- Department: English and Related Literature
- Module co-ordinator: Prof. Gillian Russell
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
- See module specification for other years: 2021-22
The eighteenth century is one of the most exciting and formative eras in the history of British theatre and drama. During this period British theatre became a truly national and also global phenomenon, a key institution in which dynamic changes such as an expanding empire, shifts in gender roles, and the impact of the print media were staged, debated, and contested.
This module will consider some of the key plays of the period in relation to their performance history and the actors and actors who featured in them, the Georgian period also being crucial in the rise of modern stardom. We will explore evolutions in the genres of tragedy and comedy and intersections with other media, including visual art. Special attention will be given to the Georgian theatre in York and we will also consider the influence of eighteenth-century precedents on the theatre repertory today.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Spring Term 2022-23 |
This course aims to introduce you to the dramatic literature of the eighteenth century in relation to the history of performance, theatre as a cultural institution, and cultural history more broadly.
On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework 3000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
None
You will be given the opportunity to hand in a 1000 word formative essay in the term in which the module is taught (usually in the week 7 seminar). Material from this essay may be re-visited in your summative essay and it is therefore an early chance to work through material that might be used in assessed work.
This essay will be submitted in hard copy and your tutor will annotate it and return it two weeks later (usually in your week 9 seminar). Summary feedback will be uploaded to your eVision account.
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework 3000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserv’d, Nicholas Rowe’s The Fair Penitent
George Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer, Mary Davys, The Northern Heiress
Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Critic
John Home’s Douglas
Thomas Southerne’s Oronooko
George Colman’s Inkle and Yarico
Hannah Cowley’s The Belle’s Stratagem
Elizabeth Griffiths’ The Times
John Dent’s The Bastille
Robert Southey and S. T. Coleridge’s The Fall of Robespierre
Joanna Baillie’s De Monfort
Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good
April De Angelis’, A Laughing Matter