1. Revision lecture 2
EN302: European Theatre

2. What’s the rubric for the exam?
Can I write about the same texts in the exam as I did in my coursework essays?
Can I write about texts we haven’t studied on the module?
Can I bring the texts into the exam?
Should I refer to secondary criticism?
How should I organise my time during the exam?
How will the exam be marked?
What sorts of topics will the exam cover?
Where can I find past papers?

3. What’s the rubric for the exam?
The rubric will read as follows:
Time allowed: 2 hours
Answer TWO of the following questions.
Read carefully the instructions on the answer book and make sure that the particulars are entered on each book.
Do not substantially repeat material from assessed essays, or between sections on the exam

4. What’s the rubric for the exam?
Please note: You may be penalised up to 20 marks from your overall exam mark if it is evident that you are in violation of the rubric of the exam paper.
Pay attention! Some questions will ask for discussion of “two or more plays”, while others will ask you to consider “two or more dramatists”. Others will be more specific, asking you to consider, for example, only Greek plays, or only Naturalist dramas.
Answer the question that is asked, not the question you wanted to answer!

5. Can I write about the same texts in the exam as I did in my coursework essays?
Technically, yes – but we advise against it. What you cannot do is “substantially repeat material from assessed essays”. Under the pressure of exam conditions, you might not remember exactly what you wrote in your essays.

6. Can I write about texts we haven’t studied on the module?
As long as the question allows it. Some questions specify that you should write about “plays by writers on this module” – others do not. Do bear in mind that the module is about European theatre, though!

7. Can I bring the texts into the exam?
No, you are not permitted to bring the texts into the exam. Memorising some key quotations will therefore be helpful, but committing huge chunks of the texts to memory may not be the best use of your revision time! The same goes for secondary sources.
Students whose first language is not English are permitted to use a bilingual dictionary. For further details, see

8. Should I refer to secondary criticism?
It is not essential to refer to secondary criticism in the exam – the most important thing is to construct a persuasive argument. But it can help!
It would be sensible to ensure that you are familiar with the work of some of the key theorists covered on the module. These include (but are not limited to):
Aristotle (esp. Poetics)
Zola (esp. ‘Naturalism on the Stage’)
Brecht (esp. Brecht on Theatre)
Williams (esp. Modern Tragedy)

9. How should I organise my time during the exam?
You have two hours: that’s one hour for each question. Both questions carry an equal number of marks, so you would be ill-advised to spend longer on the first question than you do on the second!
Planning is everything. Spend an appropriate amount of time brainstorming ideas and working out a rough structure for your argument before you start writing the essay. You can cross through any work you do not wish to be marked.

10. How will the exam be marked?
2.ii: Work will be conscientious, attentive to subject matter and title, and adequate in standard of presentation. The essay must employ adequate Modern English grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation.
A 2:ii essay will:
Show an understanding of the selected topic;
Show reasonable knowledge of the text(s) being discussed;
Present an argument backed up with analysis of appropriate detail from the primary text(s);
Engage with the themes and content of the module.

11. How will the exam be marked?
2.i: The best work will be highly competent in organisation and presentation, showing appropriate and intelligent use of primary material. The essay must employ a good standard of Modern English grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation.
A 2:i essay might:
Incorporate perceptive analysis of well-chosen detail from the text(s) being discussed;
Present arguments in which evidence leads lucidly to conclusions;
Be organised into an effective overall structure;
Make effective and expressive use of English;
Signpost its overall argument effectively so that the structure of the whole essay is clear to the reader;
Integrate analysis of the text(s) with discussion of broader cultural, historical and/or theoretical issues.

12. How will the exam be marked?
First class: Work will demonstrate intellectual maturity, eloquence, and/or elements of exceptional insight in your engagement with the subject. It will show some degree of originality.
Some likely features of first-class work:
Ambitious argument carried out successfully;
Outstandingly perceptive commentary on a number of details of the text(s);
Highly developed organisation of overall argument;
Very effective and persuasive argumentative writing;
Convincing and vivid presentation of an engaged response to the text(s);
Thorough and lucid engagement with difficult ideas;
Outstandingly well-judged integration of the text(s) into discussion of broader cultural, historical, and/or theoretical issues.

13. What sorts of topics will the exam cover?
Social and/or religious ethics
The relationship between theatricality and life
Dramatic genre, especially tragedy and/or comedy
Naturalism and post-Naturalism
Political theatre and/or the politics of theatre
Adapting the drama of the past/intertextuality
Representations of gender
The relationship between language and the visual
Specific productions
‘Topics’

14. Where can I find past papers?

15. References
Brecht, Bertolt (1965) The Messingkauf Dialogues, trans. J. Willett, Chatham: W. & J. Mackay & Co.
Brecht, Bertolt (1977) Brecht on Theatre, trans. J. Willett, London: Eyre Methuen
Brook, Peter (1990) The Empty Space, London: Penguin.
Strindberg, August (1888) ‘Preface to Miss Julie’, in Meyer, M. [trans.] (2000) Strindberg, Plays: One, London: Methuen Drama, pp
Williams, Raymond (2006) Modern Tragedy, Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.
Zola, Emile (1881) ‘Naturalism on the Stage’, in Cole, T. [ed.] (2001) Playwrights on Playwriting: from Ibsen to Ionesco, New York: Cooper Square Press, pp