English 233: Theatrical Performance and Popular Traditions in Early Modern England

Summer Session I 2001
Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.
226 Bennett Hall

Instructor: Erika Lin
Email: elin@english.upenn.edu
Office: 4th floor Bennett Hall, cubicle A5
Office Hours: by appointment
Mailbox: 4th floor Bennett Hall, near cubicle A1
Course listserv: lin233@english.upenn.edu
Course home page: http://www.english.upenn.edu/~elin/eng233.html

Last updated: 6/26/01

Course Description

"Shakespeare in Love" gives us a twentieth century pop culture vision of theatre and life in early modern England. But how were the plays of Shakespeare's contemporaries actually performed, and how did Renaissance pop culture influence those performances? This course will read Renaissance plays in the context of popular traditions that were to varying degrees "theatrical." We will examine the nuts and bolts of how plays were originally performed (costumes, props, staging, etc.) as well as performative cultural phenomena such as medieval religious rituals, May Games and midwinter festivals, popular songs and dances, royal processions, public executions, and animal baiting.

Texts

Books

Books have been ordered through House of Our Own Bookstore at 3920 Spruce Street. It is important that we all use the same editions of these texts. Do not purchase these books through the Penn Bookstore!

Bulkpack

The bulkpack is available from Wharton Reprographics in the basement of Steinberg-Deitrich Hall.

Bulkpack Contents:

Primary Texts

Secondary Texts

Schedule

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
5/22 Prologue: First Day of Class

Topics of discussion:

  • Introduction to the course
  • Library tour
  • How to do research: resources, ideas, guidelines

Reading due today: None.

Conferences #1: Introductions

5/23 5/24 Act 1: Text and Performance: Theoretical Problems

Topics of discussion:

  • How can we use textual traces to get back at performances?
  • Introduction to The Spanish Tragedy

Reading due today:

  • ERIC Website:
    • "History of the Book" tutorial (sections on "Title Pages"; "Pages and Their Contents"; and "Types, Spelling and Punctuation")
    • "Editing and 'Unediting' Lear" tutorial
  • Stephen Orgel, "What is a Text?"
  • Entry for "fictional stage directions" in A Dictionary of Stage Directions
  • Alan Dessen, "The Logic of 'this' on the Open Stage"
  • The Spanish Tragedy, Acts 1 & 2
5/25
5/28 Memorial Day 5/29 Act 2: Theatrical Insets and Spectacular Violence

Topics of discussion:

  • The Spanish Tragedy (cont'd)
  • What difference do the 1602 additions make?
  • Short presentation on:
    • J. A. Sharpe, excerpt from Judicial Punishment in England ____Ben__________________

Reading due today:

  • The Spanish Tragedy, Acts 3 & 4, and the 1602 additions
  • Sections on "Special Effects" and "Decor and Properties" in Meredith and Tailby

Conferences #2: Paper Topics

5/30 5/31 Act 2 (cont'd)

Topics of discussion:

  • The Spanish Tragedy (cont'd)

Reading due today:

  • Roslyn Knutson, excerpt from The Repertory of Shakespeare's Company
  • W. R. Steitberger, "Personnel and Professionalization"
6/1
6/4 6/5 Act 3: The Morality Tradition, Religious Ritual, and Antitheatricalism

Topics of discussion:

  • Introduction to Dr. Faustus
  • Short presentation on:
    • John Orrell, "The Theaters" __John___________________

Reading due today:

  • Dr. Faustus, Acts 1-3 (read B-text and compare w/A-text)
  • Sections on "The Playing Area," "Individual Locations and Sets," and "Machinery" in Meredith and Tailby
6/6 6/7 Act 3 (cont'd)

Topics of discussion:

  • Dr. Faustus (cont'd)
  • Differences between A- and B-texts
  • Medieval morality plays

Reading due today:

  • Dr. Faustus, Acts 4 & 5 (read B-text and compare w/A-text)
  • David Wiles, "The Vice"
6/8
6/11 Essay Proposals due 6/12 Interlude: Paper Party!

Topics of discussion:

  • Workshop proposals and bibliographies

Reading due today:

  • Other people's proposals
6/13 6/14 Act 4: Seasonal Festivities: Plays, Games, and Sports

Topics of discussion:

  • Introduction to Look About You
  • Disguise
  • Seasonal Festivities
  • Short presentations on:
    • Francois Laroque, "The Cycle of Calendary Festivals," pp. 110-141 (May Games & Midsummer) ___Dave_________________
    • Francois Laroque, "The Cycle of Calendary Festivals," pp. 93-109 & 141-154 (the rest of the year) ___Jessica_______________
    • Francois Laroque, "The Non-Calendary Festivals" ___Michael_______________

Reading due today:

  • Look About You (first half)
  • Jean MacIntyre and Garrett Epp, "Costumes and Properties"
6/15
6/18 6/19 Act 4 (cont'd)

Topics of discussion:

  • Look About You (cont'd)
  • Long presentations:
    • Dave on anticatholicism and religious costumes, both onstage and off
    • Michael on classicism and the the representation of classical figures in the theatre
  • Short presentation on:
    • David Bergeron, excerpt from English Civic Pageantry ___Tamara________________

Reading due today:

  • Look About You (second half)
  • Sections on "Costume" in Meredith and Tailby
  • Excerpts from Henslowe's Diary
6/20 6/21 Act 5: Private Theatres and the Boy Companies

Topics of discussion:

  • Introduction to Knight of the Burning Pestle
  • Boy companies
  • Indoor playhouse conditions
  • Historical changes
  • Long presentations:
    • Michelle on morris dancing
    • Jessica on female gender, costume, and social roles

Reading due today:

  • Knight of the Burning Pestle, Acts 1 & 2 (read the play only, not the introductory material and appendices)
  • Andrew Gurr, "The Later Boy Companies"

Conferences #3: Check-in

6/22
6/25 6/26 Act 5 (cont'd)

Topics of discussion:

  • Knight of the Burning Pestle (cont'd)
  • Short presentation on:
    • Bruce Smith, excerpt from The Acoustic World of Early Modern England ___Michelle______________
  • Long presentations:
    • Tamara on the role of real women in theatrical activities
    • Adriana on instrumental music in the theatre

Reading due today:

  • Knight of the Burning Pestle, Acts 3-5
  • Sections on "Music and Sound Effects" and "Dance" in Meredith and Tailby
6/27 6/28 Epilogue: Last Day of Class

Topics of discussion:

  • Stage jigs
  • Long presentations:
    • Ben on animals as entertainers and the representation of animals onstage
    • John on the theatricality of public executions
  • Summary
  • Course Evaluations
  • Short presentation on:
    • David Wiles, "Kemp's Jigs" ___Adriana_______________

Reading due today: None.

6/29
7/2 Final essay due 7/3 7/4 Independence Day 7/5 7/6

Listserv Discussion Topics

(This section will be updated on the web version of this syllabus as the course progresses. It includes suggested topics, though you are always welcome to write on some other aspect that interests you about the texts.)

Thurs., 5/24: (1) Write to the listserv and introduce yourself to the class, so we can make sure that everyone is on the list. (2) How do the readings about the relationship between texts and performances affect your understanding of The Spanish Tragedy? Give specific examples.

Tues., 5/29: How do you think the staging of violence in The Spanish Tragedy affects the meaning of the play? Give specific examples. (Use quotes!)

Thurs., 5/31: What do the readings on how theatre companies and playing seasons were structured suggest about how Renaissance culture thought about the theatre and/or other cultural ideas (e.g. the body, allegory, vision, etc.)? Use specific examples from The Spanish Tragedy in your response.

Tues., 6/5: How does Doctor Faustus deal with the issues we've been discussing in class, such as ideas about vision and ocular proof, allegorical figures, metatheatricality, and how theatre reflects or enables certain cultural ideas?

Thurs., 6/7: Do you think Doctor Faustus is an antitheatrical play? Why or why not? Give specific examples.

Tues., 6/12: No listserv posting (essay proposals due instead).

Thurs., 6/14: What does Look About You suggest about the relationship between clothing and identity, onstage or off, in Renaissance England?

Tues., 6/19: Now that you've read the rest of the play, how can we understand it in terms of some of the issues we've been talking about in class (identity as internal essence versus identity as performative, based on externals; seasonal festivities and theatre as subverting the dominant social order or as a "steam valve" that helps contain unruly elements of society; disguise as play and game or as dangerous deception)?

Thurs., 6/21: What position does The Knight of the Burning Pestle take on the issue of theatre and theatricality?

Tues., 6/26: How do music and dancing function in The Knight of the Burning Pestle? What do you think is the purpose of the interludes?

Thurs., 6/28: What have you learned this term? How can we relate the various cultural and theatrical practices we've been discussing this term to one another?

Requirements

Reading Preparation

Before you come to class each day, you should have read all the assigned texts at least once and taken notes on them so that you are prepared to discuss them in class. You should also have read all of the listserv postings and thought about them carefully so that you can respond to them in class.

Class Participation

In this class I hope that you will learn as much from one another as you will from me. To that end, active class participation is a must. How can you participate? By asking questions, by sharing your thoughts, by listening carefully to others in the class, and by responding thoughtfully to the ideas they present. I want this place to be a safe space where you can try out new ideas and where we can all experiment and take risks in our thinking. If you find it difficult to speak up in large groups, you might try jotting down your questions and ideas as your read and then referring to them in class. You can also use the course listserv to continue class discussions and to raise issues that we didn't get a chance to address in class.

Email Listserv Postings

Listserv postings are informal in style and give you the chance to raise questions about the readings, continue class discussion, etc. You must have an email account to participate in this class! Everyone will be responsible for posting to the class listserv by 4 PM the day before each class meeting. Often I'll ask you to post your thoughts about the assigned texts, but sometimes my listserv questions will be more directed. Listserv postings should be no more than 300 words long, and you should read everyone's postings and come to class prepared to discuss them.

Oral Presentations

You'll each be responsible for two oral presentations, one short one and one long one. Each of your short presentations (approximately 5-10 minutes) will be on a different assigned text on some performative tradition (all of the articles will be in in your bulkpack, but you'll only be responsible for reading the one on which you are presenting). Your goal is simply to summarize the article's main points and provide a handout with an outline of the key points, a few useful quotes, a chronology if that's appropriate, etc. The point of these presentations is to increase the breadth of your knowledge without overburdening you with reading. Each of you will help provide an introduction on a variety of subjects to the others in the class. Your long presentation (approximately 15-20 minutes) will be on the particular performance tradition of your choice about which you are writing your final essay. Preparing for this presentation will help you write your essay proposal and bibliography, so you'll really be killing two birds with one stone in this case. Your goal here is to educate all of us, including me, on a specialized subject about which you will become the expert. In that spirit, you'll each be responsible for leading discussion for half of the class period on the day of your presentation. Again, handouts may be useful. If you have visual (or aural!) aids you want to use, let me know ahead of time, and I can reserve an overhead projector, a slide projector, a computer, or an AV cart (with stereo and video equipment).

Essay Proposal

Your essay proposal is a chance to formulate and organize the ideas and questions that you want to address in your final paper. It should be approximately 2-3 pages double-spaced (600-900 words), and should be posted to the listserv by Noon on the due date. You should also include a bibliography with your proposal. The number of sources you include in your bibliography will vary depending on your project, but you should be sure to include both primary historical texts (STC texts, excerpts from REED, etc.) and secondary sources (other scholarly work on your performance tradition, interpretations of the scenes you'll be focusing on, etc.). Everyone must read everyone else's proposals and come to class ready to discuss them and offer suggestions.

Click here for more information about the essay proposal.

Final Essay

Your final paper is a chance for you to interpret a particular play or scenes from several plays in the light of your own original research on a particular performance tradition of your choice. It should be approximately 10 pages double-spaced. You can investigate either the material circumstances of how plays were performed or some other popular tradition in early modern culture. Your topic should be very specific. For example, you might focus on stage armor, rather than just costumes in general, or you might focus on the use of effigies in parades and other popular rituals, rather than just holidays in general.

Click here for more information about the final essay.

Individual Conferences

I'll be scheduling three individual conferences with each of you outside of regular class times. Each conference will last approximately 15 minutes (or longer if you want), and I encourage you to meet with me outside of these times as well. These conferences are meant to give us a chance to talk one-on-one about any questions you have. I encourage you to jot down questions or issues you would like to discuss prior to each conference and bring your list with you, so that I can make sure to address whatever is most important to you.

Policies

Grading

Any penalty for attendance problems will be deducted from this total.

Attendance

Attendance is very, very, very, very important! This is a discussion-based class, so without you there is no class. You must attend all class meetings unless you have obtained my permission in advance or can document a medical or family crisis after the event. Attendance is also required at each of the individual conferences scheduled outside of class times. Students will be graded a third of a grade lower for every unexcused absence (for example, a B+ gets lowered to a B- for 2 unexcused absences). Students with more than 2 unexcused absences will fail the course. In addition, you should not miss our important peer review workshop when we discuss the proposals for your final essay. Frequent tardiness will also affect your grade, so be here and be on time.

Late Assignments

All assignments must be turned in on time unless you have a documentable medical or family crisis. Extensions on your final paper will only be considered if you have an extremely good reason and if the extension is requested at least one week in advance of the due date.

Collaborative Writing/Plagiarism

I encourage you to work with one another to become better writers and better thinkers by sharing your ideas and giving feedback on each other's work. However, the work you submit to this class is expected to be your own. When you want to refer to someone else's ideas (even the ideas of someone else in this class), you must properly acknowledge your sources. Sometimes this involves providing appropriate citations in the body of your writing and additional bibliographic information at the end. Other times it involves using footnotes correctly. If you have questions about how to cite a source properly, consult a style manual or ask me. If you submit work that has been copied without attribution from some published or unpublished source, or that has been prepared by someone other than you, or that in any other way misrepresents somebody else's work as your own, you will face severe discipline by the University! Work that is your own work but has been submitted to more than one class for credit is also considered plagiarism unless you have obtained the permission of all course instructors involved prior to handing in the work. For more detailed information, see the College of Arts and Sciences' pages on academic integrity at http://www.college.upenn.edu/rules/academic_integrity.html.

Resources