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Full Circle - New Place revisited
Sep. 2nd, 2011 07:49 amI've never seen Stratford-upon-Avon look more beautiful than it did in the autumn light of the first morning of September yesterday.( Read more... )
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Nov. 9th, 2010 09:18 amI would like to thank you all very much for your lengthy and thoughtful (and very interesting) repsonses to my question yesterday. And a particular shout-out to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alteriel who took the time to link me to her LJ. I know you're really busy, so much appreciated!
Quite a few of you asked questions in return. I'd like to refer you to a wonderful website run by the Folger Library, Shakespeare and American Life. Under the Education and Inspiration tag you'll find plenty to explore, including an account of the culture wars back in the 90s when there was protest about colleges taking Shakespeare off English major courses. Also hidden away under a little tag called Going Elizabethan is a map that will tell you where all your Globe Theatre replicas are (or were). I had no idea you people were so into building them!
From the Times Ed Sup archive, here's a fairly typical account of the kind of controversy the teaching of Shakespeare in schools tends to arouse in England. When things get really hairy, Prince Charles usually wades in to the debate and offers to run a summer school or two. Too bad that he only found out about ten years ago that boys used to play women on the Shakespeare stage! He's a prince, and that's what counts. He must know about Shakespeare!
If any of you would like to have a regular online connection to a very accessible, Stratford-based discussion of Shakespeare and his ongoing influence, I can recommend Blogging Shakespeare. It's run by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Just across Henley Street from there is the wonderful Shakespeare Bookshop, and the lovely Roxanne (who is American herself) is a regular contributor. Any Shakespeare blog that discusses Hamlet in the original Klingon can't be all bad!
Finally, here's a link to someone at the SI who is researching Shakespeare and American TV shows. I really must look her up sometime.
Thank you again. Let's keep in touch and if any of you would like to take a closer look at my work as it develops, you only have to ask. Your thoughts on the EoT/Hamlet connections are particularly valuable (and will be credited fully if I ever publish anything)!
alteriel who took the time to link me to her LJ. I know you're really busy, so much appreciated!Quite a few of you asked questions in return. I'd like to refer you to a wonderful website run by the Folger Library, Shakespeare and American Life. Under the Education and Inspiration tag you'll find plenty to explore, including an account of the culture wars back in the 90s when there was protest about colleges taking Shakespeare off English major courses. Also hidden away under a little tag called Going Elizabethan is a map that will tell you where all your Globe Theatre replicas are (or were). I had no idea you people were so into building them!
From the Times Ed Sup archive, here's a fairly typical account of the kind of controversy the teaching of Shakespeare in schools tends to arouse in England. When things get really hairy, Prince Charles usually wades in to the debate and offers to run a summer school or two. Too bad that he only found out about ten years ago that boys used to play women on the Shakespeare stage! He's a prince, and that's what counts. He must know about Shakespeare!
If any of you would like to have a regular online connection to a very accessible, Stratford-based discussion of Shakespeare and his ongoing influence, I can recommend Blogging Shakespeare. It's run by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Just across Henley Street from there is the wonderful Shakespeare Bookshop, and the lovely Roxanne (who is American herself) is a regular contributor. Any Shakespeare blog that discusses Hamlet in the original Klingon can't be all bad!
Finally, here's a link to someone at the SI who is researching Shakespeare and American TV shows. I really must look her up sometime.
Thank you again. Let's keep in touch and if any of you would like to take a closer look at my work as it develops, you only have to ask. Your thoughts on the EoT/Hamlet connections are particularly valuable (and will be credited fully if I ever publish anything)!
It's quite a while since I posted about my academic work. Well, I completed the taught modules of my MA in Shakespeare and Theatre at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon earlier this year and I'm now getting stuck into my dissertation.
My topic is the biographical representation of Shakespeare as a character in a clutch of children's novels published, mostly, in the last 20 years or so. These include Susan Cooper's King of Shadows, the Gary Blackwood trilogy (The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare's Scribe and Shakespeare's Spy), Grace Tiffany's book about Judith, My Father Had a Daughter and the new Celia Rees book about Twelfth Night, The Fool's Girl.
And I need a little help from my flisters here. I know a good few of you are American, and I've noticed a lot of the best books of this type are written by American writers. Even when they aren't, they might well feature an American child as a central character. I've been working through stuff on-line from the Folger Library about Shakspeare and the American character, and it's fascinating, but what I'd really appreciate is comments and memories from you about the way Shakespeare is taught in American schools - even if he's taught at all.
Feel free to respond with anything you see fit, but I'd especially like answers to the following questions:
Anyway, look forward to hearing from you. If you'd rather respond privately, message me via LJ for my email address.
My topic is the biographical representation of Shakespeare as a character in a clutch of children's novels published, mostly, in the last 20 years or so. These include Susan Cooper's King of Shadows, the Gary Blackwood trilogy (The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare's Scribe and Shakespeare's Spy), Grace Tiffany's book about Judith, My Father Had a Daughter and the new Celia Rees book about Twelfth Night, The Fool's Girl.
And I need a little help from my flisters here. I know a good few of you are American, and I've noticed a lot of the best books of this type are written by American writers. Even when they aren't, they might well feature an American child as a central character. I've been working through stuff on-line from the Folger Library about Shakspeare and the American character, and it's fascinating, but what I'd really appreciate is comments and memories from you about the way Shakespeare is taught in American schools - even if he's taught at all.
Feel free to respond with anything you see fit, but I'd especially like answers to the following questions:
- Is there a compulsory teaching curriculum in grade and high schools (public in the US sense)? Does it vary from state to state?
- Is it compulsory, or widespread, or indeed controversial, for kids to be taught about Shakespeare?
- What would be a typical age for a kid to encounter Sh's works in a school setting for the first time?
- Here in England, it's considered very important for children to learn Shakespeare 'on their feet' by paricipating in performance and seeing productions, and the RSC is very involved in that. Is this also the case across the pond?
- Does the idea of taking Shakespeare off school and college courses for English majors bother people enough to protest?
- I notice that America was building replicas of the Globe long before we did it here in England. Any thoughts? Is it considered important that kids understand Shakespeare's world and is this a good way for them to learn about it? And is all this considered to be a poor substitute for actually visiting the hallowed turf in England? Or not?
Anyway, look forward to hearing from you. If you'd rather respond privately, message me via LJ for my email address.
