Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

    Shakespere indede rote at a tyme when there were no speling rools. But...a standardized version of his name, as it appeared in the published 1623 version, is what we use now.

    My correction of the spelling was less of an attack (dear God, at my age I'm above that, I hope), than of a heads-up to a student who might run afoul of a teacher such as I was: a stickler who at least turned out capable writers and readers, some of whom have gone on to become published.

    But to Stoppard, he's indeed a very clever playwright (often thought of in England as perhaps too "clever-clever"), and his great gift is with wordplay and the sheer joy of listening to characters going back and forth with each other. He's always fun to watch (and listen to), and "Shakespeare in Love" is a delightful film. (The material was by another writer; Stoppard did a rewrite.)

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

      I didn't realize teachers get enraged over spelling mistakes.

      I guess they shouldn't carry guns.
      Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

        Not enraged, sc111; just a little picky. I learned my lesson in college when a professor who was teaching a seminar called the Novel as Satire cut my grade because I spelled his name wrong on the title page of a paper I'd written on Lolita!

        Was he right? Yes. He'd been teaching me and the others for five weeks, and, being a published novelist of some repute, he quite rightly believed that accuracy in language was vital if we wanted to make a career in writing. As he used to say, one would not want one's heart surgeon to be so careless.

        He became my mentor, and six months ago I delivered a euology at his funeral. And I told that very story that day.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

          SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE = one of the worst best picture winners ever...right up there with CRASH and MILLION DOLLAR BABY.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

            Jake:

            Maybe you were over-stating here:

            Originally posted by Jake Schuster View Post
            But when a student comes on, it's probably to his or her interest if we point out the kind of errors that enrage teachers (i.e. misspelling the name of the author you're studying), and also lead them in directions that may be more helpful.
            Truth is I just wanted to make a joke about the thing in the news about teachers being armed in school.

            "Your syntax is horrible!" BAM.

            I know spelling counts. I've taught creative writing classes. But my style was to first encourage a student's interest in a subject and class discussion while pointing out spelling errors last.
            Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

              My only weapon as a teacher was a red pen.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

                Originally posted by Jake Schuster View Post
                My only weapon as a teacher was a red pen.
                I have "Lean on Me" stuck in my head now for somewhat reason.
                A talent for drama is not a talent for writing, but is an ability to articulate human relationships.
                Gore Vidal

                "Aisatsu Yori Ensatsu"
                Money is better than compliments.


                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

                  Jake -

                  Excuse me for belaboring the point but ... a teacher has a lot of influence over fledgling creative spirits.

                  When a student, like the original poster, who takes the time to come to a screenwriting site to further discuss a subject should (as Joan did in her post) be complimented on taking the initiative.

                  School is not really about grades, it's about ideas, critical thinking, opening minds.
                  Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

                    Originally posted by MacG View Post
                    SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE = one of the worst best picture winners ever...right up there with CRASH and MILLION DOLLAR BABY.
                    I agree with the first part, but I actually enjoyed Crash and M$B.

                    SIL is not a bad movie, but it's not the best of 1998, either. And it doesn't inspire me to write anything about it apart from what I just did in the previous sentence.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Would like to discuss "Shakespear in Love"

                      Writerly -

                      I missed whatever you deleted which is probably a clue that I should ignore your other post instead of getting into an us-vs-them discussion. But ... I won't ignore it.

                      Originally posted by writerly
                      and please, Jake did nothing wrong, he simply pointed out a blatant error. It wasn't just a typo either but a continued misspelling that is almost comical. If someone can't take being corrected on a misspelling they need to develop a thicker skin.

                      I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's better the student get it here than in class, where they could experience some mockery.

                      It makes me so sad, what's the youth coming to these days!!!? Can't spell Shakespeare!!??
                      <sigh>
                      You do sound harsh. And you're also missing my point.

                      It makes me sad that today's students are taught to pass standardized tests and please teachers instead of being taught to LOVE learning.

                      A love of learning is what I saw when I read the opening of the OP's post.
                      I'd like to quote it here:

                      " It was on the assignment list 4 my last class, but we never worked on it. Figured I could learn something working on my own with it. It would be great learning experience to trade comments and thoughts on this.


                      And Jake's opening salvo is to comment on spelling and bad grades.

                      Is Jake wrong? Of course not. The Bard's name was spelled wrong and the text-message habit of using "4" instead of "for" probably would annoy a stickler.

                      No Jake wasn't wrong. But he was in part rude and totally missing the young poster's love of learning, something I would hope a teacher would even briefly knowledge before sharpening his proverbial red pencil.

                      I also notice the OP has not returned. If the blast from Jake scared him/her away, that's also sad.

                      BTW: Thick skins can interfere with creativity.
                      Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Would like to discuss &quot;Shakespear in Love&quot;

                        I also notice the OP has not returned. If the blast from Jake scared him/her away, that's also sad.
                        It hasn't been 12 hours since this person last posted. Is it really necessary to accuse somebody of driving him or her away?

                        Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.
                        It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.
                        -- Potter Stewart

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Would like to discuss &quot;Shakespear in Love&quot;

                          Originally posted by haunted View Post
                          It hasn't been 12 hours since this person last posted. Is it really necessary to accuse somebody of driving him or her away?
                          Note the operative word was: If.
                          Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Would like to discuss &quot;Shakespear in Love&quot;

                            It certainly would not be the first time, (talking to everyone not singling out Jake) which is the only reason I responded so harshly. A message board, particularly one devoted to creativity and the exchange of ideas should go out of their way to welcome new users. Being rude (intentionally or not) to new users with low post counts is the worst thing you can do and certainly will drive some away. DD has 2500 members, but only 500 are active posters, maybe that % would be a little higher if we were nicer to new people who try to contribute.
                            Frosties are just Cornflakes for people who can't face reality.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Would like to discuss &quot;Shakespear in Love&quot;

                              Originally posted by sc111 View Post
                              Jake -

                              Excuse me for belaboring the point but ... a teacher has a lot of influence over fledgling creative spirits.

                              When a student, like the original poster, who takes the time to come to a screenwriting site to further discuss a subject should (as Joan did in her post) be complimented on taking the initiative.

                              School is not really about grades, it's about ideas, critical thinking, opening minds.
                              So, if a D- student hands in a paper made of up three stapled pages and no writing, do I give him credit for simply being on time? I'm sorry to say, but school is made up of a lot of different things, and if I've been teaching a particular writer for some time, and the student can't even spell the author's name correctly, I've got either an inattentive student on my hands, or one who just doesn't care.

                              I think what made me a good teacher was to expect the best from my students, to respect them as individuals and work with all of my classes, whether seventh-grade or seniors, as though they were seminars. Which is why my graduates went on to Wesleyan, Yale, Princeton, and so on.

                              As I've said it many times before, a writer's tool is his or her language, and if you can't learn how to use it with the greatest precision you'll never be able to learn how to experiment or break the rules.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Would like to discuss &quot;Shakespear in Love&quot;

                                Originally posted by Jake Schuster View Post
                                So, if a D- student hands in a paper made of up three stapled pages and no writing, do I give him credit for simply being on time? I'm sorry to say, but school is made up of a lot of different things, and if I've been teaching a particular writer for some time, and the student can't even spell the author's name correctly, I've got either an inattentive student on my hands, or one who just doesn't care.

                                I think what made me a good teacher was to expect the best from my students, to respect them as individuals and work with all of my classes, whether seventh-grade or seniors, as though they were seminars. Which is why my graduates went on to Wesleyan, Yale, Princeton, and so on.

                                As I've said it many times before, a writer's tool is his or her language, and if you can't learn how to use it with the greatest precision you'll never be able to learn how to experiment or break the rules.

                                Jake:

                                There's no need to defend your teaching methods because ...

                                ... this site is not your classroom. It's a discussion forum.

                                Again, I quote the OP:

                                "It was on the assignment list 4 my last class, but we never worked on it. Figured I could learn something working on my own with it. It would be great learning experience to trade comments and thoughts on this."

                                Apparently, the student was interested in something on the assignment list which their teacher never covered. And yes - I do applaud that. And you know what?

                                If I were the teacher, I'd give them extra credit for the effort and then mention the misspelling after. But that's just me. Then again, I didn't teach very long. Loved the kids, hated the system that was so focused on grades they missed the forest for the trees.

                                But enough on that - I will admit you confuse me, Jake. Over time you've posted about your days in the Village during the 60s, your counter-culture lifestyle and, if I recall correctly, you rubbed elbows with the beat poets. Folks who certainly broke grammatical rules left and right.

                                Yet when it comes to spelling errors you have a hissy fit. I find the contradiction really odd. Maybe that college prof traumatized you when you misspelled his name?

                                Language evolves. Heck, AAE classes are taught in some colleges. Foreign words and phrases are integrated into American English every year.

                                So the OP left an 'e' off Shakespeare. Most spell-check programs will catch that. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
                                Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X