Public Life in the Age of Theater: Madrid & London, 1580-1680
HIST 190
Fall 2009
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 223, IBST 326, THEA 310 |
England and Spain were the first two European countries where a new form of mass media took root in the late sixteenth century: popular theater. The new playwrights, from Shakespeare and Marlow to Lope and Calderón, reflected in their plays acute political concerns (tyranny and justice, fortune and providence). How did this theatrical revolution affect public and political life? This course will explore urban life in the age of public playhouses, comparing the two theatrical capitals of the age: London and Madrid. Emphasis will be put in the relationship between theater and public life, analyzing the multiple and changing links between theater, news culture, and political action. Special attention will be paid to the different behavior of the popular publics in London and Madrid during the crisis of the 1640's in terms of political action. Comparing the similarities but also the striking divergences betwen Madrid and London, we will see how theater helped to transform or maintain political life during the early modernity, and how playhouses became the center of intense political struggles. The course will serve as an introduction to the complexities and importance of comparative approaches.
The readings will include primary and secondary bibliography. Sources will include major texts (plays, novels, poems) as well as minor and popular genres (news, pamphlets and libels, sermons). Throughout the units, we will discuss the relationship between texts and particular political junctures (The Armada, 1588; succession and peace treaty, 1598/1603; the Spanish match, 1623; civil wars, 1640; etc.) |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (HIST-MN)(HIST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Lope de Vega, Shakespeare, Calderón, Thomas Middleton, etc., pamplets, sermons, news and gazettes.
Habermas, THE STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE
Michael Warner, PUBLICS AND COUNTERPUBLICS
Maravall, THE CULTURE OF THE BAROQUE
J. Brown and J. Elliott, A PALACE FOR A KING
J. Shapiro, 1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
S. Mullaney, THE PLACE OF THE STAGE
Nigel Smith, LITERATURE AND REVOLUTION IN ENGLAND, 1640-1660
Pincus and Lake, THE POLITICS OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Examinations will be based in two shorter papers, a research proposal, and a longer final research paper. The first paper will deal with a play, emphasizing the importance of contextualization. The second one will be an analysis of a minor text (a pamphlet, a gazette, etc.) and its connections to theatricality. Of these two first papers, one will be focused in London and the other in Madrid. In the final research, the student will have to approach its topic in a comparative way.
Depending upon the density and complexity of the weekly readings, assignments will range from 50 up to 100 pages per week. |
| Instructor(s): Castro-Ibaseta,Javier Times: ..T.R.. 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: ALLB004; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 17 | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 12 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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