This course will introduce students to a broad variety of modern dramatists from across Europe foregrounding issues of form and technique alongside textual and thematic analysis .Students will be able to understand major thematic trends which characterized the drama of 20th century. Consequently by the end of the course, students will have a good sense of the historic development of the modern drama in its many manifestations. The plays that we will read and discuss in this module will explore the ways in which theatre and drama has been used to reflect and influence social norms and political conventions. The students will learn to share and defend their own interpretations of the texts through their discussions in the classroom and in the exams they will be required to take during the semester. This will help them hone their skills of close reading, critical evaluation and explicatory writing.

COURSE CONTENTS:

1.         Henrik Ibsen                 A Doll's House

2.         Henrik Ibsen                 The Wild Duck

3.         Oscar Wilde                  The Importance of Being Earnest

4.         Bernard Shaw               The Devil's Disciple

5.         Bernard Shaw               Arms and the Man

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will be introduced to a host of important 20th century plays. Consequently they will,

1. Develop the capacity to critique a piece of theatre as both a written text and a work made for performance;
2. Examine, discuss, and debate performance ethics;
3. Continue to improve their research, writing, and editing skills;
4. Practice, develop, and improve public presentation skills.

FURTHER READINGS

Ackerman, A. (Ed.). (2012). Reading Modern Drama. University of Toronto Press.

Bloom, H. (2010). Oscar Wilde:(New Edition). Infobase Publishing.

Raymond Williams (1952) Drama from Ibsen to Eliot. OUP

 McFarlane, J. (1994). The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen. Cambridge University Press.

Ganz, A. F. (1983). George Bernard Shaw. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Thomas, David. Henrick Ibsen. Macmillan International Higher Education, 1983.