Department of English

This course will explore some of the representative texts of early modernist drama with the aim of giving students a solid understanding of the major movements and ideas of this period of European theatre. The emphasis of the course will be on textual analysis and close reading; paying particular attention to contemporary dramatic trends (the well-made play, naturalism, symbolism, expressionism, the theatre of ideas) and to the dual function of the drama as both text and performance. We shall read works by Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Wilde, Shaw, Robins, Granville-Barker, and Synge. Course requirements include two take-home essays, midterm, and choice of final exam or term paper;  attendance at local productions of plays may also be required.