Using Spontaneous Role-Playing Methods to Study Literature and Legend in a College Course

Authors

  • HERB PROPPER Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12926/pzwr7795

Keywords:

Role-Playing

Abstract

In this article, the author reports his use of spontaneous role-playing methods, which formed the vast majority of the learning process, in a one-semester college undergraduate course studying the Arthurian legends and Holy Grail mythology. He describes specific techniques that included empty chair dialogues and role reversals with characters, extended scene settings leading to explorations of character experience, and an extended psychodrama vignette for a character not mentioned by the author. The students' responses and learning outcomes reinforce claims that sociodrama offers a valuable tool for the study of literature.

References

Blatner, A. (1996). Acting-in: Practical applications of psychodrama tic methods. 3rd ed. New York: Springer.

Landy, R. J. ( 1993). Persona and performance: The meaning of role in. drama, therapy, and everyday life. New York: Guilford Press.

Malory, T. ( 1975). King Arthur and his knights: Selected tales by Sir Thomas Malory. Eugene Vinaver, Ed. London: Oxford University Press.

Pearlman, B. (1995). Characters of the sacred: The world of archetypal drama. Placitas, NM: Duende Press.

Pitzele, P. (1997). Scripture windows: Towards a practice of bibliodrama. Los Angeles: Torah Aura Productions.

Sternberg, P., and Garcia, A. ( 1989). Sociodrama: Who's in your shoes? Westport, CT: Praeger.

Tennyson, A. (1983). /dylls of the king. New York: Penguin Books. von Eschenbach, W. (1980). Parzival. A. T. Hatto, Trans. New York: Penguin Books.

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Published

2026-01-23

Issue

Vol. 52 No. 3 (1999): Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama, and Sociometry

Section

Articles

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