THEATRE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

This third-year course aims to perfect the skills gained in the first two years of the BA course in Lingue, Civiltà e Scienze del Linguaggio (literary and cultural path) and to strengthen the students’ basic knowledge of the history of English literature and culture. It will focus on Shakespeare and Stoppard, together with their historical and cultural contexts, but it will also provide an overview of the history of English drama. Students will also become familiar with early modern English and extend their knowledge of the English language.

The course will enrich the basic knowledge of the main literary artistic and cultural movements of the British Isles with an analysis of Shakespeare’s MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Stoppard’s SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and their contexts. By attending the course, students will enhance their skills in textual analysis and in relating dramatic texts to theatrical practice, as well as to their historical and cultural contexts.

Advanced skills in reading and understanding texts and lectures in English.

THE PLAY’S THE THING: ENGLISH DRAMA BETWEEN THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD AND POSTMODERNITY
This module aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of the history of English drama, with a focus on the early modern period and the postmodern. The module intends to provide students with an overview of the history of English drama through the lens of metatheatre, which will provide insight into literary and cultural contexts and the main conventions of English drama from the Middle Ages into the 20th century (venues, acting, language, relationship with cinema, etc). By focussing on two significant examples of the early modern period and the postmodern, the course aims to encourage students to learn how to contextualize plays for themselves, in order to facilitate their development of critical and independent thinking. The course is taught in English and students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions.

PRIMARY READINGS:
William Shakespeare, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, Arden Third Series, Bloomsbury, 2017.
Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE: A SCREENPLAY, Miramax Books, 1999.

SECONDARY READINGS:
Arturo Cattaneo, A SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, 2 vols., Mondadori, 2011 (selected chapters - see the slides of the first class uploaded to Moodle).
Ronald Hayman, HOW TO READ A PLAY, revised ed., Grove Press, 1999 (selected chapters - see the slides of the first class uploaded to Moodle)

ALL THE TEXTS AND MATERIALS THAT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH MOODLE.

Oral exam at the end of the course. The final oral exam will cover all issues included in the reading list of the course and in the lectures, as well as all texts and materials on the Moodle Platform. In the oral exam students will have to show that they can read and understand A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and that they can relate the play to its historical and cultural context. At the same time, they will be expected to be able to discuss SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE in relation to what has been discussed in class. Levels of linguistic knowledge and communicative skills will also be assessed.

IMPORTANT!!!
Students who cannot attend classes regularly are required to contact the teacher as soon as possible.

oral

The grading is determined by:
1. Knowledge and ability to discuss the topics covered in class lectures, the texts in the syllabus, and all the materials uploaded on Moodle (range: 15 points)
2. Reading, comprehension, and ability to paraphrase A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM in standard contemporary English (range: 10 points)
3. Clarity, fluency and confidence in oral presentation (in English) (range: 5 points)

The maximum achievable score is 30/30. Honours (or distinction) may be awarded in case of excellent performance in all the considered areas.

Lectures, class discussion.

Students are warmly invited to read A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and watch SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (dir. John Madden, 1998) before the beginning of the course.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development