Undergraduate Course: Shakespeare's Comedies: Identity and Illusion (ENLI10279)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores the range of Shakespeare's writing of comedy from the early romantic comedies, through the "mature" and "problem" comedies, to the tragicomic romances of the last plays. The course will consider early modern and recent ideas about comedy as a genre and mode, and trace the ongoing engagement of the plays with various interpenetrating thematic debates. An early interest in illusion leads to a focus on the shifting and unstable nature of perception, linked on the one hand to the effects of love and desire, and on the other to notions of the theatrical. These interests lead to a comic and comedic exploration of the nature and growth of the self, the problems of desire and of gendered identity, and the ways in which these may be addressed through the artifice of the comic form. |
| Course description |
Week 1: Introduction: ideas of comedy
Week 2: Metamorphosis and disguise: Two Gentlemen of Verona
Week 3: Identity and Gender: The Taming of the Shrew
Week 4: Illusion and Identity: Midsummer Night¿s Dream
Week 5: Mask and Mistake: Much Ado About Nothing
Week 6: Green world: As You Like It
Week 7: Desire and Frustration: All¿s Well that Ends Well
Week 8: Essay Completion Week
Week 9: Sexuality and problem: Measure for Measure
Week 10: Art and nature: The Winter¿s Tale
Week 11: Last Play: The Tempest
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | A MINIMUM of 4 college/university level literature courses at grade B or above (should include no more than one introductory level literature course). Related courses such as civilisation or other interdisciplinary classes, Freshman Year Seminars or composition/creative writing classes/workshops are not considered for admission to this course. Applicants should also note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. In making admissions decisions preference will be given to students who achieve above the minimum requirement with the typical visiting student admitted to this course having 4 literature classes at grade A.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 15 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Other Study Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
one hour autonomous learning group
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
one Course Essay of c. 2,500 words (30%);
Class participation assessment (10%)
one time-limited Final Essay of c. 3,000 words (60%)
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate familiarity with the range and development of Shakespeare's writing of comedy.
- Engage with early modern and modern debates about comedy as a form and be able to use these critical tools in the interpretation of Shakespearean plays.
- Explore, evaluate and demonstrate how the plays engage with key themes, including questions of identity and illusion, both verbally and theatrically.
- Demonstrate sophisticated reading of Shakespeare's plays both as literary and as staged texts.
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Reading List
Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Taming of the Shrew
Midsummer Night¿s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It
All¿s Well that Ends Well
Measure for Measure
The Winter¿s Tale
The Tempest |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
https://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/english-literature/undergraduate/current/honours |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
Numbers are limited and students taking degrees not involving English or Scottish literature need the written approval of the head of English Literature |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
2-hour Seminar once a week for 10 weeks; plus 1 hour a week attendance at Autonomous Learning Group - times to be arranged |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sarah Carpenter
Tel: (0131 6)50 3608
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Sheila Strathdee
Tel: (0131 6)50 3619
Email: |
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