GRN3255

German drama, theatre and society

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

S Hesse

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Clayton
* Corequisites: a third-year language subject

Objectives Upon completion of this subject students should have gained an understanding of the conventions and literary structures of a variety of dramatic sub-genres; an appreciation of the range of innovative dramatic forms in twentieth-century German drama; an understanding of the nexus between social concerns and trends and the perceived purposes and styles of theatrical presentation; a historical understanding of the role of the theatre critic; some workshop experience in dramaturgical deliberation and practice; comprehension of the German terminology and the critical idiom used is discussing drama; the ability to write and speak on drama critically, analytically, comparatively and with a view to the history and sociology of literature and of the theatre.

Synopsis An introduction to the formal variety and historical transformation of German drama and theatre from Lessing to the present.

Assessment Written (4000 words): 70%
* Examinations (1 hour): 30%

Prescribed texts

Bernhard T Die Macht der Gewohnheit Suhrkamp
Brecht B Der kaukasische Kreidekreis Suhrkamp
Lessing G E Minna von Barnhelm Reclam
Mozart W A Die Zauberflöte Reclam
Schiller F Kabale und Liebe Reclam
Tieck L Der gestiefelte Kater Reclam
Weiss P Die Ermittlung Suhrkamp