THA 100 B Professor Holmberg
Brandeis University Spring, 2015
Romanticism: Dreams and Nightmares
Romantic Agony
Büchner, Woyzeck
Brockett, chap. 12, pp. 278-294 and 296-7; 307-348, 355-362, and 367-8 (tenth edition)
The Triumph of Music
Verdi, Il Trovatore, after the Spanish Romantic play by Antonio García Gutierrez (video in library). (If you are not familiar with Wagner's operas, you should watch the last scene of Tristan und Isolde, the Liebestod, or either Wotan's farewell to Brünnhilde or Brünnhilde's immolation from Der Ring des Niebelungen, both on video in the library.)
Adolphe Adam, Giselle
Dukore: Longinus “On the Sublime,” p. 76; Hegel, “Symbolic, Classic, and Romantic,” p. 426; Schopenhauer, p. 516; Hugo, “Preface to Cromwell,” p. 683; Wagner, “The Art-Work of the Future,” p. 777
Realism: Slices of Life
Ibsen, A Doll House
Strindberg, Miss Julie; “The Stronger” (class handout)
Chekhov, Uncle Vanya; be sure to watch An Unfinished Piece for Player Piano, which is an excellent introduction to the world of Chekhov (film on line at latte)
Dukore: Ibsen, all selections; Strindberg, “Preface to Miss Julie,” p. 564; Zola, Naturalism on the Stage," p. 692; Chekhov, all selections
Brockett, chap. 16.
An Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism
Capital versus labor: Gorky, Enemies
THA 100 B Page 2
Spring, 2012
Dukore: all selections by Marx and Engels (pp. 795-804); Lenin, 927-933; Lunacharsky, pp. 949-960; Reports and Speeches at the First Soviet Writers’ Conference, 960-970. Lukacs, “Sociology of Modern Drama.”
Slide Lecture
Prostitutes Through the Ages
Women and Money: Shaw, Mrs. Warren’s Profession
Modern Drama
Politics and Art: Brecht, Mother Courage
Dukore: Brecht, all selections
Existential Anguish: Pirandello, It Is So (If You Think So)
Dukore: Pirandello, “On Humor,” p. 747.
Departures from Realism
Lorca, Blood Wedding
Beckett, “Rockaby”; Krapp’s Last Tape
Dukore: Strindberg, “Preliminary Note to A Dream Play,” p. 575; Krutch, “The Tragic Fallacy,” p. 868; Bentley, “What Is Theatre?” p. 905; Wilder, “Some Thoughts on Playwriting,” p. 886; Ionesco, “Experience of the Theatre,” p. 767; Lorca, “Play and Theory of the Duende.”
Brockett, chap. 17, 409-429, 432-33, 434-447, 449-459, 463, 470-71.
THA 100 B Page 3
Spring, 2010
Requirements
History Quiz 33 1/3 %
Final Exam or Project 33 1/ 3%
Class Attendance and Participation 33 1/3%
Attendance is required. You must attend class regularly. You should readallassigned materials before the due date, and be prepared to discuss them in class.
Late papers without written documentation of a medical emergency or other similar emergency documented in writing will be downgraded one letter grade. Each subsequent week the paper is late will bring the grade down another letter. Students who miss the in-class quiz without a written excuse for the emergencies outlined above will receive a zero for that exercise. Please do not claim any extenuating circumstances without written documentation from a recognized authority to substantiate an emergency that falls under the above categories. Any extensions must be requested in writing and must receive a written response in writing before the due date. The written response must be submitted with the paper.
Papers are due at the start of the class on the day of the deadline. Papers turned in after the start of the class will be downgraded one letter grade.
Electronic submissions are not accepted. Papers must be double spaced and printed on only one side of each sheet of paper. Number the pages.
Time constraints may necessitate some alterations in this schedule. Handouts will be passed out only once. If you are absent, please call a classmate to pick up a copy for you. Otherwise, borrow a copy from a classmate and xerox it. Handouts will be passed out only once. Do not ask for a handout from a previous class.
Students are responsible for all information disseminated during class, whether written or oral. If you miss a class, be sure to borrow notes from a classmate.
I am always eager to hear your questions and comments. Before intervening in class, however, be sure that the comment is relevant to the topic under discussion and is of interest to all the students in the class. Questions or comments of an individual nature should be saved for after class or during my office hours.
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.
Always bring your text of the work we are discussing to class with you.
In lieu of the final exam, we may be able to put on a class project. Anyone who is given permission to participate in the project must be present at the strike. It is not possible to assume major positions on two simultaneous projects, one for the class and one outside the class. Do not over commit yourself. Do not take on more than you can handle responsibly. Your grade on the project will result from three factors: the quality of your work, your professionalism, and the three-page project paper in which you analyze your contribution to the project and what you learned about the play by working on it. Once you agree to do the project, you cannot drop out. Not everyone can be guaranteed a position on the class project. Scheduling and commitments to other productions will be taken into consideration.
The project is a wonderful opportunity for you to try your hand at some new aspect of theater. If you have always acted, you might want to try directing or designing. It is always useful to explore new areas of theater.
If you do not participate in the project, you must write a research paper. This paper will be judged by academic criteria: originality of thesis, clarity of thought, and elegance of language. You must also write a response paper to the class project.
If you do participate in the project, you will write a three- to five-page paper analyzing what you learned from your work on the project.