1871.09 - Drama Analysis
Course number
1871.09
Title
Drama Analysis
ECTS
5
Purpose
The course aims to introduce students to the main currents in drama, as well as to equip them with the tools to analyse and discuss both traditional and modern drama.
Content
European drama dates back to the Classical Greek tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and the first dramatic theory, which continues to have a great impact on how drama is composed and perceived, was written by Aristotle as early as the 4th century BC. The course will be divided into two main sections.
The first half of the course will be an introduction to the main currents in European drama from the ancient Greeks to about 1950. We will study works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen and Brecht. These sessions will also introduce students to the formal characteristics of traditional scripts and how they are analysed.
The second half of the course will centre on more recent Nordic drama and we will study plays from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroes. In this part of the course, we will emphasize new currents and narrative styles in drama, as well as new theories aiming to understand and analyse these currents.
Reading list F
irst half of the course:
Göran Lindström. Att läsa dramatik. (Out of print, must be photocopied)
Plays and play excerpts by: Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Strindberg, and Brecht.
Second half of the course:
Frode Helland and Lisbeth Petersen Wærp: Å lese drama – innføring i teori og analyse. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo 2005.
We will read plays by Jon Vosse (NO), Lars Norén (SE), Ólaf H. Símonarsson (IS), Astrid Saalbach (DK) and Jóanes Nielsen (FO).
Moreover, there will be a compilation of relevant articles about drama history, drama analysis and related theory.
Learning and teaching approaches
The course will aim to give students the chance to apply the analytical tools acquired and will therefore emphasize active student participation. We will analyse plays and the course will be divided into short lectures, debates and student presentations.
Assessment method
Oral exam (4 hours) or open/set take-home assignment.