TY - JOUR

T1 - The early dramatic works of Johann Amos Comenius in the context of his Pansophic pedagogical system

T2 - a reconciliation

AU - Lurie, Z. A.

AU - Mashevskaya, S. M.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Stichting Paedagogica Historica.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The theatrical heritage of Jan Amos Comenius (1592–1670), the famous Czech teacher, religious thinker, and playwright, has been for a long time underestimated. There is little research on this topic. However, theatre played a very important role within the Pansophic school. The method of theatralisation was not new, but in the age of Comenius it was comparatively poorly spread within Protestant schools. Comenius developed principles of confessional school theatre and drew up dramatic texts that correlated with the study programme. His first plays, Diogenes Cynicus redivivus sive de compendiose philosophando (1639) and Abrahamus Patriarcha scena repraesentatus (1641), are studied in the following article. The preliminary comparison of the dramas shows that Abraham was unfairly shadowed by Diogenes in the researchers’ eyes. Both texts appear to be of high professional and literary values. Besides, they are closely connected, covering problems of natural (philosophy) and divine (Christian theology) revelation, and dissolving eternal existential problems, such as freedom, the essence of human life, and choice of one’s own path. The authors come to the conclusion that the use of theatre in the educational process was an essential part of Comenius’ Pansophic pedagogy. Bright images, skilful texts, memorising techniques, pleasure and interest, theory and practice, written and oral world were all combined in the method of theatricalisation.

AB - The theatrical heritage of Jan Amos Comenius (1592–1670), the famous Czech teacher, religious thinker, and playwright, has been for a long time underestimated. There is little research on this topic. However, theatre played a very important role within the Pansophic school. The method of theatralisation was not new, but in the age of Comenius it was comparatively poorly spread within Protestant schools. Comenius developed principles of confessional school theatre and drew up dramatic texts that correlated with the study programme. His first plays, Diogenes Cynicus redivivus sive de compendiose philosophando (1639) and Abrahamus Patriarcha scena repraesentatus (1641), are studied in the following article. The preliminary comparison of the dramas shows that Abraham was unfairly shadowed by Diogenes in the researchers’ eyes. Both texts appear to be of high professional and literary values. Besides, they are closely connected, covering problems of natural (philosophy) and divine (Christian theology) revelation, and dissolving eternal existential problems, such as freedom, the essence of human life, and choice of one’s own path. The authors come to the conclusion that the use of theatre in the educational process was an essential part of Comenius’ Pansophic pedagogy. Bright images, skilful texts, memorising techniques, pleasure and interest, theory and practice, written and oral world were all combined in the method of theatricalisation.

KW - Abraham

KW - confessional age

KW - Diogenes

KW - Dramas

KW - Lezsno

KW - school theatre

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102200060&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/cce622b6-93c1-36d0-819e-5a56c3c8006a/

U2 - 10.1080/00309230.2020.1864425

DO - 10.1080/00309230.2020.1864425

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85102200060

VL - 59

SP - 325

EP - 341

JO - Paedagogica Historica

JF - Paedagogica Historica

SN - 0030-9230

IS - 2

ER -