Instructor: David Levine
Wednesday, 12:00-2:45 pm | Location: Please login to the course catalog at my.harvard.edu for location
Enrollment: Limited to 15 students.
Course Site
What makes “Great Criticism?” Analytic clarity? A surfeit of objectivity? Dedication to art and artists? Or is great criticism more like great art, relying on a strong point of view and deep personal investment? This course tests the latter view, by treating canonical works of criticism as dramatic monologues to be analyzed, invested with desire, and performed. Who were these critics? Why did they feel such an urgent need to speak? We'll use script analysis to pay closer attention to how arguments are constructed, and acting techniques to listen closely for the ways that criticism is always, to quote Nietzsche, “the confession of its originator, and a species of involuntary and unconscious autobiography”
This course will range through the history of criticism and theory, with special attention to literature, philosophy, and art history. Students will learn fundamental techniques of scene analysis, acting, and public speaking. The course will culminate in a durational performance at Harvard Art Museums, occupying the entire building.
This is a hybrid seminar/studio class, with academic and performance components. No previous experience of either is required, although a readiness to immerse yourself in both is expected.
This course satisfies the “1900-2000 Guided Elective" requirement for English concentrators and Secondary Field students.