THE HERO IN AMERICAN DRAMA

Catalog description

Prerequisite: Open to graduate students and qualified undergraduates (those who have completed a minimum of 96 undergraduate credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.2). Qualified undergraduates must contact the Office of Graduate Studies for the required permission form. 'The Hero In American Drama' explores the development of a theatrical archetype, the Hero, as an emergent expression of a concurrently emerging 'American' national identity. This course looks at how the theaters, plays, performers and audiences of the early 19th century shaped (and were shaped by) cultural contestation by interrogating the Hero character in a sampling of the more popular plays of the era, with particular attention to the proliferation of 'types'. This exploration will look at the sudden appearance of native characters like the Stage Yankees, representing the dominant white male culture, and the subsequent emergence of theatricalized 'others' in the role of hero on the popular stage.Faculty: M. Mallett