Texts:
Bogard, Travis, _Contour in Time: The Plays of Eugene O'Neill_ (also
on reserve)
Boucicault, Dion (on reserve and at Fast Copy Center)
O'Neill, Eugene: _Emporer Jones_, _Anna Christie_, and _The Hairy Ape_(Random House) _The Iceman Cometh_ (Yale) _Later Plays of Eugene O'Neill_, (Random House) _Long Day's Journey Into Night_ (Yale) _More Stately Mansions_ (Yale, plus Bower's introduction, first & last scenes, at Fast Copy Center and on reserve) _Seven Plavs of the Sea_ (Random House) _Three Plays of Eugene O'Neill_ (Desire et al, Random House)
Shepard, Sam: _Fool for Love and Other Plays_ (Bantam) _Seven Plays_ (Bantam)
Schedule:
Aug. 31 Introduction to the course
Sept. 7 The Octoroon and Plays of the Sea (first four)
Sept. 14 _The Emporer Jones_ and _The Hairy Ape_
Sept. 21 Desire Under the Elms
Sept. 28 Touch of the Poet and _More Stately Mansions_ (Yale plus Bower ed.)
Oct. 5 _The Iceman Cometh_ and Hughie; O'Neill paper due
Oct. 12 Ah, Wilderness! and _Long Day's Journey Into Night_
Oct. 19 Moon for the Misbegotten; take home mid-term
Oct. 26 La Turista and The Tooth of Crime
Nov. 2 Angel City and Suicide in B Flat
Nov. 9 Buried Child
Nov. 16 Curse of the Starving Class and True West; Shepard paper due Nov.2
Nov. 23 Thanksgiving vacation
Nov. 30 Fool for Love
Dec. 7 Presentation of papers, review, and class evaluations
Dec. 14 Final exam
Policies and procedures:
Supplemental readings and journal: Read at least one critical or theoretical article or chapter from the reserve list for each class period. The readings are of several types: criticism of specific plays, general critical treatments of playwright' work as a whole, and critical theory. I would encourage you to choose selections employing a variety of critical approach' (biographical, textual, linguistic, etc.), including at least five articles in critical theory.
In a bluebook or notebook, write a one-page(minimum) abstract of each article, beginning with the full citation in MLA format and summarizing concisely the thesis and main points. If you wish, you may add a brief analysis or evaluation of the article~ but this is optional.
The journals may be collected periodically throughout the semester. Please bring them with you to class each week. Your readings should enrich not just your own understanding o the texts but also your contributions to class discussion. They will be collected on the last day of class, graded, and returned to you on final exam day.
Papers: Two 8-12 page(typed, double spaced) critical analyses, one on O'Neill and one on Shepard, both on plays not covered in class or ones treated very briefly. Be explicit ~n-eeeh p~per about the critical approach you are taking(the assumptions you are making, the framework you bring to the text,. the critical matrix from which your analysis derives) and somewhere in the course of your paper situate your play on the modernist/post-modernist continuum.
Exams: Mid-term(take home) and final(comprehensive)
Grades:
Papers 200 points
Mid-term 100
Journal & class partici pation 100
Final 100
Total 500
Office hours: MW 10-12(12 - 1:30 PM by appointment); brief appointments before and after class are also available on request.
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