Section Limit Enrollment Available 01 35 18 17
Largely because of the institutionalization of what Shaw mockingly dubbed "Bardolotry," most modern readers' encounter with English Renaissance Drama starts and ends with the plays of Shakespeare. As a consequence, very few students become acquainted with other works from the Tudor and Stuart stage. This course attempts to remedy this deficiency by offering a representative sample of some of the funniest, wierdest and most provocative plays of Shakespeare's contemporaries and rivals. The course will focus in particular on the plays' preoccupation with issues of gender and sexuality, and the broader cultural anxieties this preoccupation bespeaks. In addition to the primary reading, we will also read a number of critical essays in order to examine the assumptions that shape modern interpretations of the plays. These essays are designed to introduce students to some of the more dynamic critical methodologies in recent literary theory, including feminism, Marxism, cultural studies, deconstruction and queer theory.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture Seminar
Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: HA ENGL
Prerequisites: ENGL201
Last Updated on MAR-10-1997
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459