English 311, Section 2

Fall 2006

English 311, Section 2

Dramatic Literature I:

Dramatic Discoveries

TuTh, 2:35-3:50, Friends 203

Course Instructor: Dan Breen

Office: Muller 302

Phone: 274-1014

Office Hours: Tues. 9:30-10:30, 4-5; Wed. 2-5; Thurs. 9:30-10:30 and by appointment

Email:

Course Texts:

Available at the IthacaCollege Bookstore:

--Sophocles, Oedipus Rex,Literary Touchstone Series (Prestwick, 2005), ISBN: 1580495931

--Christopher Marlowe, The Plays(Wordsworth, 2000), ISBN: 1840221305

--Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, New Mermaids Series (Norton, 1989),

ISBN: 0393900576

--Ben Jonson,Volpone, New Mermaids (Norton, 1976), ISBN: 039390010X

--Francis Beaumont, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Revels Series(Manchester UP, 2005), ISBN: 071906967X

--John Dryden, Marriage a la Mode, New Mermaids (1991), ISBN:0393900649

Available at the English and Politics Administrative Office, 309 Muller:

--Course reader

You MUST purchase the course reader for this class. Course readers

are available in 309 Muller Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from

9-11 am and 1:30-4pm, and on Tuesday and Thursday from 9-1 and

3-4. 309 Muller is not equipped to handle electronic transactions, and

so you must bring either cash or check.

Aims and Goals:

If the essence of drama is action, then what might motivate characters to act? This course invites students to consider the hypothesis that one of the central concerns of dramatic literature—particularly pre-modern and early modern dramatic literature—is to investigate problems of knowledge. Moments of crisis and resolution, we will observe, are generated as characters learn new information that was previously obscure (or hidden); as they discover truths about themselves; and as they attempt to keep knowledge from other characters. These moments of discovery precipitate action that can produce tragic or comic consequences, and as we trace these trajectories we will see how thin the line separating comedy from tragedy often is.

Requirements:

Your written work will consist of two major essays (the first 4-5 pages and the second 6-7 pages) and one short (2-3 pages) response paper. It is important to understand that each of these assignments is required in order to receive credit for the course.

Essay Due Date Policy:

Essays are due in class on the date stipulated below in the Class Schedule.

You may, however, request a one-week extension in advance of the essay’s due date.

In addition to these essays, your grade will be based on a series of in-class quizzes, an in-class midterm, and a final exam. Class participation will also be an important part of your grade; the course is, after all, designed as a seminar. Most of the important work we do, therefore, will develop as a result of our conversations. It is essential that each of us comes to class having read the assigned material carefully, and prepared to participate in thoughtful discussion.

Your course grade will be calculated according to the following percentages:

Major essays: 30%

Class participation and quizzes: 20%

Final exam: 20%

Midterm exam: 20%

Short response paper: 10%

Attendance Policy:

You are allowed three absences, no questions asked. Beginning with the fourth, however, your final course grade will drop one increment for each additional absence (eg, from B+ to B, or A to A-). Students who miss seven classes before the withdrawal deadline (Friday, November 10) will be automatically withdrawn from the course. Students whose accumulated absences total eight or more before the end of the semester will not pass the course. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. If you are seriously ill or need to attend to a personal emergency, you obviously won’t be penalized.

Class Schedule

*** An “R” next to an entry on the Class Schedule indicates that a

text is found in the course reader

August

Thurs. 31—Course Introduction

September

Tues. 5—Intro to Classical Drama; Sophocles, Oedipus; Aristotle, Poetics (R)

Thurs. 7—Sophocles, Oedipus; Aristotle, Poetics (R)

Tues. 12—Sophocles, Oedipus;

Thurs. 14—[Pseudo-?] Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound(R); The Myth Of Prometheus (R)

Tues. 19—[Pseudo-?] Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound (R)

***Short Response Paper Due

Thurs. 21—Plautus, Menaechmi (R); Cicero on Humor (R)

Tues. 26—Plautus, Menaechmi(R); Cicero on Humor (R)

Thurs. 28—Plautus, Menaechmi (R); Cicero on Humor (R)

October

Tues. 3—Introduction to Medieval Cycle Drama; “Wakefield Master,” Second

Shepherd’s Play(R); Pre-Reformation Banns (R)

Thurs. 5—“Wakefield Master,” Second Shepherd’s Play (R)

Tues. 10—Introduction to Medieval Morality Drama; Anon., Everyman (R)

Thurs. 12—Anon., Everyman (R)

Tues. 17—MIDTERM EXAM

Thurs. 19—FALL BREAK

Tues. 24—Introduction to Early Modern Drama; Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy; Atreus’ Revenge (R)

Thurs. 26—Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy

Tues. 31—Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy

***First Major Essay Due

November

Thurs. 2—Jonson, Volpone; Jonson on Comedy (R)

Tues. 7—Jonson, Volpone

Thurs. 9—NO CLASS

Tues. 14—Marlowe, Edward II; Holinshed on the Reign of Edward II (R)

Thurs. 16—Marlowe, Edward II

Tues. 21—THANKSGIVING BREAK

Thurs. 23—THANKSGIVING BREAK

Tues. 28—Marlowe, Edward II

Thurs. 30—Beaumont, Knight of the Burning Pestle

December

Tues. 5—Beaumont, Knight of the Burning Pestle

Thurs. 7—Introduction to Restoration Drama; Dryden, Marriage a la Mode; Dryden on Satire (R)

Tues. 12—Dryden, Marriage a la Mode

***Second Major Essay Due

Thurs. 14—Dryden, Marriage a la Mode

***The FINAL EXAM for this class is scheduled for Wednesday, December 20 from 1:30-4pm in Friends 203