Annotated Bibliography

Title: Wherefore art thou, bae Romeo?

Thesis:

Because [Shakespeare’s] text is considered as some of the finest English work, changes to the text are widely discouraged. Modernizing the text is recent trend that has been growing as the millennial generation has begun discovering Shakespeare. When changes to the text with the intent of modernizing it occur, they are often critiqued as simplifying timeless classics for the lazy readers of today. However, I argue that 21st century adaptations of Shakespeare that translate the text into modern terms include our changing, growing millennial vocabulary, similar to Shakespeare’s invention and inclusion of many then-new words and phrases.

Delabastita, Dirk. There's a Double Tongue: An Investigation into the Translation of Shakespeare's Wordplay, with Special Reference to Hamlet. Atlanta: Rodopi, 1993. Print.

This book has helped me ground my argument that modernizing Shakespeare’s text with millennial vocabulary isn't as foreign as it sounds. Translating Shakespeare into other languages presents the dilemma— must the text sacrifice its poetic rhythm or pun-based wordplay in order to convey enough of the plot in the new language? Showing that translations of Shakespeare retain their universal appeal and value without retaining the exact language allows me to then argue that the millennial adaptations of Shakespeare’s text are no worse than translations into languages other than the original English.

Halio, Jay L. Romeo and Juliet: A Guide to the Play. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood, 1998. Print.

I haven’t read this in its entirety, but I skimmed it in the library and decided this is a useful resource for my discussion of Romeo and Juliet. It discusses the changes between folios and the context for the play.

Hope, Jonathan. Shakespeare And Language : Reason, Eloquence And Artifice In The Renaissance. London: Arden Shakespeare, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

This book begins with a chapter discussing the conventions of language in the Renaissance and then follows up with a chapter about Shakespeare using that Renaissance language— gold for my paper! This will help me give context for Shakespeare’s flights of wit.

Hunt, Maurice. "Poetry vs. Plot in The Winter's Tale: Modernity and Morality in M. M. Mahood's Shakespeare's Wordplay." Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate 6.1 (1996): 8-18. Print.

This article draws from a chapter in the book I skimmed, mentioned a citation below. I appreciated being able to read a condensed version of the argument and an extension of the wordplay discussion in regards to “The Winter’s Tale.” Though that won’t be the play I focus on primarily in my discussion, I will draw on some of the witty bits of information from this article to establish how much Shakespeare played around with English when writing these plays.

Mahood, M. M. "Romeo and Juliet." Shakespeare's Wordplay. 2nd ed. London: Routlege, 1958. 56-73. Print.

This entire book discusses Shakespeare’s innovative wordplay— puns, the creation of new words. I skimmed the beginning, but jumped straight to the Romeo and Juliet chapter because that it the play I’m using as the center of my paper since it’s the one that most people have come in contact with. It’s helping me demonstrate Shakespeare’s unprecedented wordplay (something we’re used to and attribute to him) in the hopes of later making the link that it’s just as radical as adapting his texts to the modern generation. With his wordplay, Shakespeare makes old stories and themes accessible to his generation, of all classes.

Kaylee Ficklin: “The Role of Sympathy in Henry V’s Rhetoric”

          In Shakespeare’s Henry V, Henry is often seen as a manipulative figure who uses his powerful rhetoric in order to accomplish a self-serving political agenda. Arguably, Henry’s greatest power is his rhetoric, and critics often cite this as his most manipulative tool-the means though which he accomplishes his own selfish desires. Rather than praising his rhetorical abilities, critics question Henry’s motives and point to his rhetoric as the proof of his manipulation. However, “The Role of Sympathy in Henry V’s Rhetoric” provides a different view of Henry. I argue that because Adam Smith’s concept of sympathy contributes a great deal to the foundation of rhetoric, Henry’s character changes. The role that sympathy plays in Henry’s rhetoric changes Henry from a solely manipulative individual to a character able to feel and identify with his audiences. Understanding the role sympathy plays in rhetoric is crucial to understanding Henry.

Better Link

Dr. Burton requested I post a better link. This is actually from the open-edit version so please do not edit it. 

Pretenders to Birthright, Heirs to Virtue: The Legitimacy of the Tudors and Shakespeare's Characters

Paul Bills: "'Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On': Shakespeare and the Cultural Legitimacy of Video Games"

Paul Bills: "'Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On': Shakespeare and the Cultural Legitimacy of Video Games"

In many ways, video games are fighting the same battle for cultural legitimacy that English drama fought in Renaissance England, a battle chiefly won by William Shakespeare.  The video game industry is currently in much the same state that English drama was in when Shakespeare entered the scene, and game designers could learn much from his example, as he arguably innovated a new medium as much as he achieved anything else.  Part of Shakespeare’s success depended on looking backward to bring already culturally important stories to the stage in order to prove that this new medium could be a vehicle for powerful art. I will argue that in order for video games to win cultural legitimacy they must prove they can do the same, and this paper specifically includes ways in which a video game adaptation of The Tempest could help expand scholarship of Shakespeare's text and exploit some of the unique mechanics of the video game medium to create a new and excellent artistic experience.

Elizabeth Cole: "Pretenders to Birthright, Heirs to Virtue: The Legitimacy of the Tudors and Shakespeare's Characters"

So I must needs apologize for being a little behind in the game, since I had no idea we were submitting online (what I get for not coming to class). But here it is in all its glory.

Instructions:
Follow the link. Click on the third item down on the menu. A screen will pop up that says "No Preview". Do not be intimidated. Click the white arrow on the far side of the screen and the paper will appear.

Pretenders to Birthright, Heirs to Virtue: The Legitimacy of the Tudors and Shakespeare's Characters

Abstract:

The struggles of the Tudor dynasty of sixteenth-century England were created by the need of the monarchs to secure individual and legal legitimacy. William Shakespeare examines the issue in several of his plays, including King Lear, Richard III, and King John. Through recreating the legitimacy battles of the Tudors in his plays, Shakespeare demonstrates that it is not bastardy which corrupts a person's character but the betrayal of family ties and falsifying legitimacy, and that legitimacy does not make a person good but virtue and loyalty to one's country does. Legitimacy is not merely a label associated with birth but a stigma assigned by others on an individual. Not only is bastardy a perversion of the natural order but also falsifying the legitimacy or illegitimacy of others, as well as the betrayal of family ties in this manner. Moral legitimacy or virtue is manifested by loyalty to one's country and family. This paper compares the legitimacy issues during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I to commentary about legitimacy in Shakespeare's works.

Rachel Olson: "Choosing Not to Believe: Realistic Unrealism in The Winter’s Tale"

"Choosing Not to Believe: Realistic Unrealism in The Winter's Tale"

 The romantic elements of mixing genres and the influence of the supernatural within Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale have led to the critics' rejection of the play.  Leontes's, the tragic hero's, interaction with the oracle in the play thus becomes a metaphor for this rejection, as it is a rejection seemingly based on a desire for realism. In reality, it is a rejection predicated on an inability to recognize that the romantic elements of the play are in fact what makes it realistic, a belief that is essential to understanding and appreciating the message of the play.  The mishmash of genres has resulted in critics’ contempt.  This contempt is mirrored by Leontes' reaction to the oracle and becomes a metaphor for a rejection of the play.  The Winter’s Tale actually faces unavoidable resistance to being taken seriously because it is easy to dismiss the happy ending created by romantic elements.  Even with this happy ending, most of the losses in the play reveal that romances mix comedy and tragedy; this happy ending, while happy, is not an easy-out.  What is required to overcome a skepticism of the truth of the play is a willingness to, as Paulina explains, “awake [one’s] faith” (Shakespeare V.iii.95). 

  

I has a better draft...?

So this is the running copy of the final draft. Intro/conclusion still needs work, maybe. Comments and advice are appreciated, and suggestions for a title are welcome? I'm adding the in-text citations tomorrow.

[Insert title Here]

While William Shakespeare himself lived and wrote in an era of peace and prosperity, the early and middle decades of the sixteenth century could not have been more different, with the government in turmoil as the monarchs of the Tudor dynasty struggled for a stable rule and succession thereafter. What made all of the Tudors, including Shakespeare's patron Queen Elizabeth I, so vulnerable was the need to rule and reproduce within the standard of legitimacy. Shakespeare as well as his audience recognized this vulnerability and, oddly enough, the issue of legitimacy crops up in certain of his plays, notably King Lear, Richard III, and King John. Just as Elizabeth and her sister Mary I who ruled before her had to come to terms with their questionable legitimacy in different ways, Shakespeare presented to his audiences in dramatic form the ways in which legitimacy or the lack thereof was confronted and dealt with and why certain efforts succeeded and failed. Shakespeare recreates the legitimacy battles of the Tudor dynasty in his plays to demonstrate that it is not illegitimacy that corrupts a person's character but falsifying legitimacy and the betrayal of family ties, and that legitimacy does not make a person good but virtue and loyalty to one's country does.

The Final Post: Graphic Novel Video Edition

I made another video per Dr. Burton's suggestion... which hopefully says the same things as the last one, but with better lighting. :)

Another Video About Graphic Novels

This is the video explaining my final paper:

Teaching Shakespeare Through the Graphic Novel... The Story

Looking back on my writing process, the absolute only thing that I knew from the beginning was that I wanted the paper to be applicable to teaching. I knew this would make me most motivated to write the paper, being something that I'm really passionate about (and knowing that teaching Shakespeare will no doubt be expected from me). I think I did a pretty good job of posting about the social networking experiences that really gave my paper some hold in the real world of teaching and studying Shakespeare (here, here, and here). Initially, my scope was really large (I wanted to cover teaching Shakespeare through many multiple genres), but comments from others, and an experience with reading my first graphic novel in my YA Lit class focused me in on a subject that I really didn't know much about... and that I now really care about. I spent a lot of time revising my paper before I turned it in (largely due to some great feedback that Dr. Burton gave me on my draft), and that's left me with mainly additions (rather than edits) to make in the final final paper. I'm still working on the publication part... something that I've talked to a few English teaching professors about. Kasey gave me the idea to send the final final paper to Sirpa Grierson (others in her ENGL 379 class have written about graphic novels, and she publishes a lot), so I'm planning to do that. I'm also considering trying to contact some of the adapters of Shakespeare's work into graphic novels, per Dr. Burton's suggestion-- I think that could get some pretty cool results.

The Birth of a Paper

My idea for my paper about teaching Shakespeare from a rhetorical approach started because of the individual play I chose to read, Julius Caesar.

Othello Video

I decided to try and make my video a little more "education-oriented" by using a bulletin theme. You can view it here.

Marriage Politics in Measure for Measure--Final Paper

I think my top publication option would be through BYU's Criterion, but another viable option would be the University of Washington's undergraduate journal Intersections. 

Troilus and Cressida: Less of a Problem Play and More of a Promise Play

Well, here is my final paper! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xUBXvTGtDI8hPC0ANP-BzgXeVAqzhwT6fe4RcDzcNt4/edit

I hope the formatting stayed intact, as I moved it from a Microsoft Word document to a Google Drive document.

I am still interested in submitting to the following venues:

Shakespeare Institute Review--I heard back from them and they said they were looking for "papers that include analysis rather than description, those that have something original to contribute, and work that is thoroughly researched and documented." My paper is long enough, but I will want to double check that I have something with enough analysis (I tried to include mostly analysis, but I may have to revise accordingly) and originality. I also don't know that my paper fits the theme of their current journal, but I'm hoping it will fit with the next one (or I can revise it to fit with the theme).

Criterion--I also am hoping to submit to Criterion. I am a little bit under the minimum word limit of 3,000 words, so I might have to expand my argument for them and make sure it is very analytically-based (as that is what I found many of the essays in this journal were like).

BYU English Symposium-- I presented a paper last year at this symposium, and I am hoping to do the same this year. If I did submit my paper, I would have to write a 200- to 250-word abstract, which wouldn't be too hard since the paper is already written. I would also have to adapt my paper for a speech format, which might involve simplifying some of my points and making sure my arguments are very clear for listeners (as they won't be able to reread what I say).

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, and happy paper reading.

Equality Within Elizabethan Marriage

So I was super stoked because this paper was coming along so nicely.  I sent it to a few friends to have them edit it and they gave me great feedback.  However I came to realize that perhaps this paper wasn't as polished as I originally thought. . . but here is the final draft and I am happy with how it turned out. Equality Within Elizabethan Marriage

As for venues to publish this paper I tried a few conferences but all came back with negative responses so I am working on submitting this to Criterion.  I liked this over all process and hope that you all enjoyed it as well or at least found that it improved some aspect of your writing as it did mine!

The Final Villainous Installment

Shakespeare Term Paper Click Here

This paper has been a real treat to write! I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and am excited to prep it for further publication possibilities!

I am interested in Criterion. I have been reading some of their articles and have noticed that each section of their essay has its own header to set it apart. I would probably want to add something like that too mine. I also noticed the articles tended to use less outside resources. I feel like my paper has a good balance at the moment, but to fit in, I might add more to my own observations. The articles aren't afraid of using "I" so I might want to add a little more of a personal touch to everything.

I found an AWESOME online journal published by UGA called Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation.  They like authors to include sound bits, pictures, and videos into their essays to make them more interactive. I could use clips from Kenneth Branaugh's Othello and The Dark Knight! I wonder if I would need to get permission to do that. They require a short 150-200 word paper proposal that gets the point of your paper across. They also want a short author's bio. So, my biggest chore would be to compact my paper into a single tiny paragraph. I emailed their editor to see if a BYU undergrad was eligible to submit to his journal. I haven't heard back yet, but I just found this journal yesterday. Plus, this journal looks at how Shakespeare influences modern culture! That is perfect for my paper! http://www.borrowers.uga.edu/about

The third possible venue is the Shakespeare symposium at BYU. Their guidelines are the following:

1. A 200- to 250-word abstract (including paper title)
2. 5 key terms from your paper (for purposes of indexing)
3. Contact information (your name, phone number, and email)

, Once again I would need to condense my paper into a tiny proposal. Once that is done I would need to develop a verbal way of presenting my ideas and convert my written prose into a presentation. Perhaps a power-point would be a good start.

Anyhow, on to the main even! My paper is finished and it was a doozy to write!

Rebellion is . . . Good?

I admittedly don't really have any original places that I've thought to submit my paper to. The first one that came to mind was Criterion, as a flyer for it was passed around during my class on the American novel. I would have to add another page or so to get the bare minimum of 3,000 words in there though.

I dabbled around in literary journals for other universities, but ones like Clemson required 6,000 words, much weightier paperwork than what I have. Based on a class member mentioning The Shakespeare Festival's (in Cedar City, Utah) call for papers, I was a little excited to look into that one. The due date for this year is past (May 1) , but maybe I can look into it again come April or so of 2013. I would have to make a 250 word abstract. There wasn't any other information on length though on the website.

I had a lot of good feedback concerning my thesis. I had done something not uncommon for me in not making my thesis the most self-evident. Everybody that skimmed and/or read my paper told me to make it more clear, so I did that. Of course, there were a few other revisions here and there. Okay, I'm done rambling now. Here's the paper.

The Merchant of Venice, Finally

For publication, I intend to submit my paper to a few different journals just to increase my chances and explore the options out there.
The Valley Review
For this one I will have to change the paper to Chicago style, which shouldn't be too difficult, and I need to increase the length by just a hundred words or so. I will be going back into my original outline to see if there is anything I feel I can incorporate back into my argument to increase the length by just a little. Submissions due Dec 15.
Philologia
For this one I will have to do minor format changes, like make the citations footnote, as well as write a 200 word abstract and cover letter. This one doesn't accept submissions again for a year I think, so I will put it on the back burner, and possibly just consider it for future papers.
Criterion
For this one, too, I will increase the length ever so slightly. I won't have to change much else. My paper relates a tiny bit to the special topic for the upcoming issue. It probably doesn't really fit into the category directly, but it would be related, which I think is cool and would be interesting. Submissions due Jan 18.
Agora
This one doesn't really require much change for my paper. It is supposed to be about great books, so talking about a famous Shakespeare play is very appropriate. Submissions for next issue are due Dec 15.

And, finally, here is the finished product.
The Merchant of Venice as a Non-Racist Text

After reviewing past issues of each of these journals, I am considering writing a more interesting title for some submissions.

Twelfth Night: Final Paper

Here is the link to my paper:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6ftQZFayfGPZnVFaEpQUVNlSmc

As far as publishing this paper goes, I could publish in Intersections, an online quarterly journal from the University of Washington.  This journal accepts papers any time without prompt via email. I would need to include a cover page, an abstract, and a bio.

Also, the English Journal would be incredible to be published in, although the odds of getting published would increase after I'm a teacher, or with the help of someone already teaching.  To meet the requirements for this journal I would need to lengthen my paper by two to six pages and not submit it anywhere else.