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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 16.2009  Tuesday, 6 December 2005

From: 		Hardy M. Cook <editor@shaksper.net>
Date: 		Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Subject: 	Staying Focused

Dear SHAKSPEReans,

I would like to try an experiment.

In the course of the discussion of a thread, respondents often pickup on 
statements made by contributors and the thread takes a new direction. In 
a post to follow on the "Shadowplay" thread, Bill Lloyd calls attention 
to the phenomena when he strives to refocus the discussion back to the 
initial subject:

<PROSEQUOTE>
The title of this thread is Shadowplay, but it seems as if the 
discussion has taken a turn and become a general discussion of Was 
Shakespeare and/or Hamlet and/or the Ghost a Catholic? "Not that there's 
anything wrong with it" and not that it's completely irrelevant to 
Shadowplay [though Hamlet the RC and his Purgatory have already occupied 
a number of threads in SHAKSPER's history]. But has anyone read the book 
Shadowplay? It's not just about WS being RC, it argues that there is a 
thick layer of pro-Catholic allegory in most of his plays. Does anyone 
find specific parts of this argument credible? incredible?
</PROSEQUOTE>

My habit of editing is NOT to change the thread's Subject when there is 
such a change of direction; the reason is related to the way the 
information of the website is stored and because frankly trying to keep 
on top of every thread's change of direction is simply too much work for 
me. So here is what I would like to try.

I would like those who have contributed to or are planning to contribute 
to the following threads ["Gertrude-Ophelia"; "Lions and Tigers and 
Wagers...oh my..."; "Shadowplay"; and "Living Characters"] to endeavor 
to bring them all to a conclusion by Friday.

If you feel a burning, uncontrollable desire to say something else, then 
I urge you to begin a new thread with a new Subject line that identifies 
as precisely as possible the aspect of the discussion that you would 
like to continue.

Indulge me please; I would like to see how this approach works.

Hardy

_______________________________________________________________
S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook, editor@shaksper.net
The S H A K S P E R Webpage <http://www.shaksper.net>

DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the 
opinions expressed on it are the sole property of the poster, and the 
editor assumes no responsibility for them.

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