Is Shakespeare any Good?: And Other Questions on How to Evaluate Literature

Is Shakespeare any Good? reveals why certain literary works and authors are treated as superior to others, and questions the literary establishment’s criteria for creating an imperium of “great” writers.

• Enables readers to articulate and formulate their own arguments about the quality of literature – including works that convention forbids usto dislike
• Dismantles the claims of academic criticism – particularly Theory – to tell us anything useful about why we like or appreciate literature
• Challenges and shatters many longstanding beliefs about literature and its evaluation
• Poses serious questions about the value of literature, and studying literature, and presents these in a lively and entertainingly provocative manner

Keywords:

Literature, literary criticism, literary theory, literary classics, literary canon, what makes a good book, literary elitism, academic elitism, literary merit, popular literature, evaluating literature, assessing literature, studying literature, literature students