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The Shakespeare Myth
ENGL226 SP

This course will focus on Shakespeare as a site of cultural production, as one of the places where our society's understanding of itself is worked out, and at times, fought out. Shakespeare's corpus is reconstructed all the time through diverse institutions in specific contexts; what the plays signify and how they signify depends on the cultural context in which they are reproduced. In the beginning of the course, students will explore the ways in which Shakespeare has been reinvented from 17th century to the present. The remainder of the course will focus on contemporary appropriations of Shakespeare as part of the process whereby our culture is both reproduced and contested. In addition to reading the plays themselves and critical essays sur rounding these issues, students will make use of new computer technologies and will be encouraged to think about how these technologies have influenced the cultural reproduction of Shakespeare. The recent spate of Shakespeare films will provide another f ruitful avenue of inquiry and source material for the course.

MAJOR READINGS

Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield eds., POLITICAL SHAKESPEARE Gary Taylor, REINVENTING SHAKESPEARE Graham Holderness, THE SHAKESPEARE MYTH

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Two short papers, one class presentation, one final paper

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

This course meets the English Department's pre-1800 and Theory requirement. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: ENGL201

Last Updated on MAR-24-2000

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