On the issue of cancelling Shakespeare, I'm in agreement with Khalid and Bates that the problematic content of his plays is not cause for removing them from the imaginary literary cannon.
But are there other works that provide similar entertainment and insight, ones that might be more accessible due to language? Teachers can't ask all their students to read everything, so the real issue is trade-offs. What is so special about Shakespeare that it must be included in middle and high schools and undergraduate programs? Why not let adults discover Shakespeare at their leisure? Simply being "still relevant" does not make the case.
On the issue of cancelling Shakespeare, I'm in agreement with Khalid and Bates that the problematic content of his plays is not cause for removing them from the imaginary literary cannon.
But are there other works that provide similar entertainment and insight, ones that might be more accessible due to language? Teachers can't ask all their students to read everything, so the real issue is trade-offs. What is so special about Shakespeare that it must be included in middle and high schools and undergraduate programs? Why not let adults discover Shakespeare at their leisure? Simply being "still relevant" does not make the case.
I just stumbled on this Substack, and I can already tell that Iām going to love it. š