OLLSCOIL NA hÉIREANN, GAILLIMH
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
AUTUMN EXAMINATIONS, 2008/2009
THIRD & FOURTH ARTS EXAMINATION
EN387 Specialist Studies: Twentieth Century Literature
Professor A. Minnis
Professor H. McDermott
Dr. R. Dixon
Prof. N. Allen
TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS: ONE FROM EACH SECTION
AVOID DUPLICATION OF MATERIAL
USE A SEPARATE ANSWER BOOK FOR EACH SECTION
SECTION A: DRAMA
1. Theatre is at its most effective when it not only entertains but also questions.
Discuss the significance of this idea in the work of any two playwrights on the course.
2. In an essay on any two playwrights on the course discuss how and why playing
theatrical games contributes to meaning in their dramas.
3. Blurring the distinctions between fantasy and reality allows writers to challenge
audiences’ expectations. In an essay on any two playwrights on the course assess
how and why they do this.
4. In any essay on any two plays on the course suggest how and why the playwrights
challenge the settled views of the audience.
5. Assess the importance of theatrical self-consciousness in the creation of meaning
in any two plays on the course.
6. In any essay on any two plays on the course suggest how and why the playwrights
use some of the specific attributes of theatre as means of exploring notions of identity
and/or self-hood.
Contd./…
