230997 Who's Afraid of William Shakespeare? (V) (SoSe 2012)

William Shakespeare looms so large in the literary and cultural history of Britain (and other countries) that many students shy away from 'doing Shakespeare'. This lecture series is intended to dispel all fears and demonstrate the varietey of ways in which the dramatic and poetic works of 'the bard' can be approached. The course is divided into two parts: First, a couple of introductory sessions will provide students with the basic knowledge of Shakespeare's works, time, and life. Then colleagues from other universities who have specialized on Shakespeare and other Early Modern authors will present their own individual readings of Shakesepare, their favourite approaches and their reasons for engaging with the work of Britain's most influential author.
The course list will be published towards the beginning of the semester.

Bibliography

This course is not merely directed at the Shakespeare enthusiast but also at the uninitiated. It makes sense, in any case, to read as many of Shakespeare's plays and poems as possible. Good scholarly editions of Shakespeare's text (and you should use only scholarly editions) are The Arden Shakespeare, the New Cambridge Shakesepare and the Oxford Shakespeare series, all available in paperback.