FF:AJL14060 Restoration and 18th C. Drama - Course Information

AJL14060 Restoration and 18th Century Drama

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching

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

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 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20

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

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, 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

- understanding the main development of English late early-modern theatre;
- getting familiar with the conventions of English post-Restoration theatre;
- understanding the main generic tropes of the theatre of the period;
- being able to situate the theatre development of the period in a broader societal, intellectual and political contexts in England of the time.

Syllabus

• 1. Introductory Class
• 2. Early Restoration Comedy 1: William Wycherley: The Country Wife
• 3. Early Restoration Comedy 2: George Etherege: The Man of Mode
• 4. Early Restoration Comedy 3 (and female authorship): Aphra Behn: The Rover
• 5. Tragedy in Crisis 1: Nahum Tate: King Lear
• 6. Tragedy in Crisis 2: Thomas Otway: Venice Preserved
• 7. Late Restoration Comedy: John Vanbrugh: The Provoked Wife
• 8. Restoration Prose on the Stage: Thomas Southerne: The Fatal Marriage
• 9. Shakespeare Made Fit: Lewis Theobald: Double Falsehood
• 10. Ballad Opera: John Gay: The Beggar's Opera
• 11. Late 18th-century Comedy of Manners 1: Oliver Goldsmith: She Stoops to Conquer
• 12. Late 18th-century Comedy of Manners 2: Richard Brinsley Sheridan: A Schools for Scandal
• 13. Summarising session, questions and answers, discussion on the covered material

Teaching methods

In-class discussions, home reading, contribution to the fora, short student presentations

Assessment methods

Active class participation (10 %); oral presentation (20 %); short "response papers" in the fora (20 %); in-class written exam (50 %).

Language of instruction

Czech

Further Comments

The course is taught: every week.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/AJL14060