Shakespeare Denial

Strangely literature-averse literature departments in college are apparently denying their students Shakespeare, and Ron Rosenbaum, author of The Shakespeare Wars, is fighting back. Pointedly. Rousingly. Perhaps, you might say, sneeringly. (And who can blame him for being angry that Shakespeare is being trashed where not being simply ignored?)

Rosenbaum's article contains some background on how so many literature departments got to their current sorry state, including "two generations of pseudo-scientific sophistry that gave itself the shorthand name Theory in literary studies." (Did I mention he's not happy with these people?)

I would add my usual note to this sort of discussion. Just because something isn't happening in classrooms doesn't mean it's not happening at all. A substantial share of our book sales from the classics shelves, including Shakespeare, is to teenagers and young adults denied the classics in school. In general, a lot of them know they've been cut off from their past, from great writing, from deep ideas, from pointed insights. That they have to do end runs around their teachers to learn about these things saddens me. That they aren't letting their narrower-minded paid instructors have the last word gives me hope.

hat tip: Brandywine Books

Update: Via Lady Jane, see also A day for remembering the Bard (Daniel Hannon, Telegraph, April 22, 2007), which also has a bit on St. George's Day.