tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post1657108663552695707..comments2024-01-07T06:59:04.212-05:00Comments on The Playgoer: James Shapiro's "Contested Will"Playgoerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-25574815538967407082010-07-16T09:57:05.097-04:002010-07-16T09:57:05.097-04:00I'm probably unwise to stir this cauldron up w...I'm probably unwise to stir this cauldron up with another comment, but--I've just found your blog, and really enjoyed your review of Shapiro's book, which I'm reading now, too. I particulary loved your comparison of the "authorship" fanatics to the Obama "birthers"--that's precisely what they're like, and precisely why the question matters. As long as people are willing to accept contorted thinking and false reasoning in place of solid logic and an understanding of what constitutes evidence, we're all at risk of having the really important decisions our country faces driven by those ignorant thought-processes. It's especially disturbing when people with any claim to education start thinking that way. Shapiro's book is an excellent antidote; kudos to you for blogging about it!Marthanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-44411547787590206902010-07-06T20:39:26.245-04:002010-07-06T20:39:26.245-04:00The plays and poems are here for us to experience ...The plays and poems are here for us to experience and benefit from; all the rest is fruitless distraction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-49456901357305168432010-07-06T09:41:45.844-04:002010-07-06T09:41:45.844-04:00"What genius ever left the scene of his trium..."What genius ever left the scene of his triumphs etc..."<br /><br />What genius created a string of masterpieces for over twenty years and allowed someone else to take credit for it? I find that far harder to swallow than the notion they might turn their back on their success.Troubadornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-28344533814729759382010-07-06T06:41:58.145-04:002010-07-06T06:41:58.145-04:00You might be interested in the new book - The De V...You might be interested in the new book - <i>The De Vere Code</i> - by Globe actor, Jonathan Bond. It deals with the authorship of the sonnets and presents new evidence demolishing the Stratfordian case for the sonnets using Stratfordian scholarship. Those who say that there isnt any evidence that connects Oxford to the works of Shakespeare should definitely read this book.<br /><br />Mark Rylance, actor and former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, says of it: “wonderfully articulate and engaging... His discoveries and conclusions regarding the authorship question are compelling... a pleasure to read”<br /><br />and Charles Beauclerk, Earl of Burford, heir of the family of Edward de Vere, says: “Hats off to Jonathan Bond! This is an absorbing, beautifully crafted work, which provides what no other book on Shakespeare has provided: proof of the authorship of that most mysterious volume, Shake-speares Sonnets”poet apehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09176668028157390628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-46811029214115362552010-07-02T18:16:36.069-04:002010-07-02T18:16:36.069-04:00Being July 4th weekend and all, I hardly want to g...Being July 4th weekend and all, I hardly want to get into a fight right now. So I'll just say how happy I am the blog has been blessed with the comments of the founder of the Oxfordian Society Journal herself!<br /><br />In rebuttal all I'll say is a) the book is hardly a "diatribe." I myself would be much harsher, but Shapiro bends over backwards to be fair and simply evaluate evidence.<br /><br />And b) as for writers walking away from their fame...JD Salinger, anyone?Playgoerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-6784509504334608362010-07-02T17:51:45.796-04:002010-07-02T17:51:45.796-04:00No. It's just more of the same stuff that'...No. It's just more of the same stuff that's been coming from the Academy ever since thinkers have been raising questions about Shakespeare's empty biography. The problem isn't a lack of information, we have more than enough information about William, the problem is that none of it ties him to the London Stage. What genius ever left the scene of his triumphs to return to a hometown two days ride by horseback where he spent the rest of his fairly long life suing his neighbors for a few pounds? <br /><br />So go ahead and enjoy the book, but one would do better to read something about the authorship itself, and not some diatribe against the people who've been doing the real research.Stephanie Hopkins Hugheshttp://www.politicworm.comnoreply@blogger.com