Midterm study guide Flashcards
explain fundamentals of Aristotelian structure
Aristotelian structure as defiend by Aristotle in his Ars Poetic is the three unities of time, place, and Actions. This was deemed to be the best style of play writing. The Ars poetics was lost for hundreds of years and other scholars, including Horace, believed the Ars poetics to mean Tragoidia; serious change with devastating consequences (for example, Oedipus Rex)
plot is centered around a serious choice the character(s) make and the devastating consequences of those actions.
What are the three innovations of centralized government?
nationalism
divine right of kings
centralized administrative procedures (cabinet Noir and centralized bureaucracy
What is nationalism?
common shared sacrifice for sake of one’s land. This idea was devised by Italian scientist to create a powerful centralized government.
What is the divine right of Kings
The concept stemmed from Henry VIII’s ruling in which he appointed himself head of church. He was considered “God’s chosen, God’s anointed”. All of his decisions were blessed by God himself therefore, he could do nothing wrong. French philosopher Jean Bodin caudified this idea of royal sovereignty as the divine right of kings. This gave kings absolute power over the land. Other kings and royalty followed suite. This lead to the four dynastic dynasties; dynasties which ruled their own land as the divine power, ultimate authority/power.
What was the impact of the rise of tyranny on the colonists?
In England, white men were allowed to vote on what they were taxed on. Women, slaves, and immigrants were not considered citizens therefore, were not allowed to vote. When England taxed tea without first voting on the tax, this sent a message to the colonists that they were no longer considered citizens. This is when our forefathers declared our independence from England and devised a government that would protect the citizens from tyranny. Their goal was to separate church and state, give each state their own rights, and allow the citizens to vote on the president.
What is comedy of manners?
Comedy of manners is a dramatic style of writing in which a person’s worth is based on behavior and social status. This includes social interactions, the clothes they wear, how they speak, where they dine, and table manners. During the first development of comedy of manners, these behaviors were an accurate guide to ones character.
List six stock characters from neoclassical comedy of manners
1) wooden wit
2) The country cousin
3) miraculous fashion plate
4) the unspoiled beauty
5) sexually frustrated matron
6) The fop-fashion victim
7) the ingenious servant
8) Admired gallant
9) Earnest gallant
10) devious gallant
List six stock characters from sentimental comedy of manners
1) stalwart gentleman
2) licentious snake
3) boring young gentleman
4) country squire
5) charming boor
6) stylish hypocrite
7) ingenue
8) the wise/doddering mother
9) the caring father
List six stock characters of melodrama comedy of manners
1) the juvenile lead
2) the male heavy (villian)
3) first light comedian
4) middleclass father/mother
5) The second light comedian
6) soubrette
7) ingenue
8) aristocratic mother/father
What brought on the rise of the middle class culture?
Why does the middle class want it’s own identity?
When colonists first arrived in New England, the land was too rocky to set up estates and plantations. This lead to a rise of small business owners and a middle class lifestyle. Along with this was the structure of our government which further encouraged middle class culture.
States were allowed to tax land and set up inheritance in such a way that did not allow a land owner to pass down an estate to his eldest son. This encouraged families to divide the land among themselves and create small, family businesses. This created a government that was dependent on small businesses, not on powerful lords like in Europe.
Also at this time, Americans saw the scandalous behaviors of the aristocrats in Europe and believed they were better than that. This was when the establishment of sentimentalized christian ethics came to be.
What are the five principals of sentimentalized christian ethics?
1) all people are basically good because we all have a touch of God in us. The bible says man was made in God’s image therefore, mankind is basically good.
2) If you act on this goodness you will be rewarded. You will have a happy ending.
3) bad people are those who consciously chose to turn their backs on their better nature.
4) Good people can err (make mistakes). If they do, they will suffer and be tested. If they stay true to their better self, they will be restored to happiness.
5) Good deeds lead to good consequences. bad deeds lead to bad consequences. Maybe not in this life but in the next.
What are the five principles of sentimentalized middle class ethics?
1) respectability is the measure of virtue and must be maintained at all cost.
2) The family is the source of all happiness and is therefore sacred.
3) sexual conduct must conform to conservative christian teachings
4) all people are good therefor, can enter middle class
5) Those who don’t enter middle class choose not to.
What makes melodrama so entertaining?
The combination of Aristotelian structure with melody (music) makes melodrama so entertaining. Melodrama takes the reversal aspect of Aristotelian structure and hieghtens it, adding reversals in every scene, sometimes multiple. The music helps the audience follow along, which emotions to feel, and keeps them engaged throughout the entire play. It helps them keep up with the plot twists and reversals.
What prevented Melodrama from becoming American theatre?
Melodrama enforced middle class ethics which presented the family as THE source of moral guidance. Melodramas typically had a rosy, optimistic view of families, a truth the American audience could not relate to. WIth the rise of the scientific movement, audiences wanted the messy, organic truth on stage.
