MODERN WORLD LITERATURE Spring 2005

1750’s-20th Century Age of Enlightenment/Age of Reason--Late 17th-18th Centuries Romanticism—late 18th century-1850 Realism—1850-WWI Naturalism—1870’s-WWI Modernism—WWI-WWII Postmodernism—WWII Postcolonialism—WWII  (Varies by country)

Age of Reason/Enlightenment Reason most important source of knowledge Reason vs. Passion Order and symmetry Hierarchy in art, landscaping, architecture, literature, music, family, and social order

Whole of society more important than the individual Individual has responsibility to society

Marriage used in Lit. as a microcosm of larger society. Strict Social Codes = creates and maintains social order (comedy of manners) . Marriage used in Lit. as a microcosm of larger society. Subordination- to social class or place (as servant, women, daughter, wife). Nature the inherent order of things human nature- remains constant in all times and in all places ( cultures) in lit we can have characters who are types or set in another time and they are still representative of human “nature.”

Themes and Issues in Tartuffe Public vs. Private Secrets Scandal Rumors Authority Role of women Blindness (as representative of not using sense = not being reasonable) Blind Faith (Who do we submit to? Who do we have faith in? On what do we base our faith? Convictions?) Speaking vs. Silence

History of Drama “Since the early 1600s, French writers, interpreting Aristotle’s description of Greek drama, had leaned toward developing a classical theater, which was supposed to observe the ‘unities’ of time, place, and action: A play had one plot and one setting and covered the action of one day.” (Jacobs Bedford 10).

Greek Drama Way of interpreting relationships with gods and reinforcing sense of community. Value of plot over character (as opposed to much 19th and 20th century fiction where our focus is on individual characters’ psychological development). Value of tragedy as most lofty form Heroes are heroic = noble of birth and character despite a human flaw.

Greek Drama Very stylized employed intervention of the gods lofty speeches especially by the choruses which represented community/public sentiment. Aeschylus Agammemnon; Sophocles Oedipus and Antigone Aristophanes and Menander—social comedy/ society laughs at itself/comedy of manners

Roman Plays not as popular as in ancient Greece. Roman plays more “intellectual” and written more often to be read rather than performed. Plautus and Terance Stock (or type) character = skinflint, prude (or in case of Tartuffe, the overbearing and ignorant father, the blustering young man, the charlatan/hypocrite) Mix ups especially those involving identical twins. Both are important developments of the comedy of manners

Medieval Religious In churches in Europe 12th century moved out of churches; expression of concerns of communities Performed by members of guilds Mystery Plays performance of biblical stories; gathered in cycles and performed on moving wagons 15th and 16th century Morality Plays Everyman most famous

Renaissance – especially 1590-1640 All school children read Plautus and Terence = great influence on Elizabethan and Shakespeare. Histories and tragedies Shakespeare, Ben Jonson Volpone Plays often bloody; lots of death and revenge in tragedies. Much variety

17th and 18th Century –“Age of Reason”; “Enlightenment”; “Neo-Classical period” Purpose of Literature was to instruct and delight World works in orderly manner ; image of clock maker. Drama – In “Western Tradition” we find our dramatic roots in Greek and Roman plays and dramatic criticism. Aristotle wrote standards for drama that have been used as standards in varying degrees since that time. France leader of literature and culture

Distorted ideas of unities to an extreme unintended by Aristotle. Criticism of the Renaissance drama—multiple plots, scenes, characters Moliere= Best comedian of seventeenth century France Comedy of manners very popular Analysis of social manners Much satire (mild criticism of society and holds itself up for ridicule = underlying noble motive of reforming society)

Comedy of Manners Concerned with the manners and conventions of an artificial, highly sophisticated society. The stylized fashions, manners, and outlook of this social group dominate the surface and determine the pace and tone of this sort of comedy.

Themes and Issues in Tartuffe Public vs. Private Secrets Scandal Rumors Authority Role of women Blindness (as representative of not using sense = not being reasonable) Blind Faith (Who do we submit to? Who do we have faith in? On what do we base our faith? Convictions?) Speaking vs. Silence