Questioning the Contributions of Early Texts

In the essay "The Blue-Eyed Witch," Leah Marcus asks the question: "what is it we hope to experience when we read a literary text from an earlier era?" (244). She goes on to discuss textual studies, literary critics, and the roles of editors and bibliographers in the presentation of early texts, and how their interpretations change. She provides a persuasive argument that includes an examination of Sycorax, the blue-eyed witch in The Tempest.  Marcus' text is significant in that it discusses "prevailing attitudes toward women, sexuality, and race" (250), and how these attitudes have changed over time as texts are edited and critiqued by literary critics.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss

>To what extent are women represented in The Tempest? Underrepresented? How might their representation change with a twenty-first century edit and / or critique of the text?

>What sort of contributions do early texts make to our overall understanding of a specific time period? Can they be relied upon to be historically accurate? Why or why not?

Works Cited

Marcus, Leah. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest: A Case Study in Critical      Controversy.Ed.Gerald Graff and James D. Phelan. Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2nd Edition, 2008. 244-263. Print.