English 456.01 (Moscow/Niccol 208) and 456.02 (Couer d'Alene via videoconference/HC 128) Fall 2017
English Drama, 1660-1730

Dr. Stephan Flores (sflores@uidaho.edu)    
2:00pm-3:15pm TR Niccol 208 (Moscow) and HC 128(CdA)
http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/stephanflores.aspx                                           
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~sflores/                                                  English Department: 885-6156
Office hours: W 2:30pm-4:00 p.m. & by appt.                                             Office: Brink 125

Prerequisite: English 102 or equivalent, and pre-or-co-requisite of Engl 175, or 257, or 258; English majors must in addition have completed Engl 215, or enroll by permission of instructor. Theater majors who have not taken a 100-200 level English literature course, may request permission to enroll by sending an e-mail to instructor, including description of what theater history courses you have completed.

Course Description: This course surveys English drama by male and female writers (including a play by Aphra Behn, the 'first' professional woman writer) during an "early modern" period of social transformation and political upheaval following the English civil wars, the restoration of Charles II (1660) and the revival of the public theaters. We'll study shifting relations among kings, queens, subjects, Tories, Whigs, courtiers, landed aristocracy, upwardly mobile bankers and merchants, apprentices, husbands, rakes, gentlemen, ladies, prostitutes, wives, parents, siblings, actors, actresses, and playwrights. In other words, we’ll explore public/private staged fantasies of heroic love and honor, sexual rivalries, political conspiracies, religious, ethical, and class conflicts—that is, the dramatic/performance history of the period via comedies, tragedies, and serio-comic plays.

To offer one example of such shifting identities and relations, along the way we shall trace different trajectories of how these plays engage with social intersections among desire, sexuality, cultural identities, and commerce: over the course of the late seventeenth-century to mid-eighteenth century, figures of prostitution and of courtship/marriage relations in literature shift, in general, from being portrayed in terms of sexual desire/pleasure (and in terms of class alliances with limited degrees of class mobility) to forms/representations of commercial and contractual exchange.  Laura Rosenthal writes, as prostitution undermined a developing separation of public and private spheres, it could “evoke both the disturbing and potentially liberating ways in which early capitalist relations were dislodging traditional forms of status and power” (Infamous Commerce).

As we explore different playwrights/plays, we also have the opportunity (need? obligation?) to explore what might demarcate this period as, for instance, the "Restoration and Eighteenth-Century" or as moving perhaps from "early modern to late modern" concepts of history/subjectivity/temporality or even the limits of periodization and temporality and of historical analysis (of historicism, or relating texts/performance to contexts, particularly historical contexts, and the loss or trade-off/exchange, of trying to think or situate texts/performances in temporal versus non- or polytemporal terms). Mitchell Greenberg describes the period between 1550-1700 as marked by "both a generalized European fear that chaos is about to descend upon the world and a desire for some force, some leader who would be able to waylay that chaos, establish order and put things that seem askew, aright. [Greenberg elaborates/continues, that] Perhaps the only cultural production that enables us to identify a unifying element in the enormous heterogeneity of what we are calling 'early modernity' is the almost universal predominance of the theater, its unrivaled status as the most popular and dominant form of representation during the most important transitory moment (1550-1700) in European history. . . . For on the stages of the seventeenth century we are made to witness, in both tragedy and comedy, the various attempts at projecting both the confusions and the possible solutions to these many problems that were offered to a receptive audience as teh virtual responses to inarticulate desires" ("The Concept of 'Early Modern'" 2013).

The course satisfies the department's undergraduate pre-1800 course requirement for the literature and creative writing emphases. Written work includes twelve Inquiry-Starters (approx. 225 words each) posted on Bblearn, a Critical Analysis Essay (6 pages), and a Term Essay (10 pages). Our studies and your writing include substantial engagement with scholarly essays on some of the primary texts, including related topics and cultural/historical contexts of these works.

Here is a general guiding premise/claim for this literature course and its outcomes (also see expected learning outcomes to be posted): Literature provides us with a way of understanding how our social life works. Human social life consists of narratives for living, with ‘narratives’ being understood here as an actual life experience spread over time and guided by cultural stories that justify it to participants. Both the cultural and real-world narrative can change; both use frames to exclude norm-dissonant perspectives and values and to ensure that the meanings that support the continuity and homogeneity of the lived process are stable, predictable, and enforced. Who tells the stories in the culture thus largely shapes how that cultural world will be organized. Stories are what people believe and how they believe, and how people believe determines how they act and how they live. Stories can change how people think, perceive, believe, and act. The analysis of the work they perform is thus an important endeavor. And that is what criticism is all about. (An Introduction to Criticism: Literature/Film/Culture--Wiley-Blackwell, 2012).

Required text:
The Broadview Anthology of Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Drama, Edited by: J. Douglas Canfield & Maja-Lisa von Sneidern (Assistant to the Editor) Note: you could get by with this anthology's Concise Edition, which costs just a bit less)
Paperback (2001) SBN: 9781551112701 / 1551112701

Additional essays/articles, video clips from several of the plays in performance on film and related resources (such as study questions) online via the class Bblearn site and also via links further below.

As noted above, see PDF documents (including scholarly articles/essays on many of our texts) and weblinks to other video clips/resources in the folders/course Bblearn site.

Login to Bblearn before our first class meeting by using your UIDAHO NetID. You can update your password at http://help.uidaho.edu/. If you haven't already, setup your NetID at www.vandalsetup.uidaho.edu. If you continue to experience problems accessing BbLearn after changing your password, please contact the ITS Help Desk by email helpdesk@uidaho.edu, or phone (208)885-HELP.
Student Help using BbLearn

Note that this class counts toward/satisfies several different elective possibilities in the different emphases in the English major, such as the "one upper-division course in literature before 1900 (3 cr)" requirement in the Literature emphasis or in the Creative Writing emphasis the "Shakespeare or another course in literature before 1800 (3 cr)" requirement, and similar options/requirements in the Teaching emphasis or in the current Professional emphasis.

Broader contexts for desired course outcomes are situated within the department's goals for the English major and the university's learning outcomes. In addition, as mentioned see further below for learning outcomes specific to this course and to 400-level literature courses. The primary desired learning outcomes for this course, beyond the department's specified outcomes for 300-400 level literature courses, include

1. Developing a critical understanding of the development of English drama in different genres/modes from 1660-1730, including significant cultural and political contexts and historical shifts over this period.

2. Developing critical reading and writing practices and competencies, in relation not only to primary literary texts but also substantial range of scholarship on selected playwrights/plays.

Here's a list of the plays that we'll read/discuss/study--keep in view that this is a steady to brisk pace that manages to provide a strong range of plays, including different genres/styles as well as recurring continuities (such as the figure of the rake/libertine or marriage plots). See further below for the full list of plays that are included in the Broadview anthology.

William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1675)
George Etherege, The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter (1676)
Aphra Behn, The Rover; or, The Banished Cavaliers (1677)
Thomas Otway, Venice Preserved; or, A Plot Discovered (1682)
John Vanbrugh, The Relapse; or, Virtue in Danger; Being the Sequel of The Fool in Fashion (1696)
William Congreve, The Way of the World (1700)
Catharine Trotter, Love at a Loss; or, Most Votes Carry It (1700)
George Farquhar, The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707)
Susanna Centlivre, A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1718)
Richard Steele, The Conscious Lovers (1722)
John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera (1728)
George Lillo, The London Merchant; or, The History of George Barnwell (1731)

Running Not in Order Hodgepodge Bibliography (see Bblearn folders for 'orderly' groupings of articles and scanned chapters, introductions, etc. in PDFs)

Requirements:

1. Twelve written Inquiry Starters (ISs--12 total over the course of the semester): a combination of citation (summary-review) with thesis/problem-driven response (at minimum 225 words each), due by 1 p.m. on--in the majority of weeks--your choice of either Tuesday or Thursday--note the range/degree of choice, week by week, on the course schedule below, including several weeks where the IS is due on either Thursday or the following Tuesday. Note that over the course of the semester, plan to post six ISs on Tuesdays and six ISs on Thursdays: each IS should demonstrate a reflective engagement with that week's reading assignment(s), to include finding a couple of points of interest that enable you to take a stance/make a claim, state a point of view/thesis about the texts/ideas--see two examples via this weblink). Six of your Inquiry Starters should respond quite directly to the text of the play under discussion, with the additional option of your line of inquiry/understanding having been directed/inflected by reading a headnote or bit of scholarship (an article, for example); six of your Inquiry Starters should respond directly to a substantial scholarly article/resource from Bblearn (PDF).

Inquiry Starters present a means for you and the class to share close critical analysis, enthusiasms and questions as you delve into the text’s significance, methods, and effects, and to learn from others' comments (a version of Graff's "They Say, I Say" exchange, see Bblearn). No late entries —Inquiry Starters are due/posted on the Bblearn discussion thread no later than 1 p.m. and must address a scheduled text or relevant piece of scholarship for that day (in other words, do not post about a Tuesday text on Thursday). See left side menu on Bblearn, click on that, then find appropriate thread for each IS, and post an entry and provide a "title" for your entry. Inquiry Starters are to be posted on Bblearn no later than 1 p.m. the day of class. Entries posted any later than 1 p.m. will lose five points--that is, your semester point total will be reduced by five points for each late or missing Inquiry-Starter entry. Come to class prepared to talk about your ISs/ideas; at times we'll spotlight individual ISs, using the projector to introduce the ISs via Bblearn to facilitate discussion, so keep in mind that you may be called upon in class to comment further upon your IS. I attend to the ISs as part of my evaluation of your performance in the course--strive each week for a full and thoughtful/analytical entry--avoid posting entries that are too brief and/or mainly descriptive rather than analytical (points might be deducted). Remember: Missing or late inquiry-starter entries will be counted against your semester grade, and if your grades are on a borderline between grade ranges then missing even one entry may reduce your semester grade (see below).

2. Summary-&-Critical Reflection assignment (two parts, due Thursday October 12th by 4pm including copy, preferably as MS Word attachment, sent by email to me--be sure to include your last name as part of the document title, such as Smith_456F17_SCR).

Summary (300 words): Focus your summary (approximately 300 words) to represent key aspects of one of the substantial scholarly articles/book chapters (PDF) available in our Bblearn course site. Once you have determined your choice, send an email to me (sflores@uidaho.edu) to let me know which article/chapter you have selected, and perhaps a sentence or two about why you selected that piece.

Your summary should present a straightforward account of the scholarly essay's primary, most important or engaging ideas and points of argument and interpretation.

Process (for summary and looking ahead to the critical reflection): After reading the scholarly essay closely, you might explore to what extent and how the reading has influenced your views and understanding, to include determining points of agreement or doubt, significant questions, important ideas you "take away" from the reading, and by reflecting on what you might "say back" to the author in sharing your perspective on the essay (and perhaps on a particular play that may be under discussion in the article).

As you write the summary, work from your sense of the scholarly essay's structure and content, (what each part of the essay "does" and "says," usually a response to an implicit question)—recognize that you will need to select among such points because your word limit will force you to choose what ideas and arguments to focus on.

Your summary should strive to be accurate, direct, and concise; aim for a fair, nonpartisan stance and tone, and except for brief quotes use your own words to express the author's ideas, use attributive tags (such as according to Smith or Smith argues that) to keep the reader informed that you are expressing another's ideas, and focus the summary to produce a cohesive, coherent account. You might begin the summary by identifying the question or the problem that the essay addresses, then state the essay's purpose or thesis and summarize its main argument or primary analysis.

Critical Reflection essay (600 words): write a reflective, question -and problem-posing critical essay (approximately 600 words) that explains and explores what you consider to be one of the most important/compelling/useful and/or problematic interpretative issues/ideas//theories in one or more plays in the course thus far: that is, focus your critical reflection and inquiry on some aspect of what you have learned about studying a particular play and if you can make a broader generalization, about studying the drama of this period (through one or more specific examples). Given the brevity of this essay, you may find it useful to quote briefly from one or more passages from a play and from a scholar/critic—such as the essay that you just summarized—in order to support your inquiry with a specific illustration. You also may find it effective to compose a thesis for your essay that maps out the significant points that you want to develop and discuss. Assume that your audience is familiar with what we have read and studied, and take care to articulate clearly your inquiry into the material, especially problems or contradictions that seem difficult to resolve. See this weblink for additional concise advice on writing a critical essay or this weblink for fuller advice.

3. Critical Analysis Essay due by E-Mail to me on Monday November 6th by 5pm --send copy to me by email (include your last name as part of the document title, such as Smith_456_F17_CA) and for Moscow-based students, also hard copy to Brink 200 or bring hard copy to class on Tuesday [see Bblearn folder "Advice on Writing Essays" and see this immediately prior&following highlighted weblink for fuller advice on writing critical essay(s)]; 1600 words/six pages for main body of essay, double-spaced, with reference to at least two pieces of “instructor-specified” secondary criticism beyond our assigned reading, according to selections posted on our class Bblearn folders for criticism on each play; that is, you must refer to/cite/draw upon at least two substantial article/book chapters from the Bblearn folder for the corresponding play. Though you may consult other/outside secondary criticism from scholarly journals and books, do not plan to make those sources the primary, informing perspectives and research for your essay.You may draw upon/incorporate/revise one or more of your Inquiry Starters as well as your Summary & Critical Reflection assignment as a means to discover and to develop a topic, but you are not required or expected to do so. I encourge you to send to me by email a concise description of your provisional topic and 'thesis/perspective' by Wednesday November 1.The primary aims of this thesis-seeking/problem-posing exploratory essay assignment is to engage with the play and its critical interpretation/reception by identifying problems, developing claims and arguments, and enriching your literary understanding, interests, and commitments. I am not necessarily interested so much in whether your analysis is 'original' as I am in whether you address an interesting topic, explore interpretive/analytic issues productively, and demonstrate understanding that proceeds from your own reading as well as your research. Use/learn Modern Language Association format for any notes or works cited (see, for instance, link to MLA format guidelines further below). See also University of Idaho Guidelines on Academic Dishonesty (including plagiarism). In accordance with the UI Student Code of Conduct, I report instances of academic dishonesty/plagiarism, to the office of the Dean of Students. See rubric for evaluating the Critical Essay and the Term Essay, further below.

4. Term Essay, titled, (sent also to me by email) due not later than 4:30 pm in Brink Hall main office room 200 on Monday December 11 on play or plays (excluding play (s) of prior Critical Essay, double-spaced (12 pt, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, MLA format, approximately 10 or more pages for main body of essay), with significant reference to at least two secondary works of criticism (the minimum two scholarly sources are to be selected from folders on Bblearn, that include recent articles or book chapters): this critical essay develops ideas prompted by our study, discussion, and viewing of the plays, by recent scholarship, and by your perspectives. I shall attend to the ways that you select, define, and engage questions and contradictions, and to the clarity, imagination, and grace that you demonstrate in presenting your topic, (hypo)thesis, and argument, and the extent to which your work engages with, explains, and contributes to the larger "conversation" of scholarship on the topic and drama under analysis. I do not always expect essays to conclude by "solving" such problems or by "proving" your thesis; I hope that you address interesting topics (questions for debate, interpretation, and analysis) in thoughtful and useful ways. Note: you may continue to explore/pursue your inquiries into a prior topic and line of analysis, but do not substantially repeat prior, specific analysis from your previous Critical Essay. Please feel invited to confer with me during the writing process. See also general advice for critical essays similar to prior advice on the Critical Essay that also pertains to this term essay. See also University of Idaho Guidelines on Academic Dishonesty (including plagiarism). In accordance with the UI Student Code of Conduct, I report instances of academic dishonesty/plagiarism, to the office of the Dean of Students.

5. Participation: Please take advantage of opportunities to share your insights and to listen and reply to others' ideas. I hope that questions and discussions will enable you to move the class in directions you find most helpful, give you opportunities to develop critical skills through collaboration, and provide for a productive, interesting exchange of perspectives among the class. You may meet periodically in small groups in class primarily for sharing Inquiry-Starters and to prompt our class discussions. I expect you to contribute productively to class discussion, and I will make an effort to call on you directly, especially if you tend not (!) to pitch in to share your views and questions.

6. All required work is due at the beginning of class on the due date—work turned in late will be graded accordingly. Required graded written work will be downgraded one notch (for example, B+ to B, converted to points for each assignment) for each weekday late (not just days classes meet but counting just one day for a weekend). Note, however, that the Critical Analysis Essay and the Term Essay cannot be turned in late. See assignments for deadlines for limits on late essays. I will grant short extensions for medical and family emergencies—but talk with me as soon as possible to request an extension. Always keep copies of your work.

7. Attendance: always attend class (unless you are sick). One or two absences will not affect your semester grade; a third absence will count (- 3pts) only if you have four or more absences, with a five-point reduction for each absence starting with four absences (four absences=minus 8 points, five absences = minus 13 points); six or more absences is sufficient cause for you to receive a failing grade for the course, regardless of your semester point total. All absences will be counted—excused or not—if something extraordinary occurs, talk to me. Please try to schedule appointments with doctors or advisors outside of class time.

Exceptional circumstances: Another category of absence has to due with conflicting university commitments that are academic (such as a theater majors' trip to a regional conference) or a required UI athletic trip etc.—that is, absences that are due to a departmental or team trip (with supporting note from an academic adviser or the athletic department), or prolonged or recurring illness.
To make up for such absences on an absence-by-absence basis, choose a scholarly article or substantial headnote/chapter from our text(s) or from a Bblearn folder—select one that can be related in some way to the text under discussion for the day for which you will be absent due to a university academic or sports commitment/conflict, or a doctor's appointment, or absences due to illness that accumulate to three or more.

Write a concise summary (275-300 words) of some main aspect of the scholarly article/source—such as the primary, most important or engaging idea(s) and point(s) of argument and interpretation—also include some brief reflection (75-100 words) on the article’s main ideas/argument: for example, what  you find most valuable or problematic. Strive to be accurate, direct, and concise in the summary; aim for a fair, nonpartisan stance and tone, and except for brief quotes use your own words to express the author's ideas, use attributive tags (such as according to Smith or Smith argues that) to keep the reader informed that you are expressing another's ideas, and focus the summary to produce a cohesive, coherent account. You might begin the summary by identifying the question or the problem that the essay addresses, then state the essay's purpose or thesis and summarize its argument or primary analysis.
Post your entry as an extra Inquiry Starter for that week (to be posted no later than a week following the missed class), and also send an email to me with the content of that post (sflores@uidaho.edu).

8. Grades: Summary-Critical Reflection (30 pts.); Critical Analysis Essay (100 pts); Term Essay (130 pts). These required assignments add up to a maximum of 260 points. Thus 234-260 points equals an A, 208-233 equals a B, 182-207 equals a C, 156-181 equals a D, and anything below 156 receives an F. I shall reserve a potential five bonus points based on my perceptions of the strength of your participation and efforts over the semester (these potential points will be factored into the Absence/Bonus points column in Bblearn Grade Center); incomplete or missing Inquiry-Starter entries will be counted against your semester grade, with the loss of five points for each missing or incomplete entry. NOTE, therefore, that missing even one Inquiry Starter combined for example with three absences, could affect your overall semester grade by lowering your total points by 8 points. You might earn grades in the A(-) range, for instance, on the Critical Essay and on the Term Essay, yet receive a B for the semester if you incur such penalty points because of missing ISs and absences--make every effort to complete each week's ISs on time, in part because such penalty points add up all too quickly. Also note that near the end of November, I will post your point totals for the graded assignments, and any accumulated penalty points to date for missing/late ISs, and absences, to the Grade Center in Bblearn.

9. Office hours. I encourage you to confer with me—especially before assignments are due—to talk about your interests, intentions, and writing strategies. If you cannot make my regular hours (in Brink 125), we’ll arrange another time. I also welcome communicating with you by E-mail (sflores@uidaho.edu).

10. Use of laptops and cell phones during class is prohibited; occasional use of laptops—typically for group work and to access the online components of the class—may be permitted with my approval.

11. Do not submit work for this class that you have submitted or intend to submit for a grade in another course; as always, be careful to cite anyone else's work that you draw upon. See highlighted link on the class website to a useful guide to avoiding plagiarism, and a link to information on the university's policies regarding plagiarism. See also University of Idaho Guidelines on Academic Dishonesty (including plagiarism). In accordance with the UI Student Code of Conduct, I report instances of academic dishonesty/plagiarism, to the office of the Dean of Students.

12. Classroom Learning and Civility: To support learning and discovery in this course—as in any university course—it is essential that each member of the class feel as free and as safe as possible in his or her participation. To this end, we must collectively expect that everyone (students, professors, and guests) seek to be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning. Because knowledge and learning are constructed and construed through social inquiry and exchange, it is vital that course dialogue and debate encourage and expect a substantial range of reasoned, expressive, and impassioned articulation of diverse views in order to build a stronger understanding of the materials and of one another's ways of knowing. These practices strengthen our capacities for understanding and the production of (new) knowledge. As with the critical writing assignments for this class, our primary aims include engaging with texts and their varied critical interpretations by identifying problems, developing claims and arguments with supporting lines of evidence and explanation, and enriching our literary understanding, interests, and commitments.

Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to meet with me during office hours to discuss your concern. Additional resources for expression of concern and avenues of support include the chair of the Department of English, Dr. Scott Slovic, the Dean of Students office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (5-6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5-4285).

13. Disability Support Services: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services (885-6307; dss@uidaho.edu; www.uidaho.edu/dss) located in the Idaho Commons Building, Room 306 in order to notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course.

English 456.01/02 Semester Schedule Fall 2017 (subject to some tweaking/revision as we go along): See/review online study questions further below, resources/critical essays on each play on Bblearn, and read the headnote introductions to each play. Strive/aim to complete your initial reading of each play by the second day of class discussion for that play.

Dates

Tuesday

Thursday

Notes

8/22-24

William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1675)--start reading the play before class--if you do not yet have the Broadview anthology, see PDF of playtext in folder in Bblearn; read headnote introduction to the play from The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama [PDF in Bblearn folder on Wycherley]; during this next week, also plan to read the introductory chapter on Restoring the Theatre, from The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama [PDF in Bblearn]

The Country Wife (as noted above, aim to have completed reading all or nearly all of the play, before today's class); read introductory chapter "Performing Drama, Performing Culture" from The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama (Bblearn) and also in the next week read J. Douglas Canfield's "Introduction" to the Broadview anthology (xiii-xix).

This upcoming weekend, plan to read or at least browse a recent article on The Country Wife, from Bblearn folder, including Webster's Ch. 3 from his book Performing Libertinism ...

8/29-31

Inquiry Starter 1 due by 1:00 pm Tuesday on The Country Wife

George Etherege, The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter (1676); see additional intro to play via Bblearn folder on Etherege

This upcoming weekend, plan to read or at least browse a recent article on The Man of Mode, from Bblearn folder

9/5-7

Inquiry Starter 2 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter

The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter; read a 'general' essay on Restoration comedy, such as Canfield on the ideology of R. comedy or Rosenthal on comedy and national amnesia, or Neill or Braverman and others on the Restoration rake . . . including Jeremy Webster's opening chapter 1 from Performing Libertinism in Charles II's Court (also see Ch. 4 for discussion of The Man of Mode)

 

9/12-14

Inquiry Starter 3 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on Aphra Behn, The Rover; or, The Banished Cavaliers (1677); see Anne Russell's introduction to the play (PDF) and watch some of the play in performance on film, via weblink and password in Bblearn folder on Behn

The Rover; or, The Banished Cavaliers; see/read Sue Owen's solid/sharp chapter on The Rover ("Comedy II), if not by today, plan for this by next Tuesday; or Robert Markley's essay on Behn and the unstable traditions of social comedy, or read another essay specifically on the play, such as Anita Pacheco's "Rape and the Female Subject in Aphra Behn's The Rover"; also remember to take a look at some of the play in performance on film, via the weblinks in the Bblearn folder for Behn

 

9/19-21

conclude The Rover; or, The Banished Cavaliers--let's look more closely at an article on The Rover--read either Susan Owen's chapter (from Perspectives) or Anita Pacheco's article (on Rape and the Female Subject) or Helen Burke's essay (on Cavalier Myth in The Rover)

Inquiry Starter 4 due this Thursday (9/21) or next Tuesday (9/26) by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on Venice Preserved; Thomas Otway, Venice Preserved; or, A Plot Discovered (1682); optional/rec.: Owen, Susan J. “Restoration Drama and Politics: An Overview.” A Companion to Restoration Drama. Ed. Susan J. Owen. Basingstoke: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. 126-139. See also former student Trish Thomas's brief study guide/questions

 

9/26-28

Venice Preserved; or, A Plot Discovered ; read Owen, Susan J. Perspectives on Restoration drama. Manchester and New York: Manchester UP, 2002. [chapter on Venice Preserved] or another essay on the play such as Canfield, Leissner, Kubiak, Munns, or Hughes

Inquiry Starter 5 due this Thursday or next Tuesday (10/3) by 1:00 pm on Bblearn on The Relapse; John Vanbrugh, The Relapse; or, Virtue in Danger; Being the Sequel of The Fool in Fashion (1696)

 

10/3-5

The Relapse; or, Virtue in Danger; Being the Sequel of The Fool in Fashion

William Congreve, The Way of the World (1700)

 

10/10-12

Inquiry Starter 6 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on The Way of the World

Class does not meet today; Summary-&-Critical Reflection assignment due by 4 pm

 

10/17-19

Inquiry Starter 7 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on Catharine Trotter, Love at a Loss; or, Most Votes Carry It (1700)

Love at a Loss; or, Most Votes Carry It

 

10/24-26

Inquiry Starter 8 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on George Farquhar, The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707)

The Beaux' Stratagem; let's focus some to much of our discussion, however, on John Bull's essay "Sir John Vanbrugh and George Farquhar in the Post-Restoration Age" (2001)--this can help us look back, take stock a bit and look forward. If you have time, see also: Evans, James E. “Resisting a Private Tyranny in Two Humane Comedies.” Broken Boundaries: Women & Feminism in Restoration Drama. Ed. Katherine M. Quinsey. Lexington: The University P of Kentucky, 1996. 150-163. [on Congreve’s The Way of the World and on Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem]

 

10/31-11/2

11/2 Inquiry Starter 9 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on Susanna Centlivre, A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1718); see also separate PDF in Bblearn folder, with Nancy Copeland's longer "Introduction" to the play

A Bold Stroke for a Wife; see Davis's or Lowenthal's article(s) on Centlivre Critical Analysis Essay due no later than Monday November 6, by noon/12pm in Brink 200 (or to me in my Brink 125 office)--also send electronic copy via email to me, preferably in MS Word

11/7-9

Inquiry Starter 10 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on Richard Steele, The Conscious Lovers (1722)

The Conscious Lovers

 

11/14-16

Inquiry Starter 11 due no later than this Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera (1728); note: our class DOES NOT MEET TODAY

The Beggar’s Opera

 

11/28-30

Inquiry Starter 12 due Tuesday or Thursday by 1:00 pm on Bblearn, on George Lillo, The London Merchant; or, The History of George Barnwell (1731); FYI, if curious, see my essay on The London Merchant, which I wrote when I was in graduate schooll--I would revise its prose style and some of the argument if I were to rewrite that essay!

The London Merchant; or, The History of George Barnwell

 
12/5-7

Wrapping Up Review--bring to class three or more pages draft of Term Essay (including primary topic/problem/thesis for peer discussion and review

No class meeting today (Thursday)--please feel invited to confer with me by email (or Skype) during our regular meeting time, or in office hours or another arranged time this week, regarding your Term Essay, which is due by 4:30 pm Monday December 11, in Brink Hall Main Office Room 200 (for students in Moscow--CdA by email)--also send electronic copy to me via email, preferably in MS Word. I will not accept Term Essays any later than this deadline of 4:30 pm Monday.

 
12/11 Monday: Term Essay due by 4:30pm (also send to me by email)    

Student Learning Outcomes (see this link for longer list and contexts for desired outcomes, that supplement the outcomes stated above and below)

Evaluation/Assessment Rubric for Critical Essay and Term Essay, with check mark along a scale, including specific comments to supplement my notations on the texts of the essays themselves:

Rubric for Initial Criteria for Evaluating Critical Writing/Essays:   Excellent    Very Good-Good    Competent-Fair    Weak
Note: Ultimately the evaluation of your work is holistic,
and therefore also intends to register the different, nuanced,
unexpected and evocative effects of your analysis,
exploration, creative expression/affect, and engagement
with learning and discovery.

1. Strength and clarity of (hypo)thesis/focus,
this may include your introduction to the problem to be
addressed, the critical/scholarly question and
conversation that your essay will contribute to,
intervene in …

2. Intellectual/conceptual strength and persuasiveness of
main claim as well as ensuing argument (including
counter-argument to respond to differing or opposing views
/logic/premises/critical analysis/theory/ideas         

3. Cohesive and coherent development, logical
 organization, including well-structured paragraphs with
clear points and compelling, specific support/evidence

4. Analysis of text’s/topic’s relevant cultural/historical
 contexts and if deployed, of related scholarship/criticism;
analysis of text’s rhetorical/persuasive strategies, structure
(narrative/dramatic/poetic structure, aspects of performance)

5. Topic’s depth/complexity, including explanation of
problem to be addressed, recognition of text’s
conflicts/contradictions (ideological/rhetorical),
creativity and sense of discovery/affective engagement
conveyed—the articulated sense of “what’s at stake, why
it matters” —what difference your essay makes

6. Significance/ conclusion

7. Effective sentences, syntax, verbs, diction,
punctuation, complexity, and suitable style: academic,
critical, appropriate to your understanding of the
materials/subjects; avoids clichés and trite expressions, avoids
overusing prepositional phrases, appropriately concise

8. MLA style—parenthetical citation of sources,
Works Cited; formatting; spelling not graded but noted
at times in body/text of your essay

University of Idaho Guidelines on Academic Dishonesty (including plagiarism)

Some Advice on Writing Critical Essays for this course (see also folder in our course Bblearn site for Advice on Writing Critical Essay)

Purdue OWL advice on Writing in Literature (including links for writing a 'good' literature paper and writing about plays etc.

UNLV Writing Center's Tips on Writing About Literature

Lessons on Style (general advice/quited dated handout but perhaps worth looking over) [pdf]

Quick Advice on Punctuation (also dated) [pdf]

Summary/Overview of Perspectives on Critical Theory

Online Writing Center Resources (from writing essays to grammar and usage advice):

Purdue OWL workshop/guidelines on using MLA for citation

MLA Quick Guide to Works Cited/citation

Lessons on Style (general advice/quited dated handout but perhaps worth looking over) [pdf]

Quick Advice on Punctuation (also dated) [pdf]

How to Lead Discussion (focused on peer-peer interaction)

Leading an Effective Discussion (focused on TAs and faculty)

Facilitating Discussions (focused on TAs and faculty)

LADY FIDGET. [aside to Horner.]
But poor gentleman, could you be so generous? so truly a man of honor, as for the sakes of us women of honor, to cause your self to be reported no man? no man! and to suffer your self the greatest shame that could fall upon a man, that none might fall upon us women by your conversation. But indeed, sir, as perfectly perfectly the same man as before your going into France, sir, as perfectly, perfectly, sir?

HORNER.
As perfectly, perfectly, madam. Nay, I scorn you should take my word; I desire to be tried only, madam.
. . . .

SIR JASPAR. Wife, my Lady Fidget, wife, he is coming into you the back way.

Sir Jaspar calls through the door to his wife, she answers from within.

LADY FIDGET.
Let him come, and welcome, which way he will.

from William Wycherley's The Country Wife (1675)

FYI/Contents of the Broadview anthology (likely plays to be studied marked by asterisk*; plays in Concise edition noted by ^)

Heroic Romance

  • The History of Henry the Fifth (1664)
    Roger Boyle, First Earl of Orrery

    Political Tragedy

    Personal Tragedy

    Tragicomic Romance

    Social Comedy

    Subversive Comedy

    Corrective Satire

    Menippean Satire

    Laughing Comedy