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American literature, especially in twentieth-century or contemporary literature, offers students a unique opening into the experience and meaning of drama as an American literary form. Drama seems to require a viewer; a play creates audience in the process of making character, situation, scene and dramatic effect; the student, in the act of reading, becomes a collaborator in creating a visual image of the scene. Through the study of selected plays of diverse subject matter and particular theatrical treatment in American drama, students get familiar with American theater as well as cultural and social perspectives. To provide you with a broad critical framework of reading drama, we will read O'Neill, Williams, Miller, Hansberry, Albee, Mamet, Shepard, Hwang, Wilson, Kennedy, Shange, and Kushner, among others. We will deal with cultural issues, types--realistic plays, naturalistic plays, feminist plays, gay plays and black theater--and diverse topics on a) American family--parents/children, sibling relationship; |