Anglistische Literaturwissenschaft - Department of English

Chemnitz University of Technology

Anglistische Literaturwissenschaft/

English Literature(s)

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English Literature(s) SS 04 Film and TV Comedy

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Film and TV Comedy: Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder etc.

Course Description

"Spam", "Pythonesque", "Dead Parrot", "... and now for something completely different" � these are keywords, catch-phrases and humorous concepts that we have inherited from the classical age of radio, film and television comedy in Britain in the 1960s. Beyond the Fringe, a revue programme of satirical sketches and general nonsense dating from 1961-66, initiated what has been termed the Oxbridge Revolution (�overgraduate humour�) in the tradition of British (English?) humour. In October 1969, Monty Python�s Flying Circus had its first appearance on BBC television, to be followed in the 1980s and 1990s by Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, and such diversely �ethnic� comedy programmes as Father Ted and Goodness Gracious Me. All these programmes have had a pervasive influence on popular culture, and some have achieved cult status. It is the aim of this course to analyse a selection of exemplary sketches with a view to their cultural contexts and the various forms of humour employed.

Required reading:

Monty Python�s Flying Circus (1995). Monty Python�s Flying Circus: Selected Sketches. Ed. Reinhard Gratzke. Stuttgart: Reclam.
John Cleese and Connie Booth (1997). Fawlty Towers: Three Episodes. Ed. Reinhard Gratzke. Stuttgart: Reclam.
Other material will be made available after registration.

Prerequisites:

Zwischenpr�fung,
good command of English

Requirements for Credit:

regular attendance,
oral presentation,
term paper.

Registration:

To register, please send an e-mail to Prof. Huber before 31 March, stating their name, semester standing and subjects.