This course will introduce students to a selection of influential 20th Century U.S. American dramatists like e.g. Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller or Wendy Wasserstein. After a short introduction into the topic and distinct developments of U.S.-American drama in the 20th century, this seminar will continue with a close analysis of six critically acclaimed U.S. American dramas. In the course of this seminar we will discuss the dramas along various different topics and themes. Furthermore, we will draw parallels between the selected texts in order to detect certain trends and developments in U.S. American Drama. Short introductory lectures on the discussed dramas will provide the literary and cultural background for our discussion of exemplary texts. Students are expected to be familiar with basic concepts and terms of drama of drama theory and drama analysis as they are essential for our understanding of the works under review.
Course Readings:
O’Neill, Eugene. Long Day’s Journey into Night. (1956) Reclam Verlag. ISBN-10: 3150092523 ISBN-13: 978-3150092521
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. (1947) Reclam Verlag. ISBN-10: 315009240X , ISBN-13: 978-3150092408
Miller, Arthur. A View from the Bridge. (1955) Penguin Classics. ISBN-10: 0141189967 ISBN-13: 978-0141189963
Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. (1993) Theater Communications Group. ISBN-10: 1559362316, ISBN-13: 978-1559362313
Wasserstein, Wendy. The Heidi Chronicles. (1988) Dramatist Play Serv Inc. ISBN-10: 0822205106 ISBN-13: 978-0822205104
Norman, Marsha. ‘Night Mother. (1983) Farrar Straus & Giroux; Auflage: Hill and Wang. (1998) ISBN-10: 0374521387 ISBN-13: 978-0374521387 |
