Comments for Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship

Comment on PBS, “Shakespeare Uncovered”: reviewed by Norwood (part 3) by George Anderson

George Anderson — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 18:01:48 +0000

Yes, James, you named it. “…to truly uncover the creative process of the author of The Taming of the Shrew and Othello, it is essential to acknowledge that the playwright was writing his masterworks not from perspectives gleaned from a life on the stage, but by exposing his personal experience from the stage of life.”

Comment on Hughes on Merkel’s Mousetrap by Marie Merkel

Marie Merkel — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:27:28 +0000

Linda,

Thanks for keeping the news coming and for posting Stephanie’s comments on my work from her politicworm blog.

Marie

Comment on Psychology is literary destiny by George Hunter

George Hunter — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:52:02 +0000

Concerning Dr. Waugaman’s article, “Unconscious communication in Shakespeare,” and Caesar’s last words as related to Christ; please see Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Caesar and Christ, pages 196 and 197 in which “it was thought…..that Brutus was Caesar’s son, as Caesar was the lover of Servilia about the time of Brutus’ birth.”
George Hunter

Comment on Hughes on Merkel’s Mousetrap by Roger Stritmatter

Roger Stritmatter — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:13:38 +0000

oops, please read

It would NOT be very natural for a reader or attendee of this play in, say, the late 1580s, to associate it with internal English politics, particularly on the eve of or just after the Armada.

Comment on Hughes on Merkel’s Mousetrap by Roger Stritmatter

Roger Stritmatter — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:12:32 +0000

I wonder if Ms. Merkel has dealt with the prior Oxfordian scholarship on this play, such as Eva Turner Clarke’s argument that the play reflects the violence of the Spanish fury in the lowlands. It would be very natural for a reader or attendee of this play in, say, the late 1580s, to associate it with internal English politics, particularly on the eve of or just after the Armada. In other words, the Roman context would readily be associated with Catholic attempts to suppress Protestantism with violent assault.

In order to argue for a more local allegorical reading involving the Howards I think one must first show why this obvious context is not the one intended by the author. Perhaps Ms. Merkel has done that in her book, which I have not seen. But it would seem, in any case, a pre-requisite to the informed assent of readers knowledgeable about the period in question.

The Ogburns senior also endorsed this reading, here:

http://www.sourcetext.com/sourcebook/Star/21-40/ch27.html

And here:

http://www.sourcetext.com/sourcebook/Star/21-40/ch39.html

One does not have to follow a chronology as early as their’s in order to see the relevance of this perspective to the play.

I suspect there is orthodox Shakespearean commentary which concurs with this, but I am not able at the moment to lay my hands on it.

One must conclude that this is a steep slope to climb. I hope that Ms. Merkel and those who would follow her lead have got a lot of good Mountaineering supplies.

Comment on Is that play by Shakespeare? by Roger Stritmatter

Roger Stritmatter — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:01:53 +0000

Just another brief comment on this important new development. Although this book may still be at the stage of not acknowledging the larger question of who actually wrote the Shakespearean works, one cannot fail to notice that phrases like “the mystery of authorship” tap into public (and even academic) curiosity about this larger phenomenon. This is a slippery slope for orthodox academicians to negotiate.

Comment on SF/SOS joint conference Sept. 16-19, 2010 by Ren Draya

Ren Draya — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:21:19 +0000

I’d like to register for the conference–for myself and for my husband–and order tickets for Henry IV. How do I do that?

Comment on Showerman speaks on Folger edu-blog by Roger Stritmatter

Roger Stritmatter — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:31:19 +0000

Hey, way to go, Earl! Thanks, Linda, for bringing this to our attention.

Comment on Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference call for papers on Shakespeare’s loose ends by hopkinshughes

hopkinshughes — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:27:08 +0000

Thanks, Linda. Prof. Bodi speaks true when he says the academics “scholarly interest lies more in the works than who wrote them.” We’ve struggled with the fact that our area falls between two stools, Eng. Lit. and History, neither of which pays much attention to the other. Perhaps we should begin to pester Psych or Anthropology.

What is SOSNO?

thanks,
Stephanie

Comment on Is that play by Shakespeare? by Roger Stritmatter

Roger Stritmatter — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:51:49 +0000

“If today’s play-going public were aware of how mutable is our knowledge of that canon, they might be less inclined to accept the Stratfordian authorship attribution as written in stone instead of lemon juice.”

O Linda, you do have a way with a phrase. Nicely put.

Comment on Charlton speculates on Greville monument connectons to Oxford by shakespeare quotes

shakespeare quotes — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:34:28 +0000

I read a copy of The Master Of Shakespeare, it was very enlightening, I highly recommend.

Comment on Tempest research hotlinks by hopkinshughes

hopkinshughes — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:20:18 +0000

Great! I’ll link to it from politicworm and comment from there. Always with enthusiasm for a sterling effort.

Stephanie