Fundamentals of Comedy and Satire
This course will examine the history, theory, and practical application of comedic and satiric principles. We will study theories of humor by such notables as Aristotle, Northrup Frye, Louis Bergeron, Mel Brooks, and Woody Allen. We will study the works of authors such as Aristophanes, Molière, Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare, Damon Runyan, George Bernard Shaw, and Garrison Keilor.
First and foremost, comedy is the use of language; therefore, we will focus a good deal of our attention on the syntax, diction, and general style of humorous writing. Both expository and creative writing will be required because students have to understand comedy before they can create it.
Because much of the effectiveness of humor is visual, we will watch classic television sitcoms and excerpts from the funniest movies and plays, listen to old radio shows, and read contemporary satiric pieces from the print media. We will write and stage comedy and satire in a workshop setting within the classroom, applying the principles learned through our reading and watching. Students will attend a professional production or a rehearsal so they can see the creative process in action.
Instructor: Eric Tillman
A 29-year veteran of the teaching profession, Eric Tillman has been a member of the English Department at Brunswick School since 1981. A graduate of Wesleyan University's M.A. program in English, Mr. Tillman has taught all levels of English and has prepared many Brunswick and GA students to score well on the Advanced Placement tests in English Literature. He knows the art of crafting solid essays and has helped students, young and old, dramatically improve their writing. If you like comedy and you want to improve your writing, this is the class for you.
English Poetry and Classical Literature
Reading and interpretation of select English poets from the Middle Ages to the present in light of the Greek and Roman poets and writers necessary to an understanding and appreciation of them. English poets include Chaucer, Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Eliot, Kennard. Greek and Roman authors include Aristotle, Pindar, Virgil, Horace, and Ovid.
Instructor: Tim Markey
Tim Markey received his Ph. D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University specializing in Classics and Renaissance literature, and was for four years a member of the English Department at Boston University, teaching English there and Renaissance literature, art, and thought in the Core Curriculum. He has published and reviewed books, and lectured in the United States, Canada, England, and Europe (review forthcoming in Essays in Criticism (Oxford University Press)). Past recipient of the Classical and Modern Literature Award, Dr. Markey gratefully accepted a Teacher Tribute from Stanford University in October 2007. He begins his sixth year in the Classics Department at Brunswick this fall.
Pop Psychology and Short Fiction: Tearing Apart Characters, Culture, and the Human Condition
In this course, we will use short stories and novellas to explore universal truths in specific places in time. This course, while literary in nature, will also encompass the histories and cultures of characters and authors to deepen our understanding of basic human needs and experience. Using selections from classic and contemporary writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Sherman Alexie, Ha Jin, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Raymond Carver and Steve Martin, we will critically read, discuss, and write about love, loss, the quest for identity and human connection. There will also be opportunities to write short fiction as well as to view a few film versions of stories for comparison of style and narration.
Instructor: Wendy Biddle
Wendy Biddle’s fascination with people, the choices they make, and the cultures in which they live have taken her across the country and around the world. She has taught history and Social Studies at St. Johnsbury Academy, Brunswick School, and at the Taipei American School in Taiwan. She comes to the Brunswick English Department with a BA from Whitman College and an M.ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.