Dramatic Literature Research Articles

Bodies as Temples

Abstract The portrayal of disability within sacred and dramatic narratives offers an avenue for the examination of societal and theological paradigms. Such an examination is attempted in this study by investigating the representation of disability in the Bible and Ola Rotimi’s play Hopes of the Living Dead through the theoretical frameworks of Ableism and Reynolds’ hermeneutical approach. Biblical stories depicting disability as a curse, a tool, and a subject of divine healing are used in the research to explore the complex interplay between societal perceptions and theological implications. Rotimi’s dramatization of people with leprosy further elucidates themes of marginalisation and resilience within a predominantly secular context. Integrating Ableism theory, this paper critiques normative conceptions of ability and disability, while Reynolds’ hermeneutical methodology facilitates a nuanced interpretation of the often-conflicting representations found in both sacred texts and dramatic literature. This interdisciplinary approach yields comprehensive insights into the cultural, religious, and social constructs surrounding disability, advocating for more inclusive and empathetic interpretative practices.

Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s Cinematic Novels within the Dramatization of Prose in the 20th Century

The emergence of cinematic novel created by O. Dovzhenko has become one of the chief achievements of Ukrainian culture in the 20th century. The demand for such innovation has been conditioned with the particular place of cinema as an alternative to theatre where the past could be represented at screen in the manner of epic and not dramatic literature. The organic unity of the features of a script and a novel has demonstrated new peculiarities and opportunities of narration. First of all, cinematic novel belongs to the general literary trend of the stream of consciousness that comes back to theatrical soliloquy and builds up a parallel to monodrama. In particular, plot as the determination of events yields to imaginary forces of subjective nature. The comparative research of O. Dovzhenko’s heritage with that of V. Woolf is substantiated with this circumstance. Secondly, it is the so called telegraph style that marks both scripts and cinematic novels coming back still to rhetoric devices of parcellation. The autonomous existence of separate things within cinematic context is presupposed with the effect of alienation ensuing from the phantoms of imagination. Textual dissociation into a series of visions of separate things results in the transformation of linear temporal succession of events into spatial corporeal images marked with multidimensionality. Third, the composition of cinematic novels as well as of other specimens of the stream of consciousness is marked with the traits of spiral narration. The new motivational forces discovered in cinema procured new opportunities for the traditional dramatic problem of fatal predetermination. The formation of cinematic novel has elucidated new interrelation between screen and scene and outlined new perspectives in their interaction.

An Analysis of How the Literary Features of The Teahouse Reflect the Tragic Core of the Play

The Teahouse is a play written by Lao She in 1956, included in the magazine Harvest in July 1957 by Bakin and published in June 1958 by the China Drama Publishing House. The play presents three chaotic historical periods in modern China: the Hundred Days' Reform, the Warlords' War, and the eve of the founding of New China. The play has a high literary status and high literary attainments, and it has become a classic work of contemporary Chinese theatre mainly because of its characteristic dialect language features and special artistic presentation form. The use of language in the original play reflects the regional characteristics, and the portrayal of the characters suggests the tragedy of the historical destiny of the time from the side. The main body of the play, "Yutai Teahouse", serves as a clue to expose how the modern Chinese society is a dark and corrupt world that eats away at all human beings. Moreover, his literary works with its unique style of writing reflects the tragic colour of drama literature, with the tragic fate of the nobody suggesting the tragic colour of the whole era.

From the desk of the Editor-in-Chief: Introduction to the Black Theatre Review, <em>Nurturing</em>

In this issue, Vol. 3.1., we invite readers to explore the collective body of Black and African Diasporic theatre history, dramatic literature, performance and production, multimedia media, artistic leadership, pedagogy, and praxis for elements of nurturing that center Black female and femme experiences. For this issue, nurturing is defined as the acts, rituals, and strategies of care that enhance one’s inner power and enable them to flow toward joy and vitality. Black women scholars, artists, and administrators often teach, conduct research and creative scholarship, govern, build, and nurture within institutional systems in the face of lack and their peril. Collectively, the entries featured in this issue attempt to move Black women—protagonists, playwrights, contemporary icons—from the margins to the center. Black Feminist and Afro-indigenous acts, rituals, and strategies of care are explicit and remind readers that love can be found everywhere. In all circumstances, a real revolution occurs within.

“Puščic prš proži nezaslišana usoda”: anglofonsko gledališče in dramatika po koncu pandemije

Since the days of their conception and for most of their history, theatre institutions and the dramatic genre have indelibly reflected their immediate socio-historic contexts, including epidemics. Although forced to close for a full year during the 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu, however, modern Anglophone theatres and authors deliberately avoided exploiting the pandemic in their works. Conversely, the COVID-19 pandemic directly affected the birthing of new genres and individual plays that included it in their settings and contents, and also motivated discussions on the future of dramatic literature and theatre establishments, particularly with regard to hybrid drama. Building on its author’s previous research, this paper examines British and American dramatic literature and theatre establishments one year after the end of the pandemic, to detect whether Anglophone drama has embraced the new genres, and whether its authors have continued to reflect the pandemic in their works.

Unifying Historical-Research and Drama-Interpretation: A Methodological Exploration of Textile Historical Materials in Chinese Classical Dramatic Literature

This paper puts the relationship between textile phenomena and textile historical materials in Chinese classical dramatic literature under the perspective of literature, history and textiles, introduces the goal orientation of "unifying historical-research and drama-interpretation", explains the nature of textile phenomena in classical dramatic literature, and the process of obtaining textile historical materials, and discusses the mechanism of "multi-dimensional mutual reference" of textile historical materials. The methodology believes that based on the mechanism of textile historical materials in Chinese classical dramatic literature, the positive process is the historical interpretation of textile phenomena, while the reverse process is the literary evidence of textile historical facts. The corresponding logical system attempts to solve the problem of "why Chinese classical dramatic literature has become a historical database for Chinese ancient textile research", and is expected to summarize the common regulations of extracting and studying the historical materials of textiles in various types of classical literary works.

Rhetoric of Landscape Architecture and Interior Design Discourses

The rhetoric of the pedagogic discourses of landscape architectural students and interior design students is described as part of a doctoral study undertaken to document practices and orientations prior to cross-disciplinary collaboration. We draw on the theoretical framework of Basil Bernstein, an educational sociologist, and the rhetorical method of Kenneth Burke, a literary dramatist, to study the grammars of ‘landscape’ representation employed within these disciplinary examples. We investigate how prepared final year students are for working in a cross-disciplinary manner. The discursive interactions of their work, as illustrated by four examples of drawn images and written text, are described. Our findings suggest that we need to concern ourselves with our pedagogic discourse that brings uniqueness and value to our disciplines, alongside shared discourses between disciplines.

EXPLORING MORAL AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES THROUGH DRAMA: A STUDY OF IFEYINWA UZONDU'S WHICH WAY IS RIGHT?

This study delves into the exploration of moral and ethical principles through the dramatic lens, with a specific focus on Ifeyinwa Uzondu's play titled Which Way is Right? In contemporary society, the erosion of moral principles has become a pressing concern. The decline in ethical values, societal norms, and the erosion of moral boundaries have led to various social issues, impacting individuals, families, and communities. Literature, particularly drama, has often been a medium through which society reflects on its values and seeks to restore or reshape them. Ifeyinwa Uzondu's play, Which Way is Right?, explores themes related to moral dilemmas, societal norms, and the consequences of one's actions. The theoretical framework employed in this research draws from moral philosophy, ethical theories, and dramatic literature analysis. By examining the intricacies of Uzondu's play, the study aims to elucidate how drama serves as a powerful medium to engage with and interrogate moral and ethical dilemmas. The methodology involves a comprehensive textual analysis of Which Way is Right? to identify and dissect key moral and ethical themes. The findings illuminate the effectiveness of Uzondu's artistic choices in conveying complex moral dilemmas to the audience. In conclusion, this research makes a noteworthy contribution to knowledge by expanding our understanding of the moral dimensions of dramatic literature and the capacity of theatre to foster ethical awareness. It underscores the importance of engaging with art as a means of grappling with and understanding the intricacies of moral decision-making.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The Tragic Concept of Love and Madness in the Dramatic Literature of Farhad Nazerzadeh Kermani

The purpose of this article is to investigate the symbolic and symbolic aspects of the play "Window on the Wind “written by Professor Farhad Nazerzadeh Kermani with an interpretive anthropological approach. In the statement of interpretive anthropology, Clifford Geertz considers two important processes of emic-etic research as the fundamental elements of the interpretation of works of art. A Window on the Winds has been able to put the anthropological context of the drama in a link between culture, man, and nature, and by creating tribal music, it has also mixed the archetypes of the people of Kerman. In the play "Window on the Winds", from the title to the ending, the mixing of the culture of the two characters of Sanobar (female) and Mozaffar (man) in the imaginary self-made nature of Badabad, forms an interpretive anthropological triangle based on Geertz's theory on the interrelationships of "human", "culture" and "nature" and to place it in the category of semantic dramas of ecology. After eight months away, Mozaffar returned to his hometown of Badabad, Kerman, and under the influence of the false reports of monkey play, he became pessimistic towards his pregnant wife Sanobar. Therefore, to protect his reputation, he decides to punish Sanobar and takes her to the top of a hill in the desert at night with a rope in one hand and a lantern in the other hand, and ties her to a stone shaped like a donkey's head Kharsang), A big stone on a hill in the shape of a donkey's head is the punishment. He slowly walks away with the hyena-like sound of bad friends, with the assumption that if the fir tree is innocent, it will be saved by the nocturnal singers, and if it is guilty, it will become the prey of wild animals. Signs and meanings in this play express two important aspects of cultural and interpretive anthropology. The findings show that the author was able to create new symbols suitable for the culture and nature of the people of the region. There are about twenty-seven native, tribal, mental, religious, and imaginary symbols in this play, which places it in the ranks of notable ethnographic symbolist plays this research was prepared based on the method of descriptive-analytical and library-documentary studies and it was also analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method.

Art Innovation Learning Guidance For Kindergarten Teacher

The purpose and scope of this guidance activity are to provide kindergarten teachers in Sukun District, Malang City, the knowledge and skills about designing and implementing early childhood integrated art innovation learning to improve the effectiveness and quality of children’s art learning process in kindergarten as part of their job. Guidance and training methods that will be used in this activity are 1) delivery of material and discussion about the development of early childhood art skills and early childhood integrated art innovation; 2) guidance and practice in groups to discuss innovation and designing one learning material package of early childhood integrated art including art, dance, music, and drama literature; 3) Demonstration and simulation to demonstrate the early childhood integrated art innovation learning activity as a part of art class in kindergarten; 4) discussion and evaluation to get feedback both about the process and results of guidance and practice activities. The results obtained are 1) Non-Physical results; from the evaluation of the final results, it can be concluded that 90% (out of 40 participants) have understood the knowledge and skills about making early childhood integrated art innovation to improve the effectiveness and quality of children’s art learning process in kindergarten as part of their job; 2) Physical Result; obtained by the participants from the guidance and training activities are products in the form of early childhood integrated art innovation learning types about various themes and titles. In general, this guidance and training activity is considered successful because, at the end of the activity, all participants have the knowledge and skills about designing and implementing early childhood integrated art innovation learning to improve the effectiveness and quality of children’s art learning process in kindergarten as part of their job.

"They Noticed Everything": Integrating Student Experience of Theatrical Performance into Coursework

Abstract: Integrating students' experiences of a theatrical performance into coursework often presents a pedagogical challenge, especially if the performance serves only as an occasion for critique or as an illustration of course themes. This essay describes some classroom strategies that help students pay attention to the distinctive elements of the experience of attending a theatrical performance while at the same time preparing them to connect these experiences to the themes and issues of the course. The process begins with an assignment that asks students to identify just one thing they noticed during the performance, then to describe how that element contributed to their comprehension of the moment-to-moment storytelling. With an understanding of the performance firmly grounded in observation, students are better prepared to explore connections between their experiences at the theatre and their investigations in the classroom. The essay describes these assignments in action in an intermediate-level lecture/discussion course on dramatic literature where students attended a production of Angels in America . Approaches described herein have successfully worked in courses on different subjects, themes, formats, and curricular levels, and with both theatre majors and students from many disciplines.

Art Innovation Learning Guidance For Kindergarten Teacher

The purpose and scope of this guidance activity are to provide kindergarten teachers in Sukun District, Malang City, the knowledge and skills about designing and implementing early childhood integrated art innovation learning to improve the effectiveness and quality of children’s art learning process in kindergarten as part of their job. Guidance and training methods that will be used in this activity are 1) delivery of material and discussion about the development of early childhood art skills and early childhood integrated art innovation; 2) guidance and practice in groups to discuss innovation and designing one learning material package of early childhood integrated art including art, dance, music, and drama literature; 3) Demonstration and simulation to demonstrate the early childhood integrated art innovation learning activity as a part of art class in kindergarten; 4) discussion and evaluation to get feedback both about the process and results of guidance and practice activities. The results obtained are 1) Non-Physical results; from the evaluation of the final results, it can be concluded that 90% (out of 40 participants) have understood the knowledge and skills about making early childhood integrated art innovation to improve the effectiveness and quality of children’s art learning process in kindergarten as part of their job; 2) Physical Result; obtained by the participants from the guidance and training activities are products in the form of early childhood integrated art innovation learning types about various themes and titles. In general, this guidance and training activity is considered successful because, at the end of the activity, all participants have the knowledge and skills about designing and implementing early childhood integrated art innovation learning to improve the effectiveness and quality of children’s art learning process in kindergarten as part of their job.

The Limits of Cis Compassion: The sad trans experience and its others in contemporary Turkish theatre

In the last decade, dramatic literature and theatre productions about trans women have become a significant part of Turkey's alternative theatre scene. These performances, pioneered by trans women, have been both celebrated and appropriated, with cis theatre makers often reshaping them within melodramatic conventions. Since the political ramifications of these theatrical productions are intricately linked to their narrative styles and genres, the employment of melodramatic portrayals presents emergent challenges for trans individuals, thereby culminating in a nuanced ‘transploitation’ of their narratives. While the melodramatic representations tell the stories of trans women's suffering and often end with the main character's death, the playwrights, actors, and the rest of the cast are almost always cisgender. Despite their popularity as well as aesthetic, social, and political significance, these plays have received limited scholarly attention. Moreover, the limited scholarship and public debates on them tend to treat their affective politics uncritically and even celebrate it. In the context of Turkey's liberal identity politics, these plays about trans women appear to challenge cis-heteropatriarchal oppression but ultimately reinforce cisnormative perspectives. In contrast, one-actor plays by transfeminist performers and playwrights challenge these melodramas. Characterized by themes of hope and resistance, transfeminist performances offer a contrast to mainstream portrayals of trans experience. These plays challenge the prevalent sadness in mainstream narratives about trans women, offering more empowering and representative portrayals. This juxtaposition sheds light on how sadness facilitates the experience of compassion, which both legitimizes and limits the performances about trans women.

A Burglar of the Better Sort: Poems, Dramatic Works, Theoretical Writings

A Burglar of the Better Sort: Poems, Dramatic Works, Theoretical Writings

Rainmaking in Igbo Communities as a Preliterary Category of Possible Dramatic Forms

ABSTRACT: The Western literary drama has established itself as an axiomatic model against which other performative activities seem to be evaluated. This tends to undermine the fact that drama has roots in a “nonliterary performative” religious festival of the Greeks. If tragedy/comedy evolved from a different religious/ritual activity, it follows that such practices have the potential to evolve into more literary forms. As rainmaking in Africa constitutes one such ritual performative activity, this research aims to explore the essence of rainmaking (life preservation) in selected Igbo communities as a potential underlying literary model that can be explored to create further literary forms (beyond tragedy and comedy) within African dramatic/performance genres. Data are collected through in-depth interviews with rainmakers while the theoretical orientation is drawn from Northrop Frye’s theory of modes. The study concludes that rainmaking in Igbo society embodies preliterary potential, which can inform more literary forms beyond tragedy/comedy.

THE CENTRALITY OF THE NARRATIVE STORYTELLING PERFORMANCE STRATEGY IN SAM UKALA’S IDEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

African literary drama draws its artistic materials from the numerous forms of Oral literature. Storytelling, an ancient but living oral tradition is one of such forms that some African dramatists have resorted to in expressing their various themes. As such, storytelling has created an orally rich variant of contemporary African literary drama as demonstrated in Ukala’s dramaturgy. Primarily sourcing his plays from folk material, Ukala is known for reviving and sustaining the storytelling performance via his ‘folkism’ theory which thrives on spontaneity in performance. This paper investigates the centrality of the storytelling strategy in his Akpakaland, Iredi War and Break a Boil as located in his ‘folkist’ ideology. The paper draws attention to such defining characteristics of indigenous storytelling as the opening and closing formulae, improvisation, audience involvement, the pivotal role of the narrator, etc. In so doing, it locates storytelling as the central artistic requirement that not only imbues Ukala’s plays with its aesthetic relevance but also drives its reflection of societal issues.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0058/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Дыхание Вселенной. Эпико-драматические структуры в русской драматургии ХIX века

This article is dedicated to the challenges of forming a unique type of epic-dramatic principle for structuring action in 19th century Russian drama and the issues of interaction between literary drama and the stage in the process of achieving the artistic identity of Russian theatre. The article analyzes the principles of non-plot and super-plot construction of action in the works of A. Griboedov, A. Pushkin, N. Gogol, I. Turgenev, A. Ostrovsky, A. Sukhovo-Kobylin, A.K. Tolstoy, L. Tolstoy, and A. Chekhov. It explores how Russian playwrights employ artistic means to present the narratives and conflicts within the encompassing spirituality of an overall worldview. The divergence — the aesthetic “fork” between literary drama and the common repertoire of the Russian stage in the 19th century, which becomes evident in the theatrical process, suggests that Russian drama is developing a principle of staginess — one that is able to express its inherent drama only with the advent of director's theatre.

When the audience applauds, but the critics disapprove

The article examines the most relevant dramaturgical features and the reception of the pioneer works of dramatic literature, forgotten in our time: Leskovcani u Parizu (The Leskovac Folk In Paris) by Natalija Arsenovic Dragomirovic and Tamo daleko? (Over There Far Away...) by Milica Jakovljevic. The research of this topic included the use of relevant comparatistic, theatrographical, dramaturgical and literary-historical methods. It transpired that the plays, written by the aforementioned authors are significant, primarily as a testimony of the dramatic opus of an era. However, owing to its vaudevilles atmosphere, and the fact that certain characters display a wide and colourful range of speech dialects and variants, Leskovcani u Parizu has a certain stage potential even in this day and age. Both dramatic works had experienced numerous stagings during the period between the First and the Second World War in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Banja Luka, Nis, Sarajevo and Skoplje. Moreover, the sing-play (Singspiel) by Natalija Arsenovic was also staged after the Second World War. While those dramatic works were well-received, sometimes even triggering fascination among the delightful audiences, the critics were, with rare exceptions, relentless, pointing out the dramaturgical dilettantism, the unconvincingly portrayed characters and pandering to the audiences. In spite of the serious and noticeable flaws of the dramatic firstlings of Natalija Arsenovic Dragomirovic and Milica Jakovljevic, it is undeniable that those two extraordinary women with small town backgrounds, yet free to choose their creative lifepaths, dared to test their own skills as playwrights, along with Ljubinka Bobic and Milica Jankovic, even though play writing had been reserved for men, up to that time. With their work, they opened the door to the future female authors, who have been equally contributing to playwriting as their male playwright counterparts since the mid 20th century.

Hungarian Export Plays : Foreign Success Stories of Hungarian Dramas at the Turn of the Century

Although in Hungarian dramatic history we can occasionally find Hungarian plays that managed to have a good career abroad, but observing the dramatic literature of the first third of the 20th century, we can realise that the number of so-called export plays is considerable. Success stories in Hungarian drama literature are associated with the first decade of the Vígszínház: naturally, as part of a modernising theatrical culture, press publicity and promotion play a significant role in audience success. Within the profit-oriented theatrical model, sold-out performances in large series are considered successful plays, forming the basis for potential export dramas. Considering the fact that only works that do not address a specifically Hungarian theme, meaning that they go beyond national borders and local problems, can attract the attention of foreign audiences; priority is given to social dramas, and, to a lesser extent, comedies which mainly deal with a social problem typical of the period. This study highlights key milestones in the international careers of some Hungarian export plays, starting from the Berlin premiere of The Schoolmistress in 1909 to the Zurich premiere of The Dancer in 1918.

Transpozicija biblijske legende u delu Žertva Avramova Vikentija Rakića

The focus of the paper is on the analysis of the dramatic elements in the religious epic Žertva Avramova (Abraham's Sacrifice) by Vikentije Rakić. By interpreting the thematic-motif preoccupations of Rakić's religious epics-the cult of family and sentimental friendship-we conclude that Žrtva Avramova, which in literary studies has different genre designations, contains dramatic elements reflected in the ambivalence when conceptualizing fictional characters who, as much as they are embedded in the family microcosm, are also devoted to Divine providence. Mother Sarah, whose role in the biblical template is non-existent in relation to the religious epic, is portrayed alongside her son Isaac, the representative of an activist concern for his own existence. In the end, we have Father Abraham who experiences a strong internal conflict, the origin of dramatic literature. Dramatic elements, therefore, can be seen in the family theme from which the dramatic situation arises, shaping the characters, and less so in the formal features-such as the sporadic didaskalia found in Žertva Avramova (Abraham's Sacrifice) and the structure of the work itself. The latter can be divided into dramatic phases: prologue, plot, culmination, peripetia, and dramatic outcome. The paper will specifically explore the relationship between the Old Testament model, inheriting the cosmic vertical God-Man dynamic, and the religious epic introducing the horizontal human plane-Man-Man. According to initial premises, this relationship implies the presence of (pre)romantic irony or romantic irony at its inception, which, within the studied epic, reflects an ambivalent attitude towards the biblical moral-didactic teaching.