He Says/She Says Shakespeare

by Ancona, Francesco Aristide; Thompson, Mary Ives

• ISBN13: 9780761839408
• ISBN10: 0761839402
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-06
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

He Says/She Says Shakespeare is a contemporary and groundbreaking approach to the timeless work of the great Bard. Six of Shakespeare's best known plays are critiqued from both the male and female perspectives'¬ ;a "he says/she says" scholarly bantering, or more aptly put, a vigorous yet good-natured "sparring" (in true Elizabethan fashion) in continuance of the proverbial "battle of the sexes." As a result, these beloved texts are imbued with a new life, an energy designed to awaken young scholars to an interest in Shakespeare studies. Through the persuasive essays, students get to read first one approach then the other to formulate a richer understanding of the material, a better understanding of character motivation, and an epiphany about the nature of art: Opposing, complementary perspectives can be simultaneously correct without the narrowing mindset of a "winner" and a "loser." Thus, the purpose is to create a lively forum for open debate in which students can readily participate, simply because of the familiarity they naturally possess with gender issues. This text is an excellent book to utilize as an introduction to Shakespeare studies on the college and honors high school levels. It is fun, exciting, and well-argued tongue-in-cheek commentary that blurs the distinction between sarcasm and blunt honesty. It is a perfect vehicle to stimulate classroom discussion and illustrate the fine arts of argumentation and debate.

Author Biography

Francesco Aristide Ancona is a Professor of English at SCCC, and is currently serving as a McGraw Visiting Faculty Fellow at Princeton University.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Macbeth: The Question of Personality Reversal
She Says	p. 1
He Says	p. 12
Othello: The Question of Jealousy
He Says	p. 25
She Says	p. 37
As You Like It: The Question of Escaping Conventional Society
She Says	p. 49
He Says	p. 60
Hamlet: The Question of Guilt and Blame
He Says	p. 71
She Says	p. 82
The Taming of the Shrew: The Question of Gender and Dominance
She Says	p. 93
He Says	p. 103
Much Ado About Nothing: The Question of a (Happy?) Marriage
He Says	p. 115
She Says	p. 126
Bibliography	p. 137
Index	p. 139
About the Authors	p. 141
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