Final Bloggy

The evolution of Performance in literature has moved from its origins through eighteenth century English elocution, being the study of formal speaking with an emphasis on reading literature. Then moving into oral interpretation and to what we know now in the discipline of Performance studies. Edwards indicates that the height of this was around 1914 when Elocutionary training was gaining tremendous respectability in US colleges and universities. (144) When the discipline made the transition from Interpretation to Performance studies in 1991, scholars such as Richard Schechner (2002)” have begun to speak of a two brand model of performance studies pedagogy in American universities: with literature,” Literature is the foundation of what performance is built from.

Literature fits into what we do but will evolve to the use of “text” and not just literature, while we will still honor what lit does, text will incorporate more. Edwards, “names a shift from studying literature in performance to performing texts of culture, identity, and experience.” We see this indicated through the personal narrative. Literature will always support and be a beneficiary part of Performance studies, but it finds enhancement through supported texts. In rhetorical studies, we discuss what is and what is not a ‘text’ by means of something that is analyzed and interpreted, be it a picture, movie, song etc..

While the readings discuss the rises and falls of Performance in Literature, it is my own observation that it is alive and while not in the same context as its original origin, still serving its purpose in our field. Edwards discusses the, excitement of students as they adapt literature for stage performance in the class room saying, “they arrive in class ready to take performance beyond literature.” Currently I am serving as fascinator for an undergrad group that is putting up a performance for the first time. While we as performance studies scholars argue about the living/dying/in ICU status of Literature in our field, our undergrads and other first time performers in our field are taking the foundation of Literature and constantly breathing life into it. Watching this group of undergrads while I am conducting my own version of Godard’s, “Research in the form of spectacle,” I’ve never seen Literature in any real danger of dying off in our discipline, (hell, I didn’t even know it was sick!) Perhaps it is because we require our students to take COMM 2060 Performance in Literature as a basis to what we do, as opposed to having them jump right into Performance Art, or Theory. In that class they find the basics, and learn the disciplines origins there. In TFS’s performance they have a basis of literature, but draw from a smorgasbord of other “texts” to support their statement. These are students who are not even three months removed from that COMM 2060 class where we taught them the basis. I suppose this argument is about ownership and with just interpretation of literature, while there is some elements of ownership, the performance does not entirely belong to you. In performance, when we do what we do, when done correctly, we should demonstrate a heightened understanding of the text or topic. A wises elder in this field once told me you must know the “rules” before you break them. Moving beyond literatature means breathing new life into text, its not cutting the life support cord on Literature. We can’t. But we can enhance it.