120012 SE Literary Seminar / BA-Arbeit / MA British/Irish/New English (2011S)

The well-made play originated in France in the nineteenth century (Scribe, Sardou) and had its heyday in British theatre in the late Victorian age. However, despite several attempts to oust it from the British stage, it remained the most popular dramatic form throughout the twentieth century. A prominent contemporary theatre historian claims that the well-made play became and still remains the traditional model of play construction. A further important aspect is its close connection to dramatic as well as stage realism. In this seminar we will explore representative well-made plays, comic as well as serious.