Introduction to the Study of Literature (Drama)

Course Description

In this lecture-cum-seminar, an introduction to the study of literature ("Einf�hrungskurs"), 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 (�Zwischenpr�fung�). 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 M�ller/ Josef Schmied. Einf�hrung in die Anglistik. Stuttgart, Weimar: Metzler, 1997.