DR30420 - MODERN EUROPEAN DRAMA

Module Identifier

DR30420

Module Title

MODERN EUROPEAN DRAMA

Academic Year

2004/2005

Co-ordinator

Dr Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe

Semester

Semester 1

Other staff

Ms Karoline Gritzner, Ms Patricia A Rhodes

Pre-Requisite

Successful completion of Part 1 Drama.

Course delivery

Lecture

2 x 1 hour weekly

Seminars / Tutorials

1 x 1 hour weekly

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Exam	Timed essay	50%
Semester Assessment	1 Dramatic commentary of 3000 words	30%
Semester Assessment	1 essay of 2000 words	20%

Learning outcomes

Typically, upon completion of this module students should be able to:

demonstrate knowledge of the relation between their reading and viewing of theatre texts of the period covered in the module (and beyond) to broader historical developments on performance modes (Realism, Expressionism, Epic Theatre, etc.).
participate knowledgeably in debates (written and oral) about the relationship between theatrical theory and practice.
critically read dramatic texts as indicators of complex theatrical events.

Aims

To introduce students to significant developments in theatrical theory and practice in Europe from the onset of realism to the 1960s.
To develop appropriate methods of analysing specific texts, chosen because they manifest significant differences in theatrical method.
To examine how drama serves as a means of mediating the discourse of a given time.

Content

Performance modes: Realism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Political and Epic Theatre, The Theatre of Cruelty; The Theatre of the Absurd.
Illustrative dramatists: Gogol, Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Pirandello, Brecht ,Genet and Weiss.

Reading Lists

Books
** Essential Reading
GENET The Balcony
WEISS Marat/Sade
Flatow, Curth Der Mann, der sich nicht traut... (Happy Wedding)
IBSEN Hedda Gabler
PIRANDELLO Six Characters in Search of an Author
STRINDBERG A Dream Play
CHEKHOV Uncle Vanya
GOGOL The Government Inspector
BRECHT Galileo
** Recommended Background
Dukore, B.F. (1974) Drama Theory and Criticism
Pfister (1988) The Theory and Analysis of Drama

Szondi, P (1965) The Theory of Modern Drama (trans. M. Hayes 1987)
Meyer-Dinkgräfe, Daniel (2005) Boulevard Comedy Theatre in Germany London: Cambridge Scholars Press
Elam, K (1983) The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama
Pavis, P (1982) Languages of the Stage

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6