SHAKSPER 1999: Query

From: Hardy M. Cook (editor@ws.bowiestate.edu)
Date: 12/23/99


The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 10.2288  Thursday, 23 December 1999.

From:           Cary M. Mazer <cmazer@dept.english.upenn.edu>
Date:           Wednesday, 22 Dec 1999 22:08:30 -0500
Subject:        Query

Friends,

David Fox, a colleague of mine at Penn, who administers the "Freshman
Reading Project," where all incoming students read a single text the
summer before they arrive on campus, has a question about whether
American high school students routinely read Hamlet.  He writes:

  I'm wondering if HAMLET is taught with any regularity in high schools.
  This is an absurdly broad question, I realize, but even the most
general Answer might help.

  I know that 25 years ago when I was in high school (in California,
as   a matter of fact), the Shakespeare plays most commonly found in the
  curriculum were JULIUS CAESAR and ROMEO.  I may also have
  read MACBETH and perhaps MIDSUMMER -- but I'm pretty certain
  that HAMLET wasn't introduced until my first college Shakespeare
  course.  Would something similar be true today?

Since David is not a member of the list, you can respond to him directly
at dfox@sas.upenn.edu.

Cary



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