Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Questions for ENGL 190 -- September 24


Above is a scene from the Seattle Rep's production of Fences.  Below is a picture of Denzel Washington's Troy with his son who is played by Chris Chalk.


Good evening :)

Good news....our new due date for the paper will be Tuesday October 7 at 11:59 pm.  If you have questions about the paper, please feel free to email them to me or stop by my office times.  I will also talk a little about the paper on Oct. 1.

This evening we finished our section on drama/theater with a discussion of Fences.  Next week we are moving on to fiction with chapters 3 and 4 in our book and the following folktales:


http://www.native-languages.org/wishramstory.htm (Coyote and Eagle Visit the Land of the Dead)

But let's return to our questions about Fences.

Here are links to the scenes we watched:



I am adding another scene with Troy (Denzel Washington) and Rose (Viola Davis):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqIHzuBm2Gk

-- Note that these scenes are all in the theater.  What do they tell you about acting in the theater, the sets, and the way that Wilson's text is performed?  

-- Fences is a character-driven play.  Discuss the strengths of this type of play.  Discuss its limitations. 

-- What role does plot play in Fences?

-- What role does setting play in Fences?

-- Fences shows unity of setting but not of time.  Discuss the strengths and the limitations of this.  Could Fences be revised to show unity of time?  How would this affect the play and our understanding of its characters?

-- How does the last scene resolve the play?  Does Cory leave the military alive and/or intact?

-- We did not talk enough about Gabriel.  What part does he play in his family and the play?  Does Wilson use him to comment on war and the role that African-American men have played in it?

-- Discuss the humor that Denzel Washington brings to Fences.  

-- Discuss the father/son relationship in Fences.

-- How does August Wilson's commentary (including stage directions) help you understand the play more fully?

-- Compare Rose and Nora, continuing our discussion from class.  How might a female playwright represent these women?

Here are the videos on baseball that we saw in class:

This is also worth looking at:

-- How do these videos help you understand Fences (and Troy's anger) more fully?

-- How do they help you understand American culture?

-- What surprised you about Fences?  Why?

-- What would you like to write about for your paper?

Good night, and see you next week!  I hope that those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashanah had a wonderful celebration.

Dr. Szlyk


Here we see Cory and Raynell in the Syracuse Rep's 2010 production.



Here you see Gabriel with Troy and Rose in the same production.


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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Questions After Class on 9/17




Above is a picture from a more recent production of A Doll House with Steve Toussaint as Dr. Rank and Hattie Morahan as Nora.  Below is a picture from a Seattle production with a relatively young Dr. Rank.


Good evening :)

Tonight's class was jam-packed, but I think that we managed to do as much as we could.  I like that Ms. Pandya showed us some of the key sources for literary research, including JSTOR and the e-books.  Here is the link to our course page at the library by the way:  http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/ENGL190_SzlykR?hs=a&gid=3184 

I also liked that we were able to watch and discuss the rest of A Doll House!  We may discuss the play and film a little more next week, but the main reading will be August Wilson's Fences.  We will also discuss how to approach the upcoming paper.

Before I send the questions, I want to quickly post a few links.

The first is a link to last week's questions: http://en202.blogspot.com/2014/09/questions-after-class-on-910.html

Next is a link to other versions of A Doll House: http://en202.blogspot.com/2013/08/from-archives-pictures-and-more-of-doll.html  

My entry on the relationship between theater and film is here:  http://en202.blogspot.com/2013/08/theater-and-filmvideo.html

And here are tonight's questions:

What are your thoughts on the relationship between theater and film and/or video?  Should every play be made available on video?  Or is theater best experienced in the theater?  Why? Why not?  Is it better for one to see an adequate Nora and Torvald live or to see Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins perform these roles on film?  Why?  Why not?

If you've attended plays, discuss the difference between watching a filmed version of a play and a live version in a theater.  

What does film add to a play?  (Note the variety of camera angles in the last scene of the film as well as film's ability to depict places we don't see on stage.)


Last week I mentioned Kohlberg and Gilligan's theories of moral development.  Here are links to information about them.



I am adding Erikson's theory as well:  http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/erik/sum.html

Use one of these theories to discuss the characters in A Doll House.  If you are familiar with other theorists, you may use them as well.

What do you think is the climax of A Doll House?  Why?

Where do you see foreshadowing used in the play?  Why?

Where do you see false closure used?  Why?

How do Act 2 and Act 3 build on Act 1?

Did you expect Nora to do what she did at the end of the play?  Why?

What do you think of Ibsen's ending?  Is it credible?  Why?  Why not?

Why is A Doll House worth continuing to read, stage, and watch?  

Is it time for a new film version?  Why?

How would you stage this play today at MC?  Consider how other directors have handled this task.  Here is a link to a review of a German director's production:  http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-11-09/theater/nora-gets-her-gun/full/

If you were to show another scene from the film, which one would you show?  Why?

Discuss how Nora handles Dr. Rank's confession.  Does this scene have an effect on her?  Why?

Discuss how Torvald handles Nora's leaving him.  Does this scene have an effect on him--or him as he is portrayed by Anthony Hopkins?  Why?  

Do you think that Nora and Torvald will reunite?  Why?  Why not?

And, as promised, here are links to sequels to A Doll House.  Which works for you?  Why?





Let me know if you have questions about the journal or the upcoming paper!

See you next week--or at my office time!

Dr. Szlyk
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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Questions After Class on 9/10





I couldn't find a trailer of Gillian Anderson's performance of Nora, but here are two images -- and a link to an article by A.S. Byatt about her response to the play and its protagonist over the years:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/02/ibsen-a-dolls-house  Ms. Byatt also provides important context to the play.



Good evening :)
It was wonderful to meet everyone this evening, and I'm glad that we were able to watch *and* discuss the beginning of A Doll House.  

For next week, please read chapters 21, 22, and 23 in our book (excluding Trifles) and A Doll House.  We will meet on the first floor of Macklin outside the library doors in order to attend Ms. Niyati Pandya's presentation on researching on literary topics.  I will be posting the library tutorials for the class at MyMC.  We should be returning to our classroom in SB between 7:30 and 8 pm.  There we will finish up our discussion of A Doll House, watching some later scenes.

Here are a few questions for your journal.  You may end up writing your paper on one of these topics!
- What did today's scenes add to your understanding of A Doll House?  performance?  theater?
 
-- How did today's scenes complicate your understanding of A Doll House?  Nora?  the characters' relationships?  the actors' performances?
 
-- Discuss A Doll House as a film.  How do the extra scenes (the opening credits, the scenes outside of the house, especially Krogstad's scene with his sons) add to your understanding of the play?
 
-- We've been focusing on characters' psychology and actors' performances.  How do other elements (set design, camera angles, composition of shots, sound, costumes) add to your understanding of the play?
 
-- If you've had a chance to read the play in our anthology or online, how do the stage directions add to your understanding of the play?  How do they limit it?  Does the film ignore any of the playwright's guidelines?
 
-- What do you make of the coincidence that Mrs. Linde and Krogstad used to know each other?  Why?
 
-- What do you make of the way that Ibsen introduces his characters and their stories?  why?
 
-- Try out this website:  http://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/1905/

The men below from 1905 are wearing "informal beachwear."



What would your life have been like in 1905?  How does this knowledge help you understand A Doll House a little better?  Why?  
 
Watch some of the following performances of A Doll House.  What seems to be the underlying emotion that grounds the actors' performances?  How do they compare to Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, et al's performances?
We'll start with Jane Fonda's, also from 1973.  Mrs. Linde is played by French actor Delphine Seyrig.


 


 
Janet McTeer's Nora is more recent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m81oiq5yvCc


 
Here are even more recent trailers from various productions, some modern dress.  (The one depicted above is from a Chicago production.)

 
-- Discussing one or two of these videos, compare the film and stage versions.  What seems to be the significant differences?  
-- Compare the newer versions with the 1973 versions.  What do we seem to see in A Doll House, Nora, and Torvald now?
 
-- Many have used feminist thought and theory to discuss A Doll House.  Is the play a feminist play?  Why?  Why not?
 
-- Discuss Nora and Torvald's marriage further.  How do the videos from other productions and your reading of Ibsen's play help you to understand their marriage more fully?  
 
-- Do you sympathize with Nora?  with Torvald?  why?  why not?
 
I'm looking forward to seeing you next week and hearing more of your thoughts on A Doll House!
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