Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Westminster College Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Westminster College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ENG 401 - Drama Criticism

Semester Hours: 4

This seminar is designed to acquaint advanced literature students with the essential critical texts and theoretical ideas pertaining to Western dramatic art. Students will familiarize themselves with the major arguments on the nature and purpose of theater, as formulated by critics ranging from the Ancient Greeks to those of the modern era: most notably, Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Evanthius, Donatus, Castelvetro, Molière, Ibsen, Chekhov, Pirandello, and Brecht. Students will apply these critical ideas to representative Western masterpieces, such as Oedipus, The Girl from Andros, Othello, Tartuffe, A Doll House, The Cherry Orchard, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Mother Courage and her Children. The instructor will strive to make film versions and excerpts of some of these plays available in and out of class. Being a seminar, the course will require students to present their findings in class on a regular basis and help lead the class discussion.