Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Summer Panic

I don't know why, but I'm feeling stress about my classes this coming semester. 

Fortunately, Flavia is a goddess and is helping with one.  (Thanks, Flavia!)

And now I'm here to ask you, the internet knowledge base, for some more help.  I'm looking for some theories of comedy, old comedy, new comedy.  And readings on theories of comedy.

I have some few ideas.  I'm going to look at Freud, and some Bakhtin (on carnivalesque).  But I'm sure you wonderful folks can help me learn more.  Please!

(I'm teaching a senior seminar on early modern comedy plays.  The plays I've got a solid grounding for, but it's only when I start to think about the more theoretical side that I sort of panic.)

In other news, I turned in my book order for my final class yesterday, the one Flavia has been so helpful about.  And in doing so, found out that two of the books I'm planning to use have new editions that I don't have yet.  So now I'm waiting on new desk copies to work on that class.

I think I should make a list and check it twice.  I'm feeling sort of overwhelmed, and like everything I want to do is do-able, but will take a lot of time, so I sort of don't know where to start.

Okay, deep breath.  Morning coffee on the deck.   (I did finish weeding the whole of the yard once through yesterday, which leaves me feeling pretty good about the yard.  Last year I grew some marigolds, and they self seeded into some pots, so I transplanted a bunch of marigolds around the yard.  They're tiny now, but in a couple of weeks, they should be bright and cheery.)

4 comments:

  1. I've been so focused on research that I sometimes forget I'm going to have to teach in the fall. I'm in total denial about my unconscionable schedule.

    Good luck with your planning. I'm feeling inspired to look at my syllabi now.

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  2. Anonymous6:23 AM

    Hm... I should really get started on class prep. I'm teaching the same classes I always teach in the fall, but everything is changing-- our online courseware is changing, the textbooks are new edition-ing, and the software is having an upgrade. *sigh*

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  3. Well, it's not too theoretical, but there is Pamela Brown's Better a Shrew than a Sheep; Ian Munro has an intro to an edition of jestbooks that might be useful; and Munro and Anne Lake Prescott have done some writing on humor/ jest...
    (And I'm happy to talk offline -- this is an interest of mine...)

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  4. Susan, Thanks! That would be super! I'll be in contact.

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