Sept 18 2008 - Shakespeare scholars to speak at Purdue symposium

Two internationally known scholars on William Shakespeare will speak Sept. 18 at Purdue University.

The Purdue Shakespeare Symposium, which is free and open to the public, is at 5 p.m. in the Krannert Building's auditorium. The public also is invited to attend a 4:30 p.m. reception in the Krannert Drawing Room.


The symposium is organized by Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Purdue Theatre and the Department of English also are co-sponsoring the event.

David Bevington, the Phyllis Fay Horton Professor of Humanities at the University of Chicago, will present "'As You Like It' on Stage and in Film." Then, Peter Holland, the McMeel Family Professor in Shakespeare Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will speak on "Passing Through: Shakespeare, Internet and Performance."

Bevington has written, co-written or edited nearly 30 books on Shakespeare, including the frequently used Bantam Classic paperback editions that are used in many college undergraduate courses. Holland, editor of the "Shakespeare Survey" journal, is known for his performance-oriented criticism and Shakespeare's impact on modern theater, film and the Internet.

"Professor Bevington may be the most influential scholar working in Shakespeare today," says Paul White, professor of English and director of the College of Liberal Arts' Medieval and Renaissance Studies. "He has written authoritatively on the broad range of topics encompassing Shakespeare, from biography, play editing, and the historical and rhetorical aspects of the bard's poetic and dramatic masterpieces, to contemporary representations of Shakespeare on stage and in film.

"Professor Holland's impact also has been wide-ranging, especially in performance-oriented criticism and in the burgeoning field of Shakespeare and digital culture. He is an eloquent and dynamic speaker, and he has promised me that his multimedia presentation will feature some entertaining clips from YouTube."