Tekstanalyse og –historie (Spring 2011) Session Two: Drama II. LeRoi Jones’ Dutchman and American Prose after 1945

Agenda The dramatic universe Group work: Dutchman American literary projects in the 19th and 20th centuries: Susan Glaspell and LeRoi Jones

The Dramatic Universe: a summary Drama vs narrative

The Specificity of Dramatic Texts: A Summary of Key Concepts Stage directions: characters, setting, placement of actors, historical setting, props, visual appearance, audio-visual appearance, actions Dialogue

Dutchman: Group Work Themes, thematics, and arguments: What the thematics and theme(s) of the play? Does the play have a point? Does it try to convince us about something?

Dutchman: Group Work Title: –Why is the play called Dutchman? Setting: time and place: –Where and when does the play take place? Why?

Dutchman Characters and characterisation: –Motivation. What does the play tell us about why the characters act and speak in the way they do? How? –What does the play tell us about the relations between the characters, for instance, the relations of race, gender, and power? How? –What is signified by their names? Why are some of the characters anonymous?

Dutchman Action and dialogue: –what is signified by the actions and speech of the characters? What is signified by Clay’s major speech in scene two ( )?

Dutchman Imagery, symbols, metaphors, allegory: Does the text invite us to read it realistically or symbolically?

Dutchman Plot: Outline significant events, reversals, shifts in the action Do we find a five fold pattern of exposition, complication, reversal, recognition, and resolution? Are we dealing with a comedy or tragedy? What is the significance of the ending of the play?

Bill Duke (dir.), Dulé Hill, Jennifer Mudge. Cherry Lane Theatre, 2007.

American literary projects in the 19th and 20th centuries Pre-1960: Desire for national unity and cultural homogeneity: the essence of America – the American way of life: Ernest Hemmingway: John Steinbeck: The great American novel

American literary projects in the 19th and 20th centuries Post-1960: Against national conformity - conflicts along the lines of ethnicity (and gender). Traditions rather than tradition: Jewish, African, Asian, Native, Latino, Italian, Irish Americans Sexual identity, gender, disability, region, religion, class