Topic Change!

This is a complete 180, but after researching Spanish literary traditions and trying to find parallels to Richard the III, all I had to show for it were a couple of weak theses, none of which I felt particularly compelled to research. So, I started thinking about my other idea that focuses on Richard III and his deformity. This has interested me from the beginning and after poking around a bit more I feel that I have more to go off of and that I'm not making the wild claims that my previous thesis led me to. So! Here is my social graph:

Overcoming the Common Complaints of Teaching Shakespeare to Secondary Students

Hey, so for those of you looking at a pedagogical approach to Shakespeare, Professor Burton suggested I post this. It is a paper I wrote for a teaching class and its focus is overcoming the common complaints of teaching Shakespeare in a secondary classroom using alternative teaching methods. There is an annotated bibliography at the end, so maybe that can help you find some good sources.

Marriage Politics in Measure for Measure

Updated thesis:

In his play, Measure for Measure, Shakespeare draws on teachings from the King James Bible to challenge the moral superiority of the Puritan Manifesto and new Puritan leadership, especially in regards to conflicts between traditionally accepted marriage practices and the stricter Puritan marriage regulations.

Although this is much more condensed than the thesis presented in my last post, I'm still working on researching and refining it, so any feedback would be appreciated.

Troilus and Cressida, and a Bibliography that's Less Anticlimatic than the Play's Ending?

Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida resists the traditional genres, even tragedy, forming an ambiguous and anticlimactic ending. In creating such an ending, Shakespeare frees the play from traditional convention and lets the reader determine how to view the play, thus critiquing the limited scope of the tragic genre.

A wicked new thesis

Shakespeare’s villains embodied the fears of 16^th century England. They were fascinating and terrifyingly complex characters. Perhaps then, Christopher Nolan’s Joker, as a representation of post 9/11 fears, is a descendant of Iago, Edmund, and the rest of Shakespeare’s reprobate band.

I just posted that on Facebook and am awaiting the virtual tar and feathers. I tried to shave it down but this is the best I could get for right now. I decided  to focus primarily on the point that contemporary villains are still based off of Shakespeare's model. I am going to dedicate some part of the paper to further exploring the villains, particularly through their soliloquies, and then come to my main point.

"Halstaff" Annotated Bibliography

Social Graph. The most obvious/available one for this is to post my tweethis on Facebook, as that will make it available to my peers and homies. It will also serve to do a little fishing for enthusiasts about the topic. I've considered opening a Twitter account for about a year, but I haven't bothered. I very well may make that step in my life so as to be able to narrow down in scope my social targets. Otherwise, I can text peers as well.

New Media. I've dabbled in goodreads and imdb for a few. I've enjoyed reading several reviews on goodreads about not only Henry IV, Part 1, but I also ended up looking into what people had to say about the preceding play, Richard II, and also Henry IV, Part 2. I recently watched the most recent film adaptation of this play which is part of a BBC series titled The Hollow Crown, which covers from Richard II to Henry V. I'm not sure if I'll be able to check out other earlier adaptations of part one of Henry IV, but I think it would serve me well. Back to goodreads for a second, I also checked for groups on Henry IV, but I was given nothing. I'm thinking the next thing I'll do is check into blog searches.

Tweethis, Henry IV Part 1

If'I lack clarity, please let me know. Any other opinions will be listened to and appreciated as well.

Prince Hal in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 surely grew much in his experiences with Falstaff and the lowbrow tavern crowd, so much that he understood better the common man in his later ascent to the throne and in his reign as King Henry V. However, looking at some chronicles of history concerning Hal's relationship to King Richard II, Shakespeare's depiction of Hal's rebellion can be seen as a manner of disapproval or dissatisfaction with his father's usurpation of the crown.

Here is an annotated bibliography which might help with understanding of why I've got what I do.