AJL14060 Restoration and 18th Century Drama

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Anna Hrdinová (lecturer)
PhDr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 14:00–15:40 L35
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ01002 Practical English II || AJL01002 Practical English II )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 2/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
In this course, students focus primarily on drama written and performed from the second half of the 17th century, following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, up until the latter half of the 18th century, when the fashion of "Restoration drama" slowly faded and was replaced by new genres and forms. Students are encouraged to explore the richness and diversity of theatre, which was dismissed by some contemporary commentators as alarmingly licentious and immoral. We will consider a wide variety of genres which were staged at the period, including tragedy, pantomime, ballad opera or Shakespearean adaptation. The main focus, however, will be set on what has since been described as the first modern comedies. Concentrating on the works of major dramatists of the period, students examine the ways in which these texts conspire with, and challenge, dominant social, moral and cultural concepts. Focused reading of the plays, and a consideration of the text in performance (both through discussion and, in some cases, watching recorded performances or film adaptations), will emphasise the continuities and innovations of the genre(s). An appreciation of the various relationships between these plays, and an emphasis on contemporary and recent adaptations, are important aspects of this course.
Learning outcomes
This course will expand the students' familiarity with the development of early-modern English (theatre) culture, its relationship with the country's contemporaneous politics and the links between British and Continental cultures. The students will be able to outline the social issues of the late early-modern period (such as gender, libertinism etc.) and how they were reflected in dramatic works of the time. This course will help the students to understand and appreciate British theatre of the 19th century, such as works by Oscar Wilde.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction 2. William Wycherley: The Country Wife (1675) 3. Aphra Behn: The Rover (1677) 4. John Vanbrugh: The Provoked Wife (1697) 5. Thomas Otway: Venice Preserved (1682) 6. George Farquhar: The Recruiting Officer (1706) 7. John Gay: The Beggar's Opera (1728) 8. Marlowe's Dr. Faustus in the long Restoration period 9. Benjamin Griffin: Whig and Tory (1720) 10. Oliver Goldsmith: She Stoops to Conquer (1771)
Literature
    recommended literature
  • English restoration theatre (Variant.) : The Cambridge companion to English restoration theatre. info
  • The Cambridge companion to English restoration theatre. Edited by Deborah Payne Fisk. 1st publ. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, xxvii, 294. ISBN 052158812X. info
  • The Cambridge companion to English restoration theatre : English restoration theatre (Variant.). Edited by Deborah Payne Fisk. 1st publ. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, xxvii, 294. ISBN 0-521-58215-6. info
  • OWEN, Susan J. Restoration theatre and crisis. Oxford: Clarendon, 1996, xii, 343. ISBN 0198183879. info
Teaching methods
Independent reading, course discussions, short student presentations.
Assessment methods
Class participation (20 %), presentation (30 %), final essay (50 %).
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2023/AJL14060