76-844: Renaissance Drama
The London stage during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James is well known for its burst of creativity and public cultureżand not just because of Shakespeare. This course will examine the early history of the English theater, both the social conditions that enable the theaters to be built and the plays written for it. Reformation doctrine and politics, the rise of shareholding companies, increasing rates of literacy, and periodic visitations of the Black Plague all figure in this story. The emphasis, though, will fall on the plays themselves and how literary theories (feminist, Marxist, new historicist, psychoanalytic) can reanimate them for us. The playwrights will include Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Webster, Thomas Middleton, and others.Students are required to attend and participate regularly, present a position statement in class, and submit two prepared papers. Graduate students will meet for an extra hour to discuss additional readings.
| A | MW | 01:30 pm - 02:50 pm | BH 255B | Knapp |