English 3123: Shakespeare’s Comedies

Tanya Pollard

2150 Boylan

TR 11:00-12:15

E-mail: Tpollard@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Web: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/tpollard

Office: 3108 Boylan

Phone: 718-951-5000 x 6216

Hours: T 12:15-1 & 5:45-6:30, Th 10:30-11, and by appointment

Although Shakespeare’s tragedies carry more prestige, comedies have historically enjoyed more popular demand. This course will explore their attractions for audiences, while asking questions about early modern conceptions of the genre. Shakespeare’s comedies have been described as festive, romantic, and pastoral, in contrast with the dark, satiric city comedies also popular in the period, but in practice they frequently involve disaster, jealousy, betrayal, apparent deaths, and ambivalent endings. What sorts of pleasures might these versions of comedy have held out to audiences? We will consider comedy’s relationship to tragedy, tragicomedy, satire, and parody, alongside topics such as shipwreck, disguise, deceit, confusion, recognition, reversal, master-servant relations, marriage, appetite, and pleasure. Readings will include Comedy of Errors, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Pericles, Winter’s Tale, and Tempest.

Week

Date

Assignment

Presenters

1

8-29

Introduction

2

9-3

Comedy of Errors, Acts 1-2

9-5

No class

2

9-10

Oxford English Dictionary exercise; Library room 383

9-12

Comedy of Errors, Acts 3-5

1

3

9-17

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Acts 1-2

2

9-19

Oxford English Dictionary research

4

9-24

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Acts 3-4

3

9-26

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5

4

5

10-1

Twelfth Night, Acts 12 N, 1-2

1

10-3

Twelfth Night, Acts 3-4

2

6

10-8

Twelfth Night, Act 5

3

10-10

Exam

7

10-15

No class

10-17

Pericles, Acts 1-2

4

8

10-22

Pericles, Acts 3-4

1

10-24

Pericles, Act 5

2

9

10-29

Winter’s Tale, Acts 1-2

3

10-31

Winter’s Tale, Acts 3-4

4

10

11-5

Winter’s Tale, Act 5

1

11-7

Tempest, Acts 1-2

2

11

11-12

Tempest, Acts 3-4

3

11

11-14

Tempest, 5 * paper proposal due

4

12

11-19

Exam

11-21

Research presentations and responses

13

11-26

research presentations and responses

11-28

No class

14

12-3

research presentations and responses

12-5

Research paper due; peer-editing workshop

16

12-10

Revised research paper due

Course Requirements and Expectations:

Attendance

Because your contributions to class discussion are a central part of your work for this course, attendance is crucial. If you miss more than three classes, your overall grade will drop; at six absences, you may fail the class. Arriving late to class will count as one-third of an absence.

Texts

I have ordered Signet Editions of the plays on our syllabus at Shakespeare & Co.; you may purchase them elsewhere if you prefer, and other editions are acceptable as well. Bringing a hard copy of the play to each class session is a requirement: if cost is an issue, you will find copies in the library, and in an emergency can borrow copies from me.

Participation

Learning is a collaborative process, which works best when each of you engages fully with the texts and with each other. To this end, I will expect you to participate actively in class discussions, and you will be required to present ideas for class discussion on a rotating basis. Your contributions will determine a significant portion of the semester’s grade. In order to build a classroom atmosphere of courtesy and concentration, please avoid behavior that is disrespectful and interferes with others’ learning, including rudeness, talking while others are speaking, and ringing from cell-phones, pagers, watches, etc.

Writing

Over the course of the semester you will write four short (2 page) papers accompanying in-class presentations, as well as one longer (8-10 page) research paper. All written work should have a central claim that is well argued, clearly written, and directly supported by close readings of textual passages; the research paper will also incorporate, and respond to, at least three secondary sources. All papers should be typed, double-spaced, in a 12-point font, with one-inch margins on all sides. Written work is due at the start of class, and lateness will result in lowering of the grade by one-third of a grade per day. Any use of others’ ideas must be fully acknowledged in footnotes; speak to me if you are unsure about what this means. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and will result in failing the class and being reported to the Dean’s Office.

In both short papers and your final paper, please make use of the Oxford English Dictionary and a Shakespeare Concordance; in your final paper, please also research academic articles on your topic in the MLA International Bibliography and Google Scholar.

Coursework and grading:

Regular brief quizzes	15%
Short (2 pages) essays, 5% each	20%
Presentations and participation	15%
Midterm exam	15%
Final exam	15%
Final research project (5% presentation, 5% draft, 10% final)	20%

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