We will read twentieth-century plays concurrently with modernist and postmodernist theoretical texts. The idea is to establish a conversation between literature and theory to examine how they influence and inspire each other. As we study the quintessential topics of love, death, and identity, it will become clear that while modernist plays presume a totality and universality based on binary structural systems, postmodernist texts are both caught up in and opposed to the reality or social structures they critique. Perspectives on the Mexican Revolution, cultural traditions, politics, and gender issues as well as the theatrical strategies used by the various playwrights will also be of import in our discussions.

The reading list includes plays by Sabina Berman, Carmen Boullosa, Emilio Carballido, Rosario Castellanos, Marcela Del Río, Elena Garro, Luisa Josefina Hernández, Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Vicente Leñero, Rodolfo Usigli, and Xavier Villaurrutia.

Texts:
Cien años de teatro mexicano. SOGEM. CD 2002.
Castellanos, Rosario. El eterno femenino. Mexico City: FCE, 1975.

Theoretical text:
Docherty, Thomas. Postmodernims: A Reader. NY: Columbia UP, 1993.