This seminar 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 plays. In the course of this seminar we will discuss the works along various different topics and themes. Furthermore, we will draw parallels between the selected texts in order to detect certain changes and developments in U.S. American drama. Short introductory lectures on the discussed plays will provide the literary and cultural background for our discussions of exemplary texts. Students are expected to be familiar with basic concepts of drama analysis and theory as they are essential for the analysis of the works at hand.
Course Readings:
Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire (1947). Reclam. ISBN: 978-3150092408
Arthur Miller. A View From the Bridge (1955). Penguin Classics. ISBN: 978-0141189963
Eugene O'Neill. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1956) Reclam. ISBN: 978-3150092521
Marsha Norman. 'night, Mother (1983). Farrah Straus & Giroux. Auflage: Hill and Wang (1998). ISBN: 978-0374521387
Wendy Wasserstein. The Heidi Chronicles (1988). Dramatists Play Sery Inc. ISBN: 978-0822205104
Tony Kushner. Angels in America (1992) Theater Communications Group. ISBN: 978-1559362313 |
