YEAR 13 27th/29th April 16

These two sessions considered Marlowe's THE TRAGEDY OF Dr. FAUSTUS and also considered issues linked to Section B of the Gothic exam. The Wednesday session considered to what extent gothic texts can be considered SHOCKING and discussed the blasphemous content of the narratives. The discussion considered the distinction between the conservative Christian philosophy being promoted by the authors through textual content that is philosophically confrontational and challenges the accepted social conventions of the world within which they were first performed or published. FAUSTUS remains a RIOT of a play. The first CHORUS provides Marlowe with the moral and legal protection he needed to avoid being accused of blasphemy. Obviously, some critics still consider the play to be a blasphemous text written by a rebellious atheist!! What do you think?

Macbeth and Frankenstein were also considered within the framework of 'SHOCK' and class discussion was, as it always is at the moment, bloody fantastic. The recent written work is also very impressive. KEEP IT UP.

The Friday session was a consideration of FAUSTUS. The class were asked to consider the question:
TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE WITH RICHARD BAINES THAT MARLOWE 'PERSUADES MEN TO ATHEISM'.
The class then offered a 30 minute written response with the critical focus being the final section of each paragraph and clear explanation of how textual reference supports the critical argument. The final section of the paragraph is important because this is the section that fuses question focus and author's aim. Students were also encouraged to produce an evaluative conclusion that weaves an argument through a critical comment. I gave the class the following comments...

William Vaughan in 1600 stated that Marlowe was a 'blasphemous sinner'......
Judith Weil in 1977 described Marlowe as 'a dogmatic moralist'....
Clayton Mackenzie in 2010 described Marlowe's work as 'a carnival of savagery'....
These are the kind of quotes that will allow you to construct a more sophisticated response and show the examiner that you are confronting the 'significance and influence of context/explore connections informed by views of other readers' assessment objectives.

THE RSC are performing the play as we breathe...here are some links. The audio file is a cracker.
RSC Faustus Trailer:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/doctor-faustus/trailer
The Director of the 2016 RSC version of FAUSTUS discusses the play..45 minute audio file.
https://www.rsc.org.uk/doctor-faustus/listen-to-the-director-s-talk

HOMEWORK: KEEP READING. KEEP THINKING. ALL students should have completed a Section A Faustus essay and the Section B 'transgression' question. Our next lesson will focus on the significance of Walton's introduction in Frankenstein and his concluding role in the novel.