This course will
focus its attention on comic plays written in England from Shakespeare’s
TWELFTH NIGHT (1601) to Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
(1895). Across these three centuries we
will read some of the most notable examples of comic writing in the dramatic
canon. In addition to Shakespeare and Wilde, we will read plays by Ben Jonson,
William Wycherley, William Congreve, Richard Sheridan, Dion Boucicault, and
Gilbert and Sullivan. Where possible we will view filmed productions of these
plays.
We will examine
the nature of comedy and its varieties, and try to find answers to the
questions about its origins, purposes, and value, questions that have adhered
to this genre forever. By the end of the course you should understand some
fairly sophisticated ideas about comic drama as a genre, its social, personal,
and artistic value, and be able to write coherently and insightfully about a comic
play that is not on the official syllabus.
There will be a
midterm and final exam, and three formal writing assignments, with occasional
quizzes.
Assigned texts
will include: Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT, Ben Jonson’s VOLPONE, Wycherley’s
THE COUNTRY WIFE, Congreve’s THE WAY OF THE WORLD, Sheridan’s THE SCHOOL FOR
SCANDAL, Boucicault’s LONDON ASSURANCE, Gilbert and Sullivan’s THE MIKADO,
Oscar Wilde’s AN IDEAL HUSBAND and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST.