He Says/She Says Shakespeare

He Says/She Says Shakespeare is a contemporary and groundbreaking approach to the timeless work of the great Bard. Six of Shakespeare's best known plays are critiqued from both the male and female perspectives—a "he says/she says" scholarly bantering, or more aptly put, a vigorous yet good-natured "sparring" (in true Elizabethan fashion) in continuance of the proverbial "battle of the sexes." As a result, these beloved texts are imbued with a new life, an energy designed to awaken young scholars to an interest in Shakespeare studies. Through the persuasive essays, students get to read first one approach then the other to formulate a richer understanding of the material, a better understanding of character motivation, and an epiphany about the nature of art: Opposing, complementary perspectives can be simultaneously correct without the narrowing mindset of a "winner" and a "loser." Thus, the purpose is to create a lively forum for open debate in which students can readily participate, simply because of the familiarity they naturally possess with gender issues.

This text is an excellent book to utilize as an introduction to Shakespeare studies on the college and honors high school levels. It is fun, exciting, and well-argued tongue-in-cheek commentary that blurs the distinction between sarcasm and blunt honesty. It is a perfect vehicle to stimulate classroom discussion and illustrate the fine arts of argumentation and debate.

Francesco Aristide Ancona's Doctorate of Arts is from St. John's University; he has published numerous articles and four books, including Femina Sapiens: Were Women the First Truly Thinking Human Beings?. A Professor of English at SCCC, he has won several local and national teaching awards. He is a "Distinguished Faculty" speaker for the NJ Council for the Humanities Horizon program and is currently serving as a McGraw Visiting Faculty Fellow at Princeton University.

Mary Ives Thompson holds a Ph.D. in English from Catholic University of America. She is a published author, currently working on a comprehensive analysis of Vita Sackville-West and her interest in Virginia Woolf's concept of a "new biography." Dr. Thompson is an Assistant Professor of English at SCCC, where she co-advises the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, directs the Honors Program, and currently presides as Co-chair of the Faculty.