The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0997  Sunday, 12 November 2006

From: 		Julia Crockett <
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Date: 		Sunday, 12 Nov 2006 02:16:14 -0000
Subject: 	Shakespeare Wars

Ron Rosenbaum refers to James Shapiro's 1599 as 'self-interest behind a 
scrim of academic hauteur.' Walter Kirn congratulates Rosenbaum for 
putting his head above the parapet in order to speak to the general 
reader. Stephen Greenblatt writes the popularist 'maybe' Will in the 
World. Alistair Fowler demolishes Greenblatt on woefully weak scholarly 
details. New historicism at this stage is taking on the boundaries of 
fictionism.

Brian Vickers computes lines to Fletcher: 'No, I have not read Marlowe 
but I feel Marlowe meant . . ." And sui generis, on the populist front 
Jonathan Bate, Ted Hughes et al.

Particularly, we learn from Greenblatt that Shakespeare's message on his 
tombstone relates to his dislike of his wife. Here I agree with Fowler, 
his what-ifs, maybes, possibilities let down his scholarship badly. 
Shakespeare's 'Curs'd be he etc'  is in a Renaissance tradition which is 
akin to Erasmus whose Holbein-designed seal 'Concedi Nulli' echoes the 
Platonic 'Remove not what thou has not planted.' Shakespeare's misogyny 
a la Greenblatt is not fit for argument. Still he sold a lot of books.

Cheers,
Julia

Scholarship, speculation, critical/creative writing?

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