TH341-6-SP-CO:
Naturalism and After
2025/26
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
04 April 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA W401 Drama,
BA W402 Drama (Including Year Abroad),
BA W403 Drama (Including Placement Year),
BA W408 Drama (Including Foundation Year),
MLITQ394 Drama and Scriptwriting
This module focuses on the Naturalist tradition and its subsequent development, emphasising, through practical exercises different approaches to performance. It begins by examining two naturalistic plays in detail, Hedda Gabler by Henrick Ibsen and The Seagull by Anton Chekhov and then moves on to look at three contemporary plays that develop, challenge and energise these naturalistic conventions. These texts are Julie: After Strindberg by Polly Stenham (2017), Home, I’m Darling by Laura Wade (2018) and Ruined by Lyn Nottage (2008). All three plays illustrate the purpose of the module, which is to show that Naturalism is not a fixed movement that is approached in singular way, but instead, is one that has a variety of innovatory and often contradictory theatrical approaches through which some recurrent thematic preoccupations emerge: for example, the social oppression of women, the interior domestic scene, the family secret, the futility of bourgeois life, the pursuit of self-liberation, the enigmatic nature of human motivation and the destruction of one character by another through the use of whispers, gossip and rumour.
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to some of the developments of Naturalism from the late 1890s to today.
- To provide students with an understanding of how to practically approach a naturalistic text.
- To enable students to develop their critical thinking about Naturalism’s developments.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of some of the basic tenets of Naturalism.
- Critically evaluate contemporary plays.
- Identify and explain how Naturalism has developed since its inception.
- Perform a short extract of a naturalistic text.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- One 2-hour seminar per week
Students are expected to undertake the reading before classes and be prepared to engage in discussion.
Students are expected to prepare and deliver one ten-minute presentation at the end of the module.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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