English Department - Additional Information About ENL 338
British and Commonwealth Drama (Spring Day 2007)
"Imperial Insiders and Outsiders"
Professor Doug Green
Officially, ENL 338 is a variable survey of drama in English by British and Commonwealth playwrights, organized historically and/or thematically. Sample topics include “Mysteries andMoralities,” “London Onstage,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “What Is My Nation?” Readings range from the Middle Ages to the present. THR 250 satisfies the prerequisite for this course. (Prereq.: ENL 220 or 221, or a 200-level literature course or THR 250, or consent of instructor.) It satisfies a requirement in British literature.
This year we will be reading older British plays--from the Renaissance to the 19th century--in conjunction with British and Commonwealth works from the 20th and 21st centuries. The pairings will be loosely organized around the theme: Imperial Insiders and Outsiders. Possible pairings include Marlowe's "Edward II" and Hugh Whitemore's "Breaking the Code," Oscar Wilde's "The Ideal Husband" and Caryl Churchill's "Cloud Nine," Farquahr's "The Recruiting Officer" and Wertenbaker's "Our Country's Good," Shakespeare's "Richard the Third" and David
Hare's "Stuff Happens," and more. We'll also be seeing some contemporary films in conjunction with older works as well as stage productions, like Augsburg's production of "Twelfth Night."