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David Bergeron
Professor Emeritus of English, the University of Kansas

Meet the Professor: David Bergeron, "Shakespeare's Letters"
New Generation Society of Lawrence (NGSL members only)

Tue., Sep. 18, 2012, 9:30am - 10:30am
Location: KU Continuing Ed, 1515 Saint Andrews Drive

Thirty-two of the thirty-eight plays, generally understood to have been written by Shakespeare in whole or in part, contain letters of various sorts.  The idea of reading Shakespeare through the letters derives from David's many years of teaching the plays.  Increasingly, David came to the view that we must start, once we understand the overall sweep of the plot, with small units – an individual scene, a minor character, a specific speech, and a letter.  The letters thus become the building blocks of an avenue into the play.  If we know our letters, we'll know our Shakespeare.  Our twenty-first century has witnessed the veritable disappearance of the personal letter; thus, it is instructive to look back to letter-writing practices in the 16th and 17th centuries, which Shakespeare reflects.  David will pay particular attention to Hamlet.

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