Laughing Matters: Comedy in British Theatre, 1840–1940

3ch (3S) [W] · Undergraduate

E xplore one hundred years of British comedy through a close engagement with dramatic literature on page and stage. I nvestigate the ways that humour serves as a vehicle for engaging with and challenging political realities and social conventions. Learn to distinguish between comic genres and modes including the comedy of manners, the farce, the philosophical comedy, political satire, and black humour. Gain insight into key contextual themes such as the widening access to education, dissident expressions of gender and sexuality, shifting attitudes towards empire and the expansion of anti-imperialism, and the growing threat of American capitalism and commercial culture. Develop an understanding of how comedy can both support and subvert perceptions of national culture and collective identity . NOTE : Open to ENGL Honours students.