Study Guide for Final (Summer 2009) -- part 1

Hmmm...Kristin Chenoweth was certainly a dazzling Cunegonde.  I wonder how she would be as Nora!

That said, let's start part 1 of our study guide for the final.

On Monday, we finished discussing Raise the Red Lantern and talked a bit about "Stale Mates" as it shed light on the film.  Then I introduced drama/theater and Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879).  Remember that drama refers to the written form of the play or the playscript and the playwright's intentions.  Theater refers to the performed form of the play, reflecting the director's intentions, the audience, and the director's central idea about the play.  The central idea is an especially key concept.  Without a central idea, a performance goes all over the place.  With a central idea, the play is definitely worth seeing even if you've seen the play before.

We also talked about realism (psychological, individual) vs. naturalism (sociological, group) as well as Raymond Williams' key terms: dominant (present-day and mainstream), emergent (foreshadowing of the future), and residual (remains of the past).  For example, in A Doll's House, the role that Nora plays in her marriage reflects the dominant idea of True Womanhood.  Mrs. Linden's work for Helmer could be considered emergent as clerical work was not considered to be women's work in 1879.  For more information on these terms, see the following link from Arizona State University:

http://www.public.asu.edu/~kheenan/courses/101/fall00/101analysis.htm#DOMINANT,%20RESIDUAL,%20EMERGENT

We also discussed the term anachronism (something that is out of time like a wristwatch on a Roman warrior). 

We watched some scenes from two film versions of A Doll's House.  Both were from 1973, and I suspect that the central idea for both was to capture the attention of the era's movie audiences.  Joseph Losey's film (starring Jane Fonda and David Warner) took liberties with the play in an attempt to make it a better film and help audiences understand what Nora had done.  Patrick Garland's film (starring Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins) was more faithful to Ibsen even though it did go outside the playscript and show Krogstad with his boys.

I wish that I could have shown this scene!  And I wish that there were a still of Jane Fonda at the confectioner's shop.


I'm afraid that this picture of Parisian macaroons is the best I can do!  They certainly look prettier than the half-price kosher macaroons that my husband and I buy after Passover.


On Tuesday, we continued to discuss A Doll's House, and we looked at a few more theatrical versions of the play. 

Did you know that A Doll's House was written in Norwegian?

These are a few of the links that we looked at:

 First is Mabou Mines' experimental production:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHn2FxLJOoI

Next is a more traditional British production starring Gillian Anderson and Toby Stephens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9IU5yvIKkQ

Here is a link to Ingmar Bergman's adaptation set in the 1950s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb3CIsynKa4







For a review of the Mabou Mines production, follow this link:

http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=950CE4D7103BF937A15752C1A9659C8B63

Here is the Gothamist's interview with director Lee Breuer.  He explains the reasons behind his casting of very tall women and very short men, and then he talks about audiences' responses to this casting:

http://gothamist.com/2009/02/27/director_lee_breuer_mabou_mines_dol.php

For reviews of the production starring Gillian Anderson, see these links:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/charlesspencer/5354252/A-Dolls-House-at-the-Donmar-Warehouse---review.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/may/24/theatre-review

I can't find a review of The Hunger Artists' version. 

Wednesday we watched Act 3 of Patrick Garland's version of A Doll's House.  Weren't Anthony Hopkins and Claire Bloom amazing!


We also talked about applying stages of moral development to the characters in A Doll's House.

For more information about Carol Gilligan's theory of women's moral development, see this link:

http://www.slideshare.net/drburwell/carol-gilligan

(It's actually a PowerPoint presentation that you may download.)

For more information about Lawrence Kohlberg's theory, see this link:

http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm

And here is a link to my Multiply entry on A Doll's House with many pictures:

http://worldlit2.multiply.com/journal/item/20/A_Dolls_House_More_Pictures

As we finish up our quick unit on drama, remember Avery Brooks' comparison:

films tell stories; theater is a place to explore ideas

Below is a scene from Oregon State University's production of A Doll's House.  Yes, yes, yes, it is set in the 1950s.


Thursday we discussed the French author Voltaire's satire, Candide (1759).  Candide is very much a product of the Enlightenment or the Age of Reason (1649-1789), a time when philosophers, scientists, and writers began to question authority and received wisdom.  Keep in mind that, though, that the French king was an absolute monarch and that people still believed in the divine right of kings there.  (Voltaire's king was Louis XIV.)  A satire not only holds up a mirror to nature and indicates problems in society but also proposes a solution.  (What did you make of Voltaire's solution in chapter 30?)  Satires may take various forms.  Candide is the story of a picaro who wanders around the world and has a series of adventures.  Some other satires are Gulliver's Travels (in the form of a travel narrative) or The Colbert Report (in the form of a right-wing commentator's show). 

For more about the Colbert Report, see this link:

http://www.colbertnation.com/home

To get an idea of the picaro, here is a video from My Name Is Earl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYlhCFNRRXg

Or you may find that Candide is more like Wile E. Coyote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYTWnjFqTDk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfAlyLNBG5Y


Finally, here are some YouTube videos of Kristin Chenoweth as Cunegonde.  The first is her performance of "Glitter and Be Gay."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWzewHTcHew

The next is her performance of "You Were Dead You Know," a duet with Candide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImlvydPgfBg

Study Guide for Drama & Theater (Spring 2008)

The picture above is from Oregon State University's 2005 version of A Doll's House.  Yes, yes, it is set in the 1950s...in Dallas, TX.  For more about this production, see the two links below:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2005/May05/dollshouse.htm

http://media.barometer.orst.edu/media/storage/paper854/news/2005/05/13/Diversions/a.Dolls.House.To.Close.Osu.Theatre.Season-2293784.shtml

Drama – playscript, text, includes stage directions, playwright’s conception, playwright's intentions

Is it still worth studying a play that is no longer performed?

Theater – performance, central idea, director, actors, audience, set, costumes, sound;

elements of play: action or plot, character, setting, spectacle, mise-en-scene, thought/language, song and dance, (at times) translation

In the pictures above, Avery Brooks performs the roles of Willy Loman (stage--Oberlin College) and Othello (stage -- DC's Shakespeare Theater).

Avery Brooks – films tell stories; theater is a place to explore ideas

Aristotle – unities of time, place, action

Henrik Ibsen's A Doll’s House (1879) -- problem play; well-made play; realism; original version is in Norwegian; first version performed in US was in German; in German version, Helmer makes Nora look at the children she would be abandoning; Nora is the central figure; altering her character would change the whole purpose; Nora's relationship with Helmer; Nora's relationship with her children; we saw most of Patrick Garland's film of A Doll's House (1973 -- Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Richardson) as well as several scenes from Joseph Losey's film from the same year (1973 -- Jane Fonda, theater actor David Warner, Trevor Howard), Mabou Mines' production (tall women, very short men), and the Hunger Artists' version (set in the 1950s).

See this link for scenes from the 1973 version of A Doll's House starring Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwnBukRiRJI

See this link for the scenes of the other 1973 version starring Jane Fonda and David Warner:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWM3PB0OI4s

See this link for the Mabou Mines version of A Doll's House:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHn2FxLJOoI

The picture above is of Nora and Doctor Rank.

See this link for the Hunger Artists' 1950s version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb3CIsynKa4

Mother Courage – set during Thirty Years’ war, written at the beginning of WWII, Brecht already in exile, relationship of songs & plot,epic theater, alienation effect, how to portray Mother Courage, Mother Courage's children (Eilif, Swiss Cheese, Kattrin), Chaplain & Cook,

See this link for the Antaeus Theater Company's trailer.  However, the picture above is from Live Arts' recent production in Charlottesville, VA.

Anteus Company's MC -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUmpBu_qkD0

See this link for more images of Mother Courage in performance.  Several are of Helene Weigel, Brecht's wife (the woman above).

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYcpY7P0qcc

Essay #1

Out-of-Class Essay #1– Due March 27, 2009

Outcomes:·

To study great, representative literary works from around the world, analyzing them in depth and applying appropriate literary terminology;·

To survey a selection of world literature from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas (after 1650);·

To promote understanding of these works through written response;·

To identify and appreciate major literary genres, content, and style in a variety of works;·

To acquire and practice literary terminology;·

To develop critical thinking through comparative consideration of world literature and, where appropriate, secondary sources;·

To examine literature in relation to its political, social, and historical environment;·

To build on group discussions and blog entries of issues pertaining to the literature and its criticism;·

To write multi-page papers that demonstrate critical reading of texts (primary & secondary sources) and use a style appropriate for academic discourse;·

To maintain academic honesty and use MLA citation (in-text and works cited)

In this assignment, you will be writing a two to five page argument responding to a reading from our class schedule or a video that we’ve seen in class.   This essay may be a traditional literary analysis, exploring one element in a work.  This element may be a work’s genre, its plot, character, setting, theme, imagery, tone, or diction.  You may even want to explore the meaning of a specific passage. 

You may also explore the work’s cultural context (Candide as an Enlightenment text or Oroonoko as an abolitionist text) or its position within world literature.  For example, how does Candide fit with novels like Oroonoko or lifewriting like "The Interesting Narrative"?  What role does the slave narrative play in world literature?  What role does life writing play?

Consider the role of language in world literature.  Joseph Conrad chose to write in English, his third language, rather than in Polish or French.  Chinua Achebe chose to write in English; he also argued that doing so would guarantee him a wider audience.  However, Ngugi wa'Thiongo writes in Gikiuyu, his first language, because he states that to do otherwise would perpetuate colonialism.  What do you think?  Consider that in this part of the semester, we have read a number of English-language works (Heart of Darkness, Oroonoko, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Things Fall Apart) *and* translated works (Candide, The Story of the Stone, A Doll's House, Mother Courage).  Our movie, Raise the Red Lantern, will be in Chinese.

 Finally, use this assignment to explore a topic that has come up in class or among the journal prompts. If you are in the honors module, I encourage you to write on one of the optional writings.  You may also use a reading from our anthology to illuminate one of our assigned readings.  You may use secondary sources from literary criticism, especially if you are in the honors module. 

At this point, though, I am much more interested in what you think of Things Fall Apart or Candide for example, based on your reading of the text rather than what I think or what some literary critic thinks.   However, depending on the approach that you’re taking, you may need to use some secondary sources to provide additional background or support a point that you are making.  Keep in mind that these secondary sources are simply that—background material and support.  They will assist you as you make your case, but make sure that you have the best possible source.  Even though I have gathered a number of web sites, I try to choose the most scholarly yet accessible sites. For citation, even if you do not use secondary sources, you will be using MLA (in-text and works cited). 

Please see me if you need additional information, especially if you are using a source that is not in our anthology or if it has been a while since your last freshman composition course.It goes without saying that I expect this paper to be your own work.  Feel free to draft your paper in your blog or journal.  I’ll also be happy to talk over or look over your ideas during my office hours or (internet connection permitting) online.  If you’d like a second opinion, you may also want to work with one of the Writing Center’s tutors.

Grading

An A paper will be outstanding on all or most levels: close, critical reading of a text or texts, focus, development, support for argument, organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.  (I have listed each level in order of importance; however, errors in the last area will affect your grade.)  It may be on a reading we’ve discussed to death.  In that case, it will show me new insights derived from your close, critical reading and, if necessary, secondary sources.  Alternately, this paper may be on a reading that has been assigned but not discussed in class.  This option may not produce an easier “A,” as I will be looking at your ability to scrutinize a text and produce a well-written essay without the opportunity to discuss your text (and listen to others’ insights about it) in class.  However, it can be a productive route to an A.

 A B paper will be effective on all or most levels: close, critical reading of a text or texts, focus, development, support for argument, organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.  (I have listed each level in order of importance; however, errors in the last area will affect your grade.)  It may be on a reading we’ve discussed in class or a reading that I’ve assigned but not discussed in class. 

A C paper will be adequate on all or most levels: close, critical reading of a text or texts, focus, development, support for argument, organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.  (I have listed each level in order of importance; however, errors in the last area will affect your grade.)  It may be on a reading we’ve discussed in class or a reading that I’ve assigned but not discussed in class.  Note that a C is not failing, simply “average.” 

A D paper will contain significant problems on one or more levels:  close, critical reading of a text or texts, focus, development, support for argument, organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.  The first five areas are especially important.  Papers can also be too long or too short.  Please check in with me or a tutor at the Writing Center if your paper has fallen into this category.

A failing (F) paper will be inadequate on one or more levels:  close, critical reading of a text or texts, focus, development, support for argument, organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.  The first five areas are especially important.  Papers can be too long or too short.  Please check in with me if your paper has fallen into this category.

I reserve the right to give your paper a grade of R.  This is not a failing grade, but I am requiring you to rewrite your paper because of problems on one or more levels:  close, critical reading of a text or texts, focus, development, support for argument, organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.  I may also assign this grade because of what I perceive to be insufficient effort or inadequate understanding of the assignment.  If your paper falls into this category, please see me to talk about ways to rework your paper.

Remember to submit your final draft to www.turnitin.com before you hand it in to me.  Let me know if you are having problems starting up your account or submitting your paper.  I’m always happy to walk you through the steps.

Please let me know if you are having problems with your paper or may have to hand in your paper late.  There will be a late penalty of one-third of a grade per day, but I will waive the penalty if you’ve talked to me ahead of time.

Study Guide for Final (Spring 2008) -- part 1 (drama)

This study guide for drama & theater will cover A Doll's House, Mother Courage, and The Love Suicides at Amijima.  The Taming of the Shrew will be included in our film unit.  The Japanese play Shintoku-Maru and August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean will not be included on the final--unless you'd like to mention them in the extra credit section! 

The picture above is from the now defunct Boston Shakespeare Company's 1984 production that starred the 4'9" actor Linda Hunt as Mother Courage.  One of my former professors has argued that Ms. Hunt's Mother Courage is among the best portrayals of that role (other than Helene Weigel's, of course!).  Below is an undated picture of Ms. Weigel in this role:


I've also highlighted the midterm study guide because that entry contains information about the difference between drama and theater *and* some historical background about A Doll's House.

To begin with...here is a review of A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen's "problem play" from 1879.  It was originally written in Norwegian although it was soon translated into other languages including English.  At the time it was first performed, A Doll's House was controversial, especially because of its ending!  The play is set at Christmastime in Norway (Oslo?).  The characters are Nora Helmer, a youngish woman whom no one takes seriously; her husband, Torvald, a lawyer who has finally been hired to manage the National Bank; Krogstad, a bank employee who has lent Nora money and whom Torvald is about to fire; Mrs. Linde, Nora's school friend who is about to be hired by Torvald; and Doctor Rank, a dying friend of the family who confesses his love for Nora.  Nora and Torvald have three children.  Nora borrowed money so that Torvald (who was then ill) could travel to Italy's warmer climate.  However, as Torvald refused to borrow money, she forged her dying father's signature so that she could borrow money from Krogstad.  (In the 19th century, a woman could not borrow money on her own; furthermore, very much unlike today, her husband was generally awarded custody of their children--if their marriage dissolved.)  The play begins as Krogstad threatens to blackmail Nora.

The 20th century German playwright Bertolt Brecht's work can be considered in opposition to the previous generation's plays (like A Doll's House) that are well-made, are very much suited to the proscenium stage with its fourth wall, and have consistent characters with back stories and motivation that we can discuss.  (Note that Ibsen's advocates in English included the failed playwright and ground-breaking novelist Henry James.)  On the other hand, Mother Courage takes place over twelve years (1624 to 1636) as Anna Fierling (aka Mother Courage) tries to hold her family together and profit from the war, selling food, drink, clothes, and ammunition to both sides.  At one point, as the Catholics overcome the Protestant forces, Mother Courage, her family, and their hangers-on change religions.  Mother Courage's family is made up of Eilif, who joins the Protestant army despite her protests; Swiss Cheese, who is killed while his mother haggles over the means to pay a bribe; and Katrin, the mute daughter who is raped and later sacrifices herself to warn villagers of an approaching army.  The hangers-on include Mother Courage's two suitors, a Protestant chaplain and a cook (who tries to convince her to abandon war profiteering and help him run a tavern in Utrecht, away from the battlefield), and Yvette, a prostitute whose red shoes are stolen by Katrin.  Mother Courage and Her Children (the full name of the play) was written in 1939 when the playwright was in exile from Nazi Germany.  (Brecht was a Communist and known for his politicized theater.)  Ideally, the audience is discouraged from sympathizing with Mother Courage and the other characters, and actors are expected to be critical observers of their characters' actions.  Practically, this approach may have made this play difficult to stage although this is probably not the only factor.  Other plays by Brecht include The Threepenny Opera and The Good Woman of Setzuan.  As in The Threepenny Opera, the characters of Mother Courage (except for Katrin, of course) often break into songs intended to comment on the play's action.  Can you imagine Nora and Torvald breaking into song like that?!  OTOH, as I mentioned in class, an actor who has done well with roles like Chicago's Mama Morton, Velma, or Roxie probably could do well with the role of Mother Courage!

With the unit's final play, The Love Suicides at Amijima, we move back in time to 1720 and to a very different theater.  The playwright Chikamatzu Monzaemon wrote this play for the bunraku theater, a Japanese theater that relies on puppets and a chanting narrator.  However, as has been noted, the play was also performed in the kabuki theater by human (male) actors.  From 1629 until very recently, women were not allowed to act in kabuki.  The Love Suicides at Amijima tells the story of Koharu, a young prostitute, and her lover Jihei, a married man, youngish father, and struggling paper merchant.  Because they cannot be together, the lovers commit suicide at a Buddhist temple.  Jihei's wife (and cousin) Osan is surprisingly accepting of her husband's involvement with Koharu, but her family tries to break up the love affair.  At one point, Jihei's brother disguises himself as a samurai and pretends to be Koharu's customer. 

Here is a picture of The Love Suicides at Amijima

  The picture below is a close-up of bunraku, a puppet theater for which The Love Suicides at Amijira was originally written:
  Below is a picture of images from Kabuki theater:

Midterm Study Guide -- Spring 2008 -- plays (A Doll's House)

  At this point, our unit on drama is not yet finished.  (After break, we will read Mother Courage and The Love Suicides, a German play and a Japanese play respectively.  If you saw Chicago, you may find some of Brecht's techniques in Mother Courage a little familiar.)

This study guide will focus on A Doll's House and an overall discussion of drama and theater.

-- Drama refers to the author's play script as it is published.  Theater, on the other hand, refers to the performance of the play and all the "extra-textual" elements: casting, costumes, sets, mise-en-scene, the reading of lines, sound, lighting, music, and venue.  For example, a performance of A Doll's House at the Theater Arts Arena will be very different from a performance of the same play in a park or in a classroom.

-- An important element of theater is the central idea of a performance.  This central idea will determine casting, staging, costuming, and even reading of lines.  The central idea will also affect the audience just as much as an audience may determine a play's central idea.  Audiences who see many plays and are willing to experiment will accept a more adventurous production and central idea.  Audiences who see fewer plays will probably be more conservative.

-- A Doll's House (1879) is one of Ibsen's problem plays.  In other words, in this play, Ibsen (1829-1906) explored a pressing issue and encouraged his audience to think about it.  He guides his audience rather than telling them what to think or entertaining them.  The problem play relies on a proscenium arch stage, which frames the action and distances it from the audience.  (Did you know that in Aphra Behn's day wealthy theatergoers could sit on the stage--and leer at the actresses & smirk at the audience?!) Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright and wrote in that language, but his plays were quickly translated into English and became popular for more intellectual audiences.  Ibsen's advocates in English included the great novelist and would-be playwright Henry James, theater critic and playwright George Bernard Shaw, and the actor Elizabeth Robins.  Another advocate was our anthology's translator, William Archer (1856-1924).

-- The BBC version of A Doll's House that we saw in class dates from 1992.  There Juliet Stevenson plays Nora, and Trevor Eve plays Helmer.  This version is fairly conservative: it is set in the 1870s, and the scenes that we saw were indoors.  Other noted  versions of A Doll's House on film were theatrically-released movies from the 1970s: one starring Claire Bloom and another starring Jane Fonda (see above).