Arthur Miller: ‘Death of a Salesman’ and ‘The Crucible’
5 weekly sessions on campus, on Thursdays at 2 - 4pm, starting from Thursday 8 October
Overview
Arthur Miller is one of the most well-known and respected playwrights of the twentieth century. His observations on disillusion, loss of status, the American Dream and political corruption are just some of the themes he examines in his plays. This course will consider two plays that show his range of ideas and styles. In ‘Death of a Salesman’ we will explore the despondency of Willy Loman and the emptiness of a life that had once had hope but is shattered under the weight of American idealism. In ‘The Crucible’, we consider the allegorical power of the Salem witch trials on 1950s America and its links with political hysteria and individual persecution.
No prior knowledge needed. Suitable for literature students of all ages.
Syllabus
- Week 1: Introduction to Miller’s life and works
- Week 2: ‘Death of a Salesman’ and the loss of the American Dream
- Week 3: ‘Tragedy and the Common Man’ - Miller’s essay on the ‘low’ man in drama
- Week 4: ‘The Crucible’ and McCarthyism
- Week 5: Isolated theocracy and the HUAC
Course lecturer
Dr Kathleen O’Leary has taught on Continuing Education courses for almost nine years and in that time has offered courses on European literature, Jane Austen, poetry and Shakespeare. Her work focusses on the impact that early modern/medieval writers had on not only the development of the English language, but also on how character, irony and form influenced later writers, and indeed our modern perceptions of literature.
Course fee
- Standard fee: £85
- Concession fee: £45