Shakespeare in graphic novel form...

An interesting concept, especially for younger students or non-majors. We've just started Othello in my ENG 102 courses and it can be a real struggle for these students to break through Shakespeare's language. I've actually told them to go ahead and use Cliffnotes if they need to. Does that make me a bad teacher? I don't think so--I want them to get something out of this text, and if study aides help make that possible, then that's okay. As I've said before, when I teach these introductory or general education classes, one of my main goals is appreciation: I want students who wouldn't read these kinds of works on their own to realize that these texts are actually pretty good--and that they can talk about and understand them. If graphic novel adaptations of Shakespeare can help accomplish this, then they aren't a bad idea at all.

Of course, someone has to rain on the parade:

"'If you want to use them as an introduction or a taste, that's fine," says Leila Christenbury, English education professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. 'But they cannot be equated with seeing the play.'"

[Ummm...who is suggesting that? Talk about an overreaction.]

"She believes the United States as a whole has 'an affinity for superficial knowledge of the classics' and is often unwilling to stick out challenging works from beginning to end, preferring to get just the gist of the story for 'cocktail-party knowledge.' Couple this tendency with teenagers' crowded schedules, she says, and you're likely to get a bunch of students who toss the original texts (even if they've been assigned) in lieu of the more exciting abridged versions."

Again, this is true, but consider why we want students exposed to Shakespeare and the classics. The sophomore sociology major doesn't need to be a Shakespeare expert, and it's foolish to act like he should be. After all, not every English major is expected to be an expert in Sociology. And "cocktail-party knowledge" is better than no knowledge at all.

Incidentally, my students have also introduced me to something called "No Fear Shakespeare". Have y'all seen this? It would make the woman I've quoted above pass out, I think, but it's been a lifesaver for many of my students. I have mixed feelings about it, but here's what I told my classes: first, read the text as is, then go ahead and use "No Fear Shakespeare" or whatever if you need to, and then finally, look at the original again. I know I am being idealistic to assume they'll take all those steps, but once I've told them that is what they should do, I know they know what I expect of them. What they do from that point on is up to them.

Yes, I know that part of the beauty and power of Shakespeare comes from that original language. You don't need to convince me of that. But most non-majors aren't going to see that on their own. That's what class time is for. Let them do their best to get through the reading for homework and then we'll talk about the art of it all during class. And yes, maybe someday they'll be able to leave "No Fear Shakespeare" behind, but if not, at least they tried and at least they know the basic story. I've got to say, these classes are loving reading Othello, and if I have Sparknotes or whatever to thank for at least part of that, than that's fine.

Finally, here's an excerpt from that article that sounds a lot scarier than it is probably meant to:

"Writer and longtime college professor Adam Sexton is a believer — and not just because Wiley hired him to adapt the Shakespearean texts for its 200-or-so-page manga editions. When he was just 8 years old, a neighbor lent him a comic-book adaptation of "Julius Caesar" by Classics Illustrated. 'I was so taken by it that I pulled 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' down from the bookcase in my parents' living room and actually forced my two brothers to perform the assassination scene from the play,' Mr. Sexton says."

And now Mr. Sexton is an only child...