AJ24085 Irish Drama and Theatre

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2008
Extent and Intensity
0/10/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Andrea P. Balogh, M.A. (lecturer), doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 10 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/10, only registered: 0/10
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 11 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The purpose of the course is to explore the interaction between cultural politics and dramatic art from the founding of the Irish national theatre (The Abbey Theatre) at the beginning of the 20th century to the present. We shall look at the ways in which modern Irish theatre as a cultural institution is informed by, and at the same time addresses, the discourses of post/colonialism, various forms of nationalism, gender issues, social realism, and the methods of cultural anthropology and cultural translation. The course will familiarize students with major figures of modern Irish drama and theatre and the key-concepts and key-issues of the current debates on Irish drama and theatre history. It will also enable them to address the interaction between aesthetics and politics in the context of Irish culture as well as in the global framework of Irish studies.
Syllabus
  • Schedule 1. Introduction: The Celtic Revival (cultural nationalism) 2. W. B. Yeats’ On Baile’s Strand 3. Lady Gregory’s Spreading the News 4. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World 5. Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock 6. The Field Day Company (politics of culture) 7. Brian Friel’s Translations and Performances 8. Irish drama and gender issues 9. Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats; and M. E. Burke-Kennedy’s Women in Arms 10. Revision and evaluation
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Practical matters: - The reading material will be provided in PDF files beforehand - Active class participation is a must - The reading material includes set questions which require some preliminary research and will guide the students through the seminar discussions - The revised, clearly argued version of three answers (chosen by the students) should be submitted typed in the form of mini essays (1000 words each) at the end of the course - As a follow-up students must write a research paper (3000 words) on a chosen topic to be submitted by email by the agreed deadline - The ideas and tentative themes for the research papers will be discussed at the last session Grading policy: - Mini essays 30% - Seminar paper 50% - Activity 20% Primary Reading: W. B. Yeats’ On Baile’s Strand; Lady Gregory’s Spreading the News; Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World; Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock; Brian Friel’s Translations; Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats; and M. E. Burke-Kennedy’s Women in Arms Secondary Reading: Brown, Terence (2003) from “Cultural Nationalism 1880-1930” Kurdi Mária (ed.) Critical Anthology for the Study of Modern Irish Literature. Budapest: Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, 81-85. Castle, Gregory (2001) “The Celtic muse: anthropology, modernism, and the Celtic Revival.” Modernism and the Celtic Revival. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1-39. Deane, Seamus (1990). “Introduction” Deane (ed.) Nationalism, Colonialism and Literature. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 3-19. Carvalho, Paulo Eduardo (2006) About Some Healthy Intersections: Brian Friel and Field Day” in Donald E. Morse et al. (eds.) Brian Friel’s Dramatic Artistry. Dublin: Carysfort Press, 251-270. Kiberd, Declan (2000) “Augusta Gregory’s Cuchalain: The Rebirth of the Hero.” Irish Classics _____________ “Synge’s Triste Tropiques: The Aran Islands.” Irish Classics Leeney, Cathy (2001) “Introduction” Leeney (ed.) Seen and Heard. Six New Plays by Irish Women. Dublin: Carysfort Press, vii-x. Levitas, Ben (2003) “Plumbing the Depths: Irish Realism and the Working Class from Shaw to O’Casey. Irish University Review (Spring/Summer) Pilný, Ondřej (2006) “’The Home of Ancient Idealism.’ W.B. Yeats and the Irish Dramatic Movement” Pilný Irony and Identity in Irish Drama. Prague: Litteraria Pragensia, 11-35. __________ “’Mythologies of Fantasy and Hope’: Brian Friel and the Field Day” in Irony, 105-134. Pelletier, Martine. (1999) “Field Day and ‘The Irish-English Collision.’” European Journal of English Studies 3/3. 327-41. Richards, Shaun. (1997) “Placed Identities for Placeless Times: Brian Friel and Post-Colonial Criticism”, Irish University Review (Spring/Summer), 55-68.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Note related to how often the course is taught: April 14 - April 25 2008.
General note: The schedule will be posted on the department website. Seminars will run for two hours a day over the ten days of the course.
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