Theatre Arts 275

The Seeds of Modern Drama

Professor Mazer

Fall 2013

519 Annenberg Center, 3-2659; cmazer@english.upenn.edu

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30-2:30, and by appointment

August 29: Introduction

September 3: Alexandre Dumas, fils, The Lady of the Camelias (Camille) (Canvas)

September 5: [NO CLASS]

September 10: Emile Zola, Thérèse Raquin (in Norris Houghton, The Seeds of Modern Drama); “Naturalism in the Theatre” (Canvas)

September 12: Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House

September 17: A Doll House (cont.); G. Bernard Shaw, “Ideals and Idealists” and “The Technical Novelty of Ibsen’s Plays,” from The Quintessence of Ibsenism (Canvas)

September 19: Ibsen, Hedda Gabler; Shaw, “Hedda Gabler,” from The Quintessence of Ibsenism (Canvas); Arthur Ganz, “Miracle and Vine Leaves: An Ibsen Play Rewrought” (Canvas)

September 24: Ibsen, The Master Builder

September 26: Gerhart Hauptmann, The Weavers (in Houghton)

October 1: August Strindberg, Miss Julie (including the Preface).

October 3: Miss Julie (cont.); Una Chaudhuri, “Private Parts: Sex, Class, and Stage Space in Miss Julie” (Canvas)

[Approximate due date: first take-home assignment]

October 8: Ibsen, Peer Gynt

[Fall Break]

October 15: Georg Büchner, Woyzeck

October 17: Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening

October 22: Strindberg, A Dream Play

October 24: Anton Chekhov, The Three Sisters

October 29: The Three Sisters (cont.)

October 31: The Three Sisters (cont.)

November 5: The Three Sisters (cont.)

[Approximate due date: second take-home assignment]

November 7: [TO BE ANNOUNCED]

November 12: G. Bernard Shaw, Mrs. Warren’s Profession (including “The Author’s Apology,” Canvas; also available for free on Kindle.)

November 14: Shaw, Major Barbara (including the Preface).

November 19: Major Barbara (cont.); Sidney P. Albert, “‘In More Ways than One’: Major Barbara’s debt to Gilbert Murray” (Canvas).

November 21: H. Granville Barker, The Voysey Inheritance (Canvas)

November 26: The Voysey Inheritance (cont.)

[THANKSGIVING]

December 3: Elizabeth Robins, Votes for Women! (Canvas)

December 5: John Millington Synge, Playboy of the Western World (Canvas; also available for free on Kindle.)

December 10: Catch-up and conclusions.

There will be TWO take-home essay assignments (approximately 5 pages), plus ONE final paper (approximately 10-12 pages), due at a date to be announced during reading and exam period, on a topic that must MUST BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE. Attendance in class is crucial; CHRONIC ABSENCE OR LATENESS WILL BE COUNTED AGAINST YOU.

The following books can be purchased at the Penn Book Center, 34th and Sansom Sts.:

Henrik Ibsen, Four Major Plays v. I

August Strindberg, Miss Julie and Other Plays

Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt

Georg Büchner, Complete Plays

Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening

Anton Chekhov, Four Plays & Five Jokes

G. Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara

The listserv for this course is THAR275-401-13c@lists.upenn.edu. Several electronic scripts and articles are available on the Canvas website, to which you have been automatically subscribed.

The syllabus for this course is available at http://www.english.upenn.edu/~mazer/275f13.htm. Make a bookmark on your web browser for this site.