ENGL 311(S) Theorizing Shakespeare (Same as Theatre 352 and Women's and Gender Studies 312)
For complex reasons, Shakespeare has always revealed as much about those who speculate on him as the speculators have revealed about him. In this course, we will engage a few plays in considerable depth: Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Hamlet, Winter's Tale. But we will also use these works as a means to engage some of the most compelling trends in recent critical thought, including cultural theory and post-Marxist analysis, Political Theology, deconstruction and rhetorical theory, psychoanalytic thought and theories of gender and sexuality. In some instances, we will look at applied criticism, in others we will simply place a theoretical work along side a play and see what they have to say to each other-what, for instance, would a Shakespearean reading of Jacques Lacan look like?
Format: discussion/seminar. Requirements: active class participation and 20 pages of writing in the form of two short and one longer paper.
Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 20). Preference given to English majors.
(Criticism or Pre-1700)
Hour: PYE