Shakespeare and Social Dialogue: Dramatic Language and Elizabethan Letters Book

Having 32 chapters by different contributors means no writer is able to develop his or her topic in any depth. Besides, the breadth of the overall topic means that any one reader is unlikely to find all of the essays interesting. For some, the first section, with its short pieces by authors and illustrators who have produced Shakespeare-related fiction and nonfiction for young readers, might be most valuable. The second is less coherent as a section but has some thought-provoking discussions, especially Mark Lawhorn on children in the plays and Douglas King on the supernatural in illustrated editions. The third section, on pedagogy, is full of optimism on ways to make the plays interesting at all levels from preschool to university. Only one contributor, Howard Marchitello, even raises the question of whether, and why, doing that is desirable in 21st-century America. Still, the volume should provide encouragement to teachers who want their students to learn to think critically, not necessarily to love Shakespeare.