Saturday, December 07, 2013

Free Advice

If you're interviewing for an English department type job, don't call Shakespeare "the Bard" even once, and certainly not repeatedly.

You sound like an fool.  And not a good kind of fool.

17 comments:

  1. Can we talk about how we dismantle Bardolatry in the classroom?

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  2. He is not the Bard any more? When did this happen? Can we call him the Dude?

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  3. No, Otto, The Dude was Dr Crazy's ex.

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  4. Absolutely, Sapience! Please do!

    Not among people who study him, J. Otto!

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    Replies
    1. What about 20th century historians, can we call him the Bard Dude? ;-)

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    2. As long as you're not interviewing in an English department, you can call him Shirley if you'd like. Or Beaumont.

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  5. Anonymous7:13 PM

    What if your dissertation was on Guys and Dolls?

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    Replies
    1. I don't remember G&D being written by Shakespeare... What connection am I missing?

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    2. Anonymous5:28 AM

      Whoops! Not guys and dolls. That other 1950s musical with lovable gangsters. http://youtu.be/O-CSb3Xe06s

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    3. Then only if you're quoting from the show.

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  6. OK: how about "The Drab"?

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    Replies
    1. Demystifying is always appropriate!

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  7. I'm guessing "Billy Shakes" would also be inappropriate in an interview.

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  8. LOL, Flavia and Cosimo were just talking last night at dinner about the two different kinds of plays one can expect to see at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and they described them as "ones performed for audiences who come to see some Shakespeare" and "ones performed for audiences who come to see The Bard!" They were decidedly in the former camp, of course.

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