Week by Week

THE SEMINAR IN DETAIL: Week By Week (MWF 2:00 – 5:00 PM)

PLEASE NOTE: EVERY DAY SESSION WILL BE FROM 2:00 – 5:00 PM (though the very first session, with the film, might run a bit longer). Except for the introductory session, each session will include two 10-12 minute reports on materials on the syllabus by members of the Seminar; everyone will do one. The syllabus is available for download here.  A Guide to Critics can be found here .


WEEK I: The Texts

  • Monday, 7/10:  Lear in Shakespeare’s Development; FILM 1: dir. Peter Brook (1971).
  • Wednesday, 7/12:  Comparing the Quarto and the Folio texts
           (“the 2-text view”: from The Division of the Kingdoms).
  • Friday, 7/14:   Comparison continued (& Clare critique of the two texts, revision                  view).
  • Friday, 7/14 (7:30 PM):  FILM 2: dir. Grigor Kozintsev (1971).

WEEK II: Intertexts and Contexts

  • Monday, 7/17:  Sources & Nachleben:
           Anon., King Leir & [from] Sidney’s Arcadia;
           Nahum Tate, History of KL; discussion of Brook & Kozintsev.
  • Wednesday, 7/19:  Contexts 1:
           Religious: “Old” & “New” Historicism:
           W. R. Elton; Stephen Greenblatt.
  • Friday 7/21:  Contexts 2
           Social & Political:
           Rosalie Colie; Richard Strier; Walter Cohen;
           Michael Ignatieff; Judy Kronenfeld.

WEEK III: Symbols, Psychology, Humanism & Post-

  • Monday, 7/24:  Characters & Psychology:
           A. C. Bradley; Harold Bloom; Janet Adelman.
  • Wednesday, 7/26: Symbolism:
           Robert B. Heilman; Paul Alpers; Stanley Cavell.
  • Friday, 7/28: Humoralism & Animal Studies:
           Gail Paster; Andreas Höfele.

Friday evening, 7/28 – FINAL BANQUET AT THE FACULTY CLUB
(participants will pay for themselves).