Shakespeare I Mr. Radcliffe
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In this course we will consider Shakespeare's early career as a playwright and his after-career as literary icon. Both careers involved history and fanstasy: the early history plays contained large admixtures of fiction and the comedies admixtures of history, while Shakespeare's reception, quite as much as the plays, was colored by the imaginative imperatives of the hour. If Shakespeare's characters come across as larger-than-life, so does the Bard himself. Literature does that: it will be our business to consider how and why. Course requirements consist of class participation (20%), a mid-term examination (20%), a 15 pp. research paper (30%) and a final examination (30%). Participation involves regular attendance, joining in discussion, and responses to occasional email assignments. Students are expected to abide by Virginia Tech's Honor Code: all writing done for this class must be your own. Texts: You'll need a good college Shakespeare: one with a modern text (that is to say, one that hasn't been modernized!) good annotations and glossaries, and helpful prefatory material. I recommend Norton, but Riverside, Pelican, and Oxford will do. What will not do is a cheap facsimile reprint from Books-R-Us, or your family's heirloom Shakespeare. You want one with all the dirty words left intact, right? I will supply readings from the older critics in electronic form, digitizing them as we go along. You should download these and bring a printed copy to class for discussion. I've specified a research paper for the course requirements, but if you have particular interests in Shakespeare that would benefit from a different format, I will consider alternative forms of presentation (though the material must doing some research). Goodness knows, where Shakespeare is concerned there are no end of topics to be investigated. Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00, and by appointment. Come by to chat about literature, your essays, future plans, whatever. Texts:
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Schedule:
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