A study of drama, fiction, and film, mostly British and American that have helped to create and sustain this popular twentieth-century tradition. The works will include at least three Shakespeare comedies, one or two Restoration or  eighteenth-century comedies, a novel by Jane Austen, plays by Shaw and Wilde, and a  contemporary comic novel; and a film a week, chosen to balance movies from the first and the second halves of the sound era. Prerequisites: ENG-200.