Introduction to the Study of Literature (Drama)

Course Description

In this lecture-cum-seminar, an introduction to the study of literature ("Einführungskurs"), the emphasis will be on “drama.” We will discuss in detail the constituent elements of plays such as action, plot, character, conflict, dramatic language, genre (tragedy, comedy, epic theatre, farce, the Theatre of the Absurd, meta-drama), theatres and theatrical space.
Beyond that, the study of drama will be situated within a wider context, i.e. the network of literary communication. This entails a brief discussion of other literary genres and their specifics (fiction, poetry, non-fiction) as well as an introduction to the basic tools for the study of literature (rhetorical figures, imagery, metrics, poetics). The programme will be rounded off by a survey of important critical approaches and methods.
This course requires active participation (oral presentations, discussion, mid-term test) and concludes with a written test during the penultimate week. It is obligatory for beginners
(“Grundstudium”) and a prerequisite for “Proseminare” (in English Literature as well as American Studies) and the intermediate exam (“Zwischenprüfung”). Students preparing for their final exams are welcome to attend it as a refresher course. The course is part of a cycle of introductory courses with a different focus each term (fiction, poetry, film, theories and methods, drama, respectively).

NB: A tutorial in which in-depth analysis and the close reading of a play will be practised is also offered to go with this lecture course.

Required reading:

Barbara Korte/ Klaus Peter Müller/ Josef Schmied. Einführung in die Anglistik. Stuttgart, Weimar: Metzler, 1997.