Comparative drama of the twentieth century
8 or 12 points * First semester * Clayton
The subject will attempt to show the development of postmodern drama along a historical trajectory going back to the turn of the twentieth century avant-garde movements. This development will be traced through two major theatre experiences: (i) the absurd of Chekhov, Artaud, Genet and Beckett, and the two postmodern trends which branch from it; and (ii) the minimalist theatre of the post-expressionists (Ionesco, Weiss, Grotowski and so on) and the symbiotic postmodern operatic productions (the Japanese theatre Shakespeare and Glass's opera). These trends will be set in the context of the postmodern critical theory, in particular the Lacanian and Derridean philosophy of language, writing and the subject.
Prescribed texts
Artaud A The theatre and its double tr. M C Richards, Grove Press, 1958
Beckett Endgame
Bernhard T The force of habit: A comedy Heinemann, 1976
Blok A The puppet show in twentieth century Russian plays Norton, 1973
Chekhov A `Uncle Vanya' in Checkov: Five plays OUP, 1980
Genet J Our lady of the flowers tr. B Frechtman, Faber and Faber, 1990
Glass P On his new world of music theatre: Opera on the beach ed. R T Jones, Dunvagen Music Publishers/Faber and Faber, 1988
Ionesco E Exit the king tr. D Watson, Grove Press, 1963
Jarry A king turd (Ubu roi) Boar's Head Books, 1988
Mrozek S Striptease, police, tango 1960 (photocopy available from the section)
Rosewicz T `Birth rate (1958-1967)' in Twentieth century Polish avant-garde drama: Plays, scenarios, critical documents ed. and tr. D Gerould, Cornell UP, 1977
Strauss B Big and Little: Scenes tr. A Cattaneo, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1978
Weiss P Marat/Sade 1964
Witkiewicz S The Madman and the Nun and other plays tr. D Gerould, U Washington P, 1969