SHAKSPER 2000: A Shrew

From: Hardy M. Cook (editor@ws.bowiestate.edu)
Date: 06/06/00 

The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 11.1163  Tuesday, 6 June 2000.

From:           Mike Jensen <mjensen@mayfieldpub.com>
Date:           Monday, 05 Jun 2000 11:43:49 -0700
Subject:        A Shrew

I just read The Taming of A Shrew, note indefinite article.  The most
recent discussion of its relationship to The Shrew I have seen is the
1998 copyrighted intro to the Signet edition of The Shrew, which says
the consensus is that it is a bad quarto.

I hesitate to accept this for a couple of reasons.

1) While I am not in awe of Laurie Maguire's book, I am slow to assume
memorial reconstruction after reading her.

2) The "bad quartos" I have read are usually closer to F than is A
Shrew.  I especially note the changes in the ending and the changes of
character names.  Ferando for Petruchio?  I don't remember any Qs I have
read (there are many I have not read) having such radical departures.

My questions are, what do members of the list think of the nature of A
Shrew, and is there precedent in other Qs for such radical differences?

Of course I don't mean Troublesome Reign, King Lier, and the History of
H5, obviously.  Virtually no one argues they are by Shakespeare.

Thanks in advance,
Mike Jensen


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