Dear tragedizers,
Both classes in Week 5 (17 and 20 February) have a seminar format.
Monday's class will involve close reading of early passages from Racine's Phaedra - see the module guide and reading list for details of the translation to use. You'll find details of the passages to read, and questions to guide your preparation, here. During the seminar you'll be answering those questions in teams - though you should prepare individually in the usual way (I'll allocate a little time for teams to confer at the beginning of the seminar). Please work on the following material:
- Racine's preface: Aqsa, Nia, Max, Levi
- Act 1, Scenes I and II: Keira, Malina, Dorra, Muna
- Act 1, Scene III: Hana, Cameron, Masha
Thursday's class will be a structured discussion, along the lines of the Antigone Inquiry sessions. This time, the artistic committee of a present-day theatre is interviewing three specialists to help it decide whether to commission a production of Phaedra for its upcoming season. The briefs for each team are here. Team members are:
- Artistic Committee: Hana, Cameron
- Specialist 1 (tragic hero): Aqsa, Masha, Max
- Specialist 2 (French classical conventions): Nia, Dorra, Malina
- Specialist 3 (relevance of Greek mythology): Keira, Levi, Muna
As you'll see, Specialists 1-3 each have a five-minute presentation to prepare. You won't have much time to confer as a team at the beginning of the seminar, so you may want to liaise in advance to put something together. Please let me know if you'd like me to set up a wiki for your team, to help you coordinate your preparation.
I hope all this is clear - as ever, don't hesitate to get in touch if you need further guidance. See you on Thursday for the introductory lecture on Phaedra.
Best wishes,
Adrian
