The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 22.0283  Thursday, 27 October 2011

From:         Tom Reedy < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >

Date:         October 17, 2011 10:30:31 AM EDT

Subject:      Re: SHK 21.0419  Q: Academic Response to Anonymous

Those academics who have been concerned about how to respond in the classroom to the questions raised in the upcoming anti-Stratfordian film Anonymous can calm themselves. Sony Pictures has thoughtfully provided lesson plans to “teach the controversy” in college classes with the scholastic admonition to “Uncover the true genius of William Shakespeare. See Anonymous—in theaters October 28, 2011” on every page.

The stated objectives are “To encourage critical thinking by challenging students to examine the theories about the authorship of Shakespeare’s works and to formulate their own opinions; To strengthen students’ communication skills through classroom discussion and debate," and "To engage   students in creative writing exercises." Who could argue with those? Especially the creative writing part.

Conveniently enough, classroom exercises have been provided for use both before and after viewing the film. See http://www.ymiclassroom.com/pdf/AnonymousCollege.pdf. And high school teachers needn’t feel left out; Sony has put together a version for them also: http://www.ymiclassroom.com/pdf/AnonymousHS.pdf.

Tom Reedy