Q1. Describe the character of the May Lady? In your answer please consider her lack of choice in the nuptials.
Q2. With the contemporary political context in mind, discuss Sidney's possible motivations in writing such an entertainment.
Q3. Discuss the Queen's decision. How does it fit in with the rhetorical debates that have just ceased?
Q4. Consider the significance of Master Rombus. Is education deemed important by characters in the text? Is there a wider significance to this point?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Questions of the Week! Morality Plays
Q1. Describe how in Mankind the playgoers are forced into "sin". How does this alter our interpretation of the play?
Q2. Discuss humour in Mankind or its absence in Everyman.
Q3. Does allegory aid our understanding or make finite meaning impossible?
Q4. How do morality plays reflect the cultural concerns of a late fifteenth/early sixteenth century audience? Can we understand these plays as entertainments, religious didacticism or both?
Q2. Discuss humour in Mankind or its absence in Everyman.
Q3. Does allegory aid our understanding or make finite meaning impossible?
Q4. How do morality plays reflect the cultural concerns of a late fifteenth/early sixteenth century audience? Can we understand these plays as entertainments, religious didacticism or both?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Hilary Term Schedule
Wk. 1. No tutorial
Wk. 2. Morality plays: Mankind & Everyman
Wk. 3. Classical influence: The Lady of May
Wk. 4. Language and signs: The Spanish Tragedy
Wk. 5. Reading Week
Wk. 6. Women's roles: The Duchess of Malfi
Wk. 7. King Lear
Wk. 8. Dr. Faustus
Wk. 9. No tutorial
Wk. 2. Morality plays: Mankind & Everyman
Wk. 3. Classical influence: The Lady of May
Wk. 4. Language and signs: The Spanish Tragedy
Wk. 5. Reading Week
Wk. 6. Women's roles: The Duchess of Malfi
Wk. 7. King Lear
Wk. 8. Dr. Faustus
Wk. 9. No tutorial
Monday, December 1, 2008
Late Shakespeare: Texts and Afterlives
Dear all,
just to let you know, I am co-organising a conference in Trinity on the 5th and 6th of December. There is no fee to attend and you will get to hear some excellent speakers. You are all more than welcome to attend and it should give you a good insight into what constitutes an academic conference. Prof. Hattaway and Dr Wiggins are two of the most highly respected academics working on the early modern period and it is a wonderful opportunity to hear them both speak at Trinity. If you are interested just turn up on the day. For further information check out my Late Shakespeare blogspot.
Best wishes,
Rory Loughnane.
Late Shakespeare: Texts and Afterlives
A two-day international conference, held at Trinity College Dublin on 5th & 6th December 2008, interrogating things recent, late, and belated in the study of Shakespearean drama.
Plenary Speakers
Professor Michael Hattaway, MA, PhD, FEA
Emeritus Professor of English Literature, University of Sheffield.
Dr Martin Wiggins, MA, DPhil (Oxon)
Senior Lecturer and Fellow, Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Conference Organisers
Dr Andrew J. Power & Mr. Rory V. Loughnane
Contact information: lateshakespeare@gmail.com
Conference schedule and further information: http://lateshakespeare.blogspot.com
Time & venue: 5.15-8pm, 5th December, Uí Chadhain Theatre, Arts Building, TCD.
9.30am-6pm, 6th December, Uí Chadhain Theatre, Arts Building, TCD.
just to let you know, I am co-organising a conference in Trinity on the 5th and 6th of December. There is no fee to attend and you will get to hear some excellent speakers. You are all more than welcome to attend and it should give you a good insight into what constitutes an academic conference. Prof. Hattaway and Dr Wiggins are two of the most highly respected academics working on the early modern period and it is a wonderful opportunity to hear them both speak at Trinity. If you are interested just turn up on the day. For further information check out my Late Shakespeare blogspot.
Best wishes,
Rory Loughnane.
Late Shakespeare: Texts and Afterlives
A two-day international conference, held at Trinity College Dublin on 5th & 6th December 2008, interrogating things recent, late, and belated in the study of Shakespearean drama.
Plenary Speakers
Professor Michael Hattaway, MA, PhD, FEA
Emeritus Professor of English Literature, University of Sheffield.
Dr Martin Wiggins, MA, DPhil (Oxon)
Senior Lecturer and Fellow, Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Conference Organisers
Dr Andrew J. Power & Mr. Rory V. Loughnane
Contact information: lateshakespeare@gmail.com
Conference schedule and further information: http://lateshakespeare.blogspot.com
Time & venue: 5.15-8pm, 5th December, Uí Chadhain Theatre, Arts Building, TCD.
9.30am-6pm, 6th December, Uí Chadhain Theatre, Arts Building, TCD.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
General tips for essay writing!
Dear all,
here are a few general tips for writing your essays. These guidelines are by no means definitive, and, of course, everyone has a different writing style, but hopefully you will find these helpful!
* Answer the question!
It's very important to understand exactly what the question is asking of you. Ask yourself why is this question being asked about this text? Are there a number of things that are being asked of me? Are there a number of angles of approach to this question?
* Read the text (again!) with the question in mind.
You might be surprised to find that when you read the primary text again with the question in mind, that the text will open itself up to you in a number of different ways. Again reconsider why the question is being asked.
* Become critically aware.
While your own opinion on the text should shine through, you may find that reading secondary criticism will help you to engage with your own ideas in a better way.
* Use critics but don't rely on them!
Use secondary criticism to help you to express your own opinion as clearly as possible. However, don't merely repeat venerated interpretations of texts. Bear in mind, that these critics are offering their interpretations of texts but you don't have to necessarily agree. Use existing criticism to allow your own ideas to surface. There is no reward for drowning in a sea of disparate quotations!
* Have a clear answer in mind.
Everyone has a different approach to composition. Some people write numerous drafts which enable their ideas and emphasis to change with time. Other people do all their reading first and then piece together their opinions and quotations that support the text etc. etc. However the marker won't know about all your different drafts, or what information you chose to include and what information you chose to omit. The marker can only judge on the material presented. Make sure that you clearly state your opinion and clearly show how you are supporting this opinion using primary and secondary material.
* Be confident in your own opinion!
Essays are your opportunity to show how you have engaged with the text. By the end of the essay the marker should be able to see that you understand the primary material, are aware of the critical and contextual background to the text, and that you can interpret the text in a certain way which answers the question that has been set out.
* School of English style-guide.
Have a look at the School of English handbook for information regarding essay formatting and grammar.
Best of luck with the essays! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at loughnrv@tcd.ie .
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and I look forward to having more great discussions in the New Year!
Best wishes,
Rory.
here are a few general tips for writing your essays. These guidelines are by no means definitive, and, of course, everyone has a different writing style, but hopefully you will find these helpful!
* Answer the question!
It's very important to understand exactly what the question is asking of you. Ask yourself why is this question being asked about this text? Are there a number of things that are being asked of me? Are there a number of angles of approach to this question?
* Read the text (again!) with the question in mind.
You might be surprised to find that when you read the primary text again with the question in mind, that the text will open itself up to you in a number of different ways. Again reconsider why the question is being asked.
* Become critically aware.
While your own opinion on the text should shine through, you may find that reading secondary criticism will help you to engage with your own ideas in a better way.
* Use critics but don't rely on them!
Use secondary criticism to help you to express your own opinion as clearly as possible. However, don't merely repeat venerated interpretations of texts. Bear in mind, that these critics are offering their interpretations of texts but you don't have to necessarily agree. Use existing criticism to allow your own ideas to surface. There is no reward for drowning in a sea of disparate quotations!
* Have a clear answer in mind.
Everyone has a different approach to composition. Some people write numerous drafts which enable their ideas and emphasis to change with time. Other people do all their reading first and then piece together their opinions and quotations that support the text etc. etc. However the marker won't know about all your different drafts, or what information you chose to include and what information you chose to omit. The marker can only judge on the material presented. Make sure that you clearly state your opinion and clearly show how you are supporting this opinion using primary and secondary material.
* Be confident in your own opinion!
Essays are your opportunity to show how you have engaged with the text. By the end of the essay the marker should be able to see that you understand the primary material, are aware of the critical and contextual background to the text, and that you can interpret the text in a certain way which answers the question that has been set out.
* School of English style-guide.
Have a look at the School of English handbook for information regarding essay formatting and grammar.
Best of luck with the essays! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at loughnrv@tcd.ie .
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and I look forward to having more great discussions in the New Year!
Best wishes,
Rory.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Samuel Beckett's Endgame: Questions of the week!
Q1. Discuss the significance of physical disability in the play.
Q2. Is the ending of the play a message of hope or despair?
Q3. Discuss the father/son relationship between Nagg and Hamm? How are they dependent on each other?
Q4. Discuss the significance of the colour grey in the play.
Q2. Is the ending of the play a message of hope or despair?
Q3. Discuss the father/son relationship between Nagg and Hamm? How are they dependent on each other?
Q4. Discuss the significance of the colour grey in the play.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Questions of the Week: The Playboy of the Western World
1. Is there any note of hope for Pegeen Mike at the end of the play?
2. Is the play deliberately provocative in its depiction of a rural Irish community?
3. How does our knowledge of the furore surrounding the dramatisation of this play affect our reading of the play? Does the furore say more about the playgoers or the playwright?
4. Is stereotyping in drama always a negative and reductive practice?
2. Is the play deliberately provocative in its depiction of a rural Irish community?
3. How does our knowledge of the furore surrounding the dramatisation of this play affect our reading of the play? Does the furore say more about the playgoers or the playwright?
4. Is stereotyping in drama always a negative and reductive practice?
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