2080 Syllabus S20

English 2080, spring 2020
A SHORT (but lengthening) SCHEDULE
- - -
New post-break syllabus below
Highly optimistic and subject to change. • First weeks are given in full, later weeks more summarily. • "Norton" = material in The Norton Shakespeare: Essential Plays, 2016 edition. Frontmatter is referenced by page, plays by act and scene numbers ("1.1"). • "Canvas" = a text accessible through https://canvas.cornell.edu. • Links (e.g. "Shakespeare's sister") point to short excerpts on this site. • Films will be streamed from the Canvas website.

week of M view read/discuss

1 [1/20] W 1/22: [Introduction: appropriating Shakespeare]

F 1/24: [Shakespeare: the biographical mystique] Michael Bristol, "Shakespeare, The Myth" (Canvas); Dryden, Johnson, and Coleridge on Shakespeare's genius; Borges, "Everything and Nothing" (Canvas). Virginia Woolf on Shakespeare's sister. Recommended: Norton 44-74.

2 1/27 J. Madden, dir. Shakespeare in Love (1999, 122m). Download cheat sheet.
M 1/27: [Shakespeare in Love: gender, genius, and the stage]. Sonnet 18 (Norton 1804) and Greenblatt, "About that Romantic Sonnet" (Canvas). See Judith Butler on gender and performance. Recommended: Norton 93-118.

W 1/29: Titus Andronicus, Norton intro. and 1.1, 2.1.

F 1/31: Titus Andronicus, 2.2-3.1. .

3 2/3 Julie Taymor, dir. Titus (1999, 162m).
Look at Taymor's "Director's Notes" on Canvas, especially pp 183-85, "Envisioning the Violence." M 2/3: Titus Andronicus, 4.1-5.1 and Ovid's tale of Philomela

W 2/5: Titus Andronicus, to end. Group reading of 5.2. (Casting for an empress, two sons, and a crazy old general.)

F 2/7: Snow day. Oh well ...

4 2/10 M 2/10: Discuss Taymor's Titus. (Her Director's Notes are on Canvas.)

W 2/12: [Where do Shakespeare texts come from?] A "new" Titus scene. (Download scene 3.2 from Canvas.)

R 2/13: Essay(s) 1 due on Canvas at midnight.

F 2/14: Inroduction to Lear. Read 1.1

5 2/17 M 2/17: Lear,1.2-3.1

W 2/19: Lear,3.2-3.7

F 2/21: Lear, 4.1-4.6

6 [2/24] Grigori Kozintsev, dir. King Lear (1971, 139m). M 2/24: February break

W 2/26: Lear 4.6, 4.7

F 2/28: Lear 5.1-5.3: tragedy? apocalypse? See Bradley (on the "Redemption of King Lear") and Kott (on the Fool and the grotesque)

7 3/2 Akira Kurosawa, dir., Ran (1985, 162m). Download cheat sheet M 3/2: Discuss Kozintsev. Tragedy? apocalypse?

W 3/4: Discuss Kurosawa's (version of) Lear: crunching the double plot. See Buddhist "Cycle of Suffering."

F 3/6: Essay 2 due on Canvas. Read "A good essay in this course" here.

8 3/9 M 3/9: Merchant of Venice, Introduction and 1.1-1.3

W 3/11: Merchant, 2.1-2.9

F 3/13: Merchant, 3.1 - 3.5 and Frye, from "The Argument of Comedy"

* * * * * unfortunate interval weeks 9 and 10 (M 3/16 - Sun. 4/5) * * * * *

New: Instruction continues online via Canvas and Zoom

11 4/6 M 4/6: Greetings, and casting a reading of Merchant, 4.1

W 4/8: Merchant 4.1: a reading

F 4/10: Merchant 5.1: the ring trick!

12 4/13 Merchant of Venice, dir. Trevor Nunn (2001, 141m). M 4/13: Discuss Nunn's Merchant, and see this link for the Biblical verses sung by Shylock and Jessica, later by Jessica, in this production

W 4/15: Q&A (collective) re Essay #3.

F 4/17: No class today. Work on #3! And cherish those around you.

Essay #3 (Merchant) due midnight Sun. 4/19.

13 4/20 Julie Taymor, dir. The Tempest (2010, 110m) M 4/20: Tempest Introduction and 1.1-1.2

W 4/22: Tempest 2.1-3.3

F 4/24: Tempest 4.1-5.1

14 4/27 Fred Wilcox, dir. Forbidden Planet (1956, 98m) M 4/27: Discuss Taymor's Tempest, and look at remarks on Caliban in Taymor's production.

W 4/29: Discuss Forbidden Planet, and see Mannoni on the Prospero complex.

F 5/1: Aimé Césaire, A Tempest. (Selected pages posted on Canvas)

Essay #4 (VR/RR): Viewing response to Taymor or Wilcox OR reading response to Césaire due on Canvas by noon 5/3.

15 5/4 M 5/4: Much Ado About Nothing, Introduction and 1.1 - 2.1

W 5/6: Much Ado, 2.2 - 4.1

F 5/8: Much Ado, 5.1 - 5.4.

16 5/11 Josie Rourke, dir. Much Ado About Nothing (161m, 2011): on Canvas under Films M 5/11: Discuss Rourke film. Farewells, for the moment.

5/22: Take-home final examination due (prospectus will be on Canvas)

5/30: OPTIONAL Traces and Appropriations portfolio due. Here's what this is.

intro information • syllabus • scholia • credits

week	of M	view	read/discuss
1	[1/20]		W 1/22: [Introduction: appropriating Shakespeare] F 1/24: [Shakespeare: the biographical mystique] Michael Bristol, "Shakespeare, The Myth" (Canvas); Dryden, Johnson, and Coleridge on Shakespeare's genius; Borges, "Everything and Nothing" (Canvas). Virginia Woolf on Shakespeare's sister. Recommended: Norton 44-74.
2	1/27	J. Madden, dir. Shakespeare in Love (1999, 122m). Download cheat sheet.	M 1/27: [Shakespeare in Love: gender, genius, and the stage]. Sonnet 18 (Norton 1804) and Greenblatt, "About that Romantic Sonnet" (Canvas). See Judith Butler on gender and performance. Recommended: Norton 93-118. W 1/29: Titus Andronicus, Norton intro. and 1.1, 2.1. F 1/31: Titus Andronicus, 2.2-3.1. .
3	2/3	Julie Taymor, dir. Titus (1999, 162m). Look at Taymor's "Director's Notes" on Canvas, especially pp 183-85, "Envisioning the Violence."	M 2/3: Titus Andronicus, 4.1-5.1 and Ovid's tale of Philomela W 2/5: Titus Andronicus, to end. Group reading of 5.2. (Casting for an empress, two sons, and a crazy old general.) F 2/7: Snow day. Oh well ...
4	2/10		M 2/10: Discuss Taymor's Titus. (Her Director's Notes are on Canvas.) W 2/12: [Where do Shakespeare texts come from?] A "new" Titus scene. (Download scene 3.2 from Canvas.) R 2/13: Essay(s) 1 due on Canvas at midnight. F 2/14: Inroduction to Lear. Read 1.1
5	2/17		M 2/17: Lear,1.2-3.1 W 2/19: Lear,3.2-3.7 F 2/21: Lear, 4.1-4.6
6	[2/24]	Grigori Kozintsev, dir. King Lear (1971, 139m).	M 2/24: February break W 2/26: Lear 4.6, 4.7 F 2/28: Lear 5.1-5.3: tragedy? apocalypse? See Bradley (on the "Redemption of King Lear") and Kott (on the Fool and the grotesque)
7	3/2	Akira Kurosawa, dir., Ran (1985, 162m). Download cheat sheet	M 3/2: Discuss Kozintsev. Tragedy? apocalypse? W 3/4: Discuss Kurosawa's (version of) Lear: crunching the double plot. See Buddhist "Cycle of Suffering." F 3/6: Essay 2 due on Canvas. Read "A good essay in this course" here.
8	3/9		M 3/9: Merchant of Venice, Introduction and 1.1-1.3 W 3/11: Merchant, 2.1-2.9 F 3/13: Merchant, 3.1 - 3.5 and Frye, from "The Argument of Comedy"
			* * * * * unfortunate interval weeks 9 and 10 (M 3/16 - Sun. 4/5) * * * * * New: Instruction continues online via Canvas and Zoom
11	4/6		M 4/6: Greetings, and casting a reading of Merchant, 4.1 W 4/8: Merchant 4.1: a reading F 4/10: Merchant 5.1: the ring trick!
12	4/13	Merchant of Venice, dir. Trevor Nunn (2001, 141m).	M 4/13: Discuss Nunn's Merchant, and see this link for the Biblical verses sung by Shylock and Jessica, later by Jessica, in this production W 4/15: Q&A (collective) re Essay #3. F 4/17: No class today. Work on #3! And cherish those around you. *Essay #3 (Merchant) due midnight Sun. 4/19*.
13	4/20	Julie Taymor, dir. The Tempest (2010, 110m)	M 4/20: Tempest Introduction and 1.1-1.2 W 4/22: Tempest 2.1-3.3 F 4/24: Tempest 4.1-5.1
14	4/27	Fred Wilcox, dir. Forbidden Planet (1956, 98m)	M 4/27: Discuss Taymor's Tempest, and look at remarks on Caliban in Taymor's production. W 4/29: Discuss Forbidden Planet, and see Mannoni on the Prospero complex. F 5/1: Aimé Césaire, A Tempest. (Selected pages posted on Canvas) Essay #4 (VR/RR): Viewing response to Taymor or Wilcox OR reading response to Césaire due on Canvas by noon 5/3.
15	5/4		M 5/4: Much Ado About Nothing, Introduction and 1.1 - 2.1 W 5/6: Much Ado, 2.2 - 4.1 F 5/8: Much Ado, 5.1 - 5.4.
16	5/11	Josie Rourke, dir. Much Ado About Nothing (161m, 2011): on Canvas under Films	M 5/11: Discuss Rourke film. Farewells, for the moment.
			5/22: Take-home final examination due (prospectus will be on Canvas) 5/30: OPTIONAL Traces and Appropriations portfolio due. Here's what this is.