Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro: Courtrooms and Judgments

 

I.                    Evaluations

A.     The Purpose of Evaluations

B.     The Course Objectives

1.      Understanding and appreciation of major works of European literature from the Renaissance to Neoclassicism.

2.      The transformation of European society from feudal Christendom to modern nation-states, the rise of an increasingly secular culture, and the increased importance of the bourgeoisie at the expense of the nobility.

3.      How to read and write about literature.

II.                 Figaro¸ Act III: Who’s your daddy?

A.     Courtroom Struggles

B.     The Mythology of Fatherhood

C.     Writing a Letter with Music

III.               Act IV: Disguises in the Garden

A.     Disguising Your Voice

B.     The People Give Their Conditional Consent

C.     Happy Endings?

D.The End of the Enlightenment

  1. The Coming Storm: The French Revolution
  2. Edmund Burke and the Contract with History
  3. The Contract Broken
    “Each contract of each particular state is but a clause in the great primaeval contract of eternal society, linking the lower with the higher natures, connecting the visible and invisible world, according to a fixed compact sanctioned by the inviolable oath which holds all physical and all moral natures, each in their appointed place.” Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

IV.             The Final

A.     Short Answers: Answer eight out of ten questions from the second half of the course.

B.     Essay: Identify three of four quotations and write a coherent essay about a single theme using them.

C.     Or Write an essay using three works in the course, including at least one from each half.

V.                 Final FAQ

A.     How much about Mozart do you need to know? Lots.

B.     Swift, too? Yes.

C.     How much time do we have? Official time is two and a half hours, with a half hour grace period. Not a second more!

D.      What else do you need to know? Read intelligently, take notes, think about what you heard in lecture and discussed in section, and all will be well.