The Necessary Shakespeare

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare's Greatest Hits
Review: I always thought it was wasteful of English professors to make students buy a Complete Shakespeare when only half of the plays (at most) were studied. "The Necessary Shakespeare" provides a sensible alternative: the 20 most-often studied plays, all the sonnets, and all the critical apparatus you could want. It even has an index to characters, which you don't often see. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Professor White is upset
Review: I always thought it was wasteful of English professors to make students buy a Complete Shakespeare when only half of the plays (at most) were studied. "The Necessary Shakespeare" provides a sensible alternative: the 20 most-often studied plays, all the sonnets, and all the critical apparatus you could want. It even has an index to characters, which you don't often see. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Professor White is upset
Review: This isn't my review. I heard Professor David Allen White, Shakespeare professor extraordinaire at the U. S. Naval Academy, last night on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. He was furious upon receiving the latest edition of this book to find that all of the notes and introduction have been larded with post-modernist criticism and political correctness. He says he can't teach from this book any more. He cites such nonsense as claiming that Amelia is the true heroine of Othello; As You Like It is about homoeroticism; yadda yadda yadda.

He said that if Shakespeare were handed this book, he'd burn it.

This review may not get published, so I have tried to contact the good Professor to post his own.