ENGH 368: Modern Drama

ENGH 368-001: Modern Drama
(Fall 2012)

12:00 PM to 01:15 PM TR

Thompson Hall 1017

Section Information for Fall 2012

"Modern drama” signifies a tumultuous period of theatrical experimentation allied closely with the broader framework of “modernism,” a movement in the arts commencing in the late 19th century and drawing to a close by the mid-to-late 20th century (i.e., with the onset of “postmodernism”).

In this class, we’ll explore a range of drama coming out of Europe and the United States as part of this modernist phenomenon: naturalism, symbolism, Dada, constructivism, epic theater, theater of cruelty, and the theater of the absurd. We will be limiting the number of plays we read so that we will also be able to consider changes in architecture, lighting and sound technologies, and theories of acting, directing and design for the stage that influenced innovations in dramatic literature. We will also place the plays in conversation with parallel developments in painting, photography, film, poetry and the novel.

In addition to thinking drama through the lens of the avant-garde and modernism, we will also think about modern drama as a component of modernity: a historical condition of cultural dislocation, rapid urbanization and industrialization, and rising global consciousness and conflict. In that manner, we will explore the ways modern drama galvanized the relationship between aesthetic experimentation and social change.

As part of the course, we will attend live performances in the DC area to help us make sense of drama as both a literary document and a live event that takes place under a specific set of historical conditions. Written assignments will include a critical essay as well as exploratory writing and research mini-assignments that will culminate in the presentation of a collaborative performance project at the end of the semester generated from one of the texts that we read.

Course Information from the University Catalog