Studies in English Literature (20098)

Degree/study:Degree in Humanities
Year: 3rd-4th
Term: 1st
Number of ECTS credits:  5 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 125 hours
Teaching language or languages: english
Teaching Staff: Miquel Berga

1. Presentation of the subject

Harold Pinter and Contemporary British Theatre
The bursting of the voice of John Osborne and of that of the recent Nobel Prize Harold Pinter into the English stage revolutionized British theatre tradition. This course proposes to study some of the most relevant dramatic texts in the British theatre of the second half of the 20th century. The chosen works illustrate the most distinctive traits of the evolution of theatre in two key aspects: 1) as a symptom of the social and political concerns during the last few decades in Great Britain and, 2) as a reflection on the limits and potential of dramatic discourse. We will work with both original texts and recordings of play productions (original or in Catalan or Spanish). This course is taught in English.

2. Competences to be attained

General competences

Specific competences

1.    Instrumental skills 1.    Arguing, that is to say, defending or justifying a certain position in written and in speech. 2.    Having deductive reasoning skills, that is, reaching a conclusion from a series of premises. 3.    Generalising, or extracting a general norm from a limited amount of data or examples. 4.    Transmitting, in written and in a speech, and in a well organised fashion, the acquired knowledge. 5.    Analysing and synthesising information taken from a variety of sources. 6.    Organising and planning academic work. 7.    Using previous knowledge in any learning activity. 8.    Applying theory to practice. 2.    Interpersonal skills 1.    Group work and meaning negotiation skills. 2.    Individual work skills. 3.    Integrating group work in the autonomous work. 4.    Communicating interpersonally in a small and in a big group. 3.    Systemic skills 1.    Creativity. 2.    Self-learning and continued learning skills.

1.    Knowing, situating and interpreting relevant examples of dramatic discourse by the canonical playwrights in the English language. 2.    Analysing the evolution of the linguistic and thematic registers in the studied plays. 3.    Contextualizing the evolution of the British dramatic tradition in the second half of the 20th century. 4.    Knowing and analysing the evolution of the narrative strategies of the most significant authors. 5.    Contributing, in a creative fashion, to the reformulation of the studied plays. 6.    Working on aspects of the literary theory relevant to formulate informed interpretations of the texts.

3. Contents

Unit 1: The social history of dramatic forms
Unit 2: The semiotics of performance
Unit 3: Dramatic discourse
Unit 4: Dialogue, monologue, stage directions
Unit 5: Modern British drama and literary theory
Basic texts:
5.1. Osborne, Look Back in Anger.
5.2. Pinter, The Birthday Party / Betrayal
5.3. Friel, Translations.
5.4. Churchill, Top Girls.

 

*The full version with the sections 4. Assessment, 5. Bibliography and teaching resources, 6. Methodology, and 7. Planning of activities is available in the original version.

4. Assessment

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

5.2. Complementary bibliography

5.3. Teaching resources

6. Metodology

7. Planning of activities