Senior AP Literature and English 4 Tuesday

Agenda We will take clarification notes on the following in lieu of a quiz. 1.Symbolist Drama 2.Expressionism 3.Dramatic Flashbacks 4.Epic Theater 5.Theater of the Absurd 6.Anti-Heroes 7.Tragicomedy 8.Guerilla Theater CFA Practice I will give you 2 identifying sentence error passages as a practice / preparation opportunity. You will have time to begin reading “Trifles” We will have a test on “Trifles” Monday. Projects are due by 04:00 tomorrow

Beyond Realism Realistic theater remained popular for much of the 19 th century and well into the 20 th century; however, a number of theatrical movements were reactions against realism. These alternative theater productions offered audiences an alternative to traditional realism on the stage.

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater Symbolist theater often contains the unexplained; symbolist did not believe everything could be explained objectively and scientifically. Symbolists would stage productions and not feel like everything had to be logically explained for it to be an integral part of the story.

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater Another nonrealistic movement was known as expressionism. Expressionism was popular after World War I and through the 1920’s. Expressionism was popular during the roaring 20’s and the time of fictional Gatsby. These plays did not necessarily proceed in chronological order. The expressionist play would depict the “emotional life” of a character and often include flashbacks or flash forwards. Quentin Tarrentino films will often be told in non-sequential order to illustrate the point that a stage production or film does not have to be told sequentially.

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater Death of a Salesman and The Glass Menagerie are really good expressionist plays. The flashbacks of Willy in Death of a Salesman reveal a lot about Willy’s emotional state as he moves through life. A flashback on stage requires the playwright to provide clear indicator for the audience – so they know that the actors have now travelled into a flashback. A flashback is set in a time earlier than the main story – in Death of a Salesman – the music was one device that was utilized to indicate a flashback was forthcoming.

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater Epic Theater – is very much like symbolist and expressionist theater; it is far from the realities we see in A Doll House, which was a realism play. Epic Theater often addressed chronic human problems such as poverty, injustice, and war. Epic Theater would create a distance between the actors and audience  this would prevent the audience from getting too emotionally close to the actors; therefore, audiences could be more objective when considering social issues on the stage.

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater Theater of the absurd was a reaction to 20 th century’s loss of faith in reason, religion, and life after the world wars. Theater of the absurd includes the chaotic and irrational. This type of theater portrays human beings as the victims of the world, rather than the makers of the world. Absurdism challenges the belief that life is ordered and meaningful.

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater of the Absurd What happens when human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down? What happens when logical construction and argument gives way to irrational and illogical speech? Theater of the Absurd

Waiting for Godot Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone named Godot. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's 1953 premiere. It was voted "the most significant English language play of the 20th century". Theater of the Absurd

Beyond Realism  Experimental Theater Heroes like Oedipus and Hamlet retain their dignity despite their defeats; whereas, an antihero in an absurdist play will seem pathetic; they will often move from one destructive moment to the next.

Experimental Theater  Guerilla Theater The dramatization of political and social issues, typically performed outdoors, e.g. in the street or a park, as a means of protest or propaganda has been called guerilla theater.

Beyond Realism  Tragicomedy In tragicomedy, the audience will often laugh at situations that are tragic. When we joke about things that are tragic, we are searching for a way to deal with it. If Nora were to appear in the final scene dressed as a doll and starting mimicking a doll as the play closed, we might laugh at her doll like behavior, but then realize she was defeated – and this is tragic. Tragicomedy gets to laugh at the tragic; it is a type of satire where we poke fun at the serious and maybe even laugh.

Homework to finish the Week Projects are due Friday by 04:00 Homework: Read “Trifles” on pages 1368 – 1378 and we will have our test on this one act play Monday at the beginning of the class. The play is about a murder investigation and the role women play in the investigtion! Thursday