Classic Comedy: Drama, Film, Theory

What is comedy? What are its values and view of life? What makes things funny? Why do we laugh and at what? What should or should not be ridiculed? In this seminar we will consider classic comedies and ideas about comedy from Aristophanes through Shakespeare, Moliere, and Shaw, to Stoppard, with comparisons to classic comedies of American cinema and other forms of comic expression. Having a sense of humor is a prerequisite of this seminar. 3 hrs. sem.