By Nancy Aravecz
April 23, 2016 marks 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare. To honor his enduring cultural legacy, Jefferson Market Library will be offering the Spring Shakespeare Intensive, a seminar-style close reading and moderated group discussion of four of his plays as part of Jefferson Market University.
Beginning on May 7, the seminar consists of five sessions: an introduction to the seminar, plus four analytical discussions, one dedicated to each play in the series. We meet on Saturdays from 2:30pm-4:00pm in the Willa Cather Community Room on the first floor. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage in a deep textual analysis of some seriously challenging literary material in a safe, judgment-free zone. The discussions are intended to encourage reading for subtextual content, with a focus on imagery, symbolism, historical context, and literary theory and criticism related to the plays. Lifelong learners who are new to Shakespeare and literary studies are encouraged to attend!
Each meeting will focus on one play: Titus Andronicus (May 14), As You Like It (May 21), King Lear (June 4), and The Tempest (June 11). The selected plays are among the Bard’s most challenging and infrequently taught at the beginner level, and offer a glimpse into the wide artistic span of Shakespeare’s career as a playwright. They contain many of the prominent tropes and themes that repeat throughout his works. To appreciate the versatility of Shakespeare’s body of work and continued relevance in modern society, we will be executing a 21st century reading of these entertaining plays. Students can expect to discuss and encounter critical topics such as queer theory, postcolonial theory, critical race studies, feminism, and ecocriticism, among others. In addition to our close readings of the plays themselves, students will have access to supplemental readings on the plays, which will assist in guiding the discussions from week to week, and provide additional critical context for the works at hand.
Editions of the plays themselves are available for checkout at the second floor information desk. Copies are first come, first served. The plays are also available free of charge on Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org) and Shakespeare, Editions and Adaptations, accessible at select branches via The New York Public Library’s website here: http://www.nypl.org/collections/articles-databases.
Registration for the Spring Shakespeare Intensive begins on April 23, 2016. Interested students may sign up for all five sessions, or for selected sessions one week in advance of each seminar meeting if space is still available.
