Week 4 - Webb Ch. 5

Chapter Five - Shakespeare and the New Multicultural British and World Literatures

Within the chapter Webb introduces two new literary theories. New Historicism and Postcolonial Studies. I like that they are subsets of the chapter, with their own text box to include them within, but separate them from the text.

What I like about New Historicism is that it "creates the possibility of making the study of traditional literature more contentious, controversial, and considerably more interesting." (83) I can definitely see how this has been used in my ENGL 4440 Novels class. We read Matthew Lewis' "The Monk". We studied the time period in which it was written, as well as social contexts. This helps to explain just how controversial the text was when it was written, and how it maintains that status today.

With Matthew Lewis' "The Monk" I can see a clear connection to Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure". It would be a great way to present a variety of texts on similar subject matter. If possible it would be a great opportunity to pair those novels with a live presentation of "Measure for Measure". Seeing Shakespeare acted out is a very different experience than reading his works.

Post Colonial studies "looks with a critical eye not only at European economic and military authority but also at the cultural traditions and Eurocentric legacy the identified colonized peoples as "savage," "uncivilized," "backward," or "underdeveloped." (92)

To be completely honest, I'm not sure I really understand Post Colonial Studies. I think this is one topic I may have to further research before I understand it's practicality within my classroom.

Oh, and just a side note, the resources at the end of the chapter are amazing. I'll definitely be keeping this book as a resource for my classroom and lesson plans.