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School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
This course is no longer required for admission to English Honours. Is comedy just for laughs? Does it have a serious purpose? Is humour time-bound? This course will take the long view of dramatic comedy, exploring ways in which it is catalysed by, and speaks to, its immediate contexts. The entertainment revolution offered by London's public playhouses will provide the starting place for a wide-ranging investigation of the forms of dramatic comedy that evolved from it. We will explore dramatic comedy's relationship with developing technologies of performance and with socio-political concerns such as state and individual authority, class, and gender. Topics may include the Greek origins of early modern stage comedy, slapstick and the influence of Commedia dell'arte, Shakespeare's pastoral and romantic comedy, political satire and city comedy, the first female English playwrights, the comedy of manners, and the origins of farce . In each instance you will learn to identify both common tricks and innovations that have constituted the evolution of this important but often over-looked cultural form.
Workshop presentation (as director or dramaturg)
Learning outcomes 2, 4
Workshop journal or exam
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3
Participation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 4
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact: 24 hours of workshops and 12 hours of seminars. b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
William Shakespeare, Comedy of Errors, The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition, Oxford, UK, 2016 via Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (ANU Library) William Shakespeare, As You Like It,The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition, Oxford, UK, 2016 via Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (ANU Library)