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Three American Playwrights: Williams, Albee, Shepard

ENGL 271.601
instructor(s):
TR 5-6:20

 

We will examine closely three playwrights -- Tennessee Williams, Edward
Albee and Sam Shepard -- whose writing both reflected and shaped five
decades (and counting) of the American theatre.  While their plays may
initially seem disimilar, all three use the paradigm of American realism
as a point of departure in creating works that incorporate magic realism,
absurdism, performance art, and any number of other prominent 20th Century
theatre movements. Above all, these are writers whose voices are
grounded in deeply personal, poetic language and imagery -- and whose
dramas both form and inform the canon of modern American theatre.

Assignments: three papers (approximately 10 pages each) and one midterm
exam. (There is no final exam.)

fulfills requirements