fin-de-Siècle Confusions: Victoria—Queen, Wife, Widow
Empire and Aesthetics: Race, Class, Gender
Fatal Virgins
Wilde, Salome’s Dance of Death: Salome
The Aristocrats’ Last Laugh: Comedy of Manners as Parody
Wilde, An Ideal Husband
Class and Gender Wars
Shaw, Arms and the Man
Barrie, The Admirable Crichton
The Irish Renaissance, Part I:
Theatre as Politics
O’Casey, Juno and the Paycock
W. B. Yeats, “The Only Jealousy of Emer,” “Cathleen ni Houlihan,” “The Words upon the Window-Pane,” and “Purgatory”
Postwar Reckonings: Angry Young Men
Osborne, Look Back in Anger (not required reading, will be referred to in lecture) and The Entertainer (required reading)
Comedies of Menace
Pinter, The Birthday Party
Gay, Queer, or Pansexual? Comedies of Sexual Chaos
Noel Coward, Design for Living
Orton, Entertaining Mr. Sloan
Feminist Theory, Feminist Theatre
Churchill, Cloud Nine
The Irish Renaissance, Part II:
Existential Angst, Political Terror, Postmodern Identities
Beckett, “Not I”
Behan, The Hostage
McDonagh, In Bruges, “Six Shooter”
In-Yer-Face
Sarah Kane, Blasted
*Mark Ravenhill, Shopping and Fucking
*Discussed in lecture, not required reading
The Empire Writes Back: Postcolonial Theory, Postcolonial Theater
Soyinka, Death and the King’s Horseman
Walcott, Pantomime
*Pieter-Dirk Uys, Elections and Erections
Fela, Afro-Pop Music as Politics
*Discussed in lecture, not required reading
Requirements
In lieu of the final research paper, we may be able to put on a class project.
Response Paper 20%
Class Attendance and Participation 40%
Final Research Paper 40%
Attendance is required. You must attend class regularly.
Always bring your text of the work we are discussing to class with you.
From time to time there may be written exercises in class that will count toward the evaluation of your class attendance and participation.
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.
Time constraints may necessitate some alterations in this schedule.
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