Module Identifier DR31230  
Module Title 17TH CENTURY NEO-CLASSICAL FRENCH AND ENGLISH RESTORATION THEATRE  
Academic Year 2007/2008  
Co-ordinator Dr Patricia A Rhodes  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr Andrew R Filmer, Dr Sabine Sorgel  
Course delivery Lecture   10 x 1 hour Lectures  
  Other   10 x 2 hour Lecture/Practicals  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours  40%
Semester Assessment 1 x 2500 word essay  30%
Semester Assessment Practical presentation30%
Supplementary Assessment Exam 40% 1 x 2500 word essay 30% Practical presentation 30% 100%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:


Brief description

Students will be required to read a series of 17th Century French and English playtexts chosen from selected authors of the period. These will include Neo-Classical works of Racine and Moliere; and examples of English Restoration comedy from chosen authors of the period. The texts will form the focus for discussion in the lectures and seminars and sections from them will be explored in the practical classes.

Aims

the aims of the module are to:

Content

This module examines key 17th Century Neo-classical French and English Restoration play-texts and investigates their social, political, historical and theatrical contexts. Typically, lectures and seminars will examine topics such as: the conventions and practices of the seventeenth century French and English Playhouses; French neo-classical dramatic theory; influences on the English Restoration playwrights; Bergson's theory of comedy; a study of selected English and French playwrights and a detailed study of key texts; the interpretation of these texts for modern theatre audiences; twentieth-century revivals and the production choices made for significant productions.

During the practical classes students will focus specifically on the challenges facing the modern actor/actress when interpreting text from page to stage in contemporary performance conditions.

For information on due dates for submission of assessed work, please refer to the departmental web pages at http://www.aber.ac.uk/tfts/duedates.shtml

Students will be allocated to a specific tutor who will supervise and monitor the progress of the practical investigation. However, students should note that they will be expected to work responsibly and sytematically with their peers in student directed sessions in addition to the hours specified on the course timetable.

Module Skills

Problem solving  
Research skills Students will demonstrate the results of individual research in their practicals, essays and exam answers.  
Communication Communication skills will be developed in seminar sessions and practicals.  
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will receive feedback on their practical project and written assignment.  
Team work Group discussions in seminars will develop group work skills. All students will be expected to work responsibly in teams on their practical classes.  
Information Technology IT and information handling skills will be demonstrated in students' individual research (library and web-based) and in their written work (word processing).  
Application of Number NOT DEVELOPED  
Personal Development and Career planning Students will have the opportunity to explore specific areas which reflect and strengthen their individual career needs.  
Subject Specific Skills Students are encouraged to develop the use of a critical and analytical vocabulary in their practical, written and oral response to the module contents.  

Reading Lists

Books
** Essential Reading
Behn The Rover
Corneille Le Cid
Etherege 'The Man of Mode'
Moliere Les Misanthrop and Tartuffe
Racine 'Phaedre' and 'Britannicus'
Wycherley The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer
** Recommended Text
Cook, A.S. (1981) French Tragedy: The Power of Enactment Ohio University Press
** Recommended Background
Arnott, P (1977) An Introduction to French Theatre London: Macmillan Press
Bergson, H. (1921) Laughter Bereton and Rothwell
Calder, Andrew (1993) Moliere: the theory and practice of comedy London Atlantic Highlands: Athlone Press
Callow, Simon (1991) Acting in Restoration Comedy Applause Theatre Books
Canfield, J. Douglas (1997) Tricksters and Estates: on the Ideology of Restoration Comedy Lexington: University of Kentucky Press
Carmody, James Patrick (1993) Rereading Moliere: mise en scene from Antoine to Vitez University of Michigan Press
Clark, Max Stafford (1990) Letters to George - An account of a rehearsal Nick Hearn Books
Fisk, Deborah Payne (Ed) (2000) The Cambridge Companion to English Restoration Theatre Cambridge University Press
Loftis, John (1966) Restoration Drama Oxford University Press
Lough, J. (1979) Seventeenth Century French Drama - The Background Oxford University Press
Master, Anthony (1992) The Play of Personality in Restoration Comedy Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press
Owen, Susan J. (1996) Restoration Theatre and Crisis Oxford: Clarendon Press
Powell, Jocelyn (1984) Restoration Theatre Production London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
Styan, J. L. (1986) Restoration Comedy in Performance Cambridge University Press
Thomas, David (Ed) (1989) Restoration and Georgian England, 1660 to 1788. Theatre in Europe: a Documentary History Cambridge University Press
Turnell, Martin (1964) The Classical Moment London: Hamish Hamilton

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6