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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 16.1334  Wednesday, 17 August 2005

[1]     From:   Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>
        Date:   Friday, 12 Aug 2005 13:40:14 -0400
        Subj:   Re: SHK 16.1329 1 Richard II

[2]     From:   Michael Egan <drmichaelegan@hawaii.rr.com>
        Date:   Sunday, 14 Aug 2005 04:20:43 -1000
        Subj:   Re: SHK 16.1316 1 Richard II


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>
Date:           Friday, 12 Aug 2005 13:40:14 -0400
Subject: 16.1329 1 Richard II
Comment:        Re: SHK 16.1329 1 Richard II

 >I'm willing to have the debate settled in the court of
 >public opinion, starting with the readers of this listserv. If that is
 >sufficient, are you gentlemen willing to put your money where your
 >mouths are? Step up to the line. You stand to make one thousand pounds.

Michael Egan previously proposed that Ward Elliot can save his £1000 by
proving that WS was not the author of "Edmund Ironside."  That shifts
the burden of proof from where it properly lies, on the proponent.

A more interesting question is what standard should be applied to
determine if the burden is satisfied:  Preponderance of the evidence,
clear and convincing proof, proof beyond a reasonable doubt.  My own
preference would be whether the evidence convinces a reasonable scholar
in the field that it is as likely that WS wrote all or part of the play
as it is that he wrote all or part of TNK, the last play to have been
reliably added to the Canon.  I am far from being convinced that Edward
III meets this standard.

Then, of course, there is the question of who is to determine the issue.
  The "court of public opinion" is just a wee bit amorphous.  Do we
count up positive and negative reviews of Michael's eagerly awaited
book?  Maybe we can poll the List.  Maybe the contestants can each
select a referee who will then select a third referee.  That could
determine the recipient of the £1000 purse, but it can't be expected to
do more than slightly influence the decisions of publishers of Complete
Works.

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Michael Egan <drmichaelegan@hawaii.rr.com>
Date:           Sunday, 14 Aug 2005 04:20:43 -1000
Subject: 16.1316 1 Richard II
Comment:        Re: SHK 16.1316 1 Richard II

My website is up, and I invite anyone intrigued at the possibility of a
new Shakespeare play to visit it. Please note that only portions of the
complete study are reproduced, though enough for a healthy debate.
Listserv readers may be particularly interested in the rebuttal of Prof.
Macdonald P. Jackson's  thesis, which has gone unchallenged up to now,
that Samuel Rowley wrote  the play. Another section, 'Woodstock's
'Golden Metamorphosis,' demonstrates that far from being the work of a
third-rate hack, Richard II, Part One is a complex and subtle work fully
worthy of Shakespeare.

I'll be happy to withdraw the 'thousand pounds' wager element (which
provoked this thread and which I did not originate)  if that makes it
easier for anyone in California or New Zealand or anywhere else for that
matter to participate in the discussion. Let's take the contention out
of the mix and return to a friendly exchange of views.

Here's the link:

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/drmichaelegan/index.html

--Michael Egan

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