SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Found: Six New Works by Shakespeare (maybe)

Posted: Mar 20 2009 12:46 am

Quote:

"Dr John Casson claims to have unearthed Shakespeare's first published poem, the Phaeton sonnet, his first comedy, Mucedorus, and his first tragedies, Locrine and Arden of Faversham.

He also explores the plays Thomas of Woodstock and A Yorkshire Tragedy, and claims to prove that a 'lost play' called Cardenio is a genuine work by Shakespeare and fellow playwright John Fletcher.

He has published his findings in a book, titled 'Enter Pursued by a Bear.'

"Some people have said, 'we don't know if this is by William Shakespeare', so I've been able to study them and say 'yes, here's the evidence for Shakespeare but here's also the evidence for Neville,' so I've been able to link the two," Dr Casson said.

"I started off looking at works where we weren't sure whether they were by Shakespeare or not and I tested them to see if there was any evidence for Henry Neville.

"I've found evidence pouring out and I've been able to show Shakespeare's development from his early days."

He added: "What we thought were the first plays by Shakespeare appeared anonymously in the early 1590s.

"It is inconceivable, however, that his first plays were the massive trilogy of Henry VI. Writers develop over time from simpler beginnings."

Dr Casson claims to have discovered the pseudonym 'Phaeton' in a sonnet, which he believes is the earliest pen name used by Shakespeare."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/5005557/Academic-discovers-six-works-by-William-Shakespeare.html
or just go to current.com

Posted: Mar 20 2009 01:29 am

I heard about this! Really, really cool stuff. I didn't know there was a book, however. I gotta go pick this up.

I will say I'm skeptical about Cardenio. That one has been researched pretty thoroughly and for what its worth, in my entirely unprofessional (but still very Shakespearecated) opinion, its not him. It just doesn't feel like Shakespeare, for lack of better evidence. *shrug*

That said, the argument about the impossibility of the Henry trilogy being his first is both sound and faulty. Its sound because of COURSE no one starts off writing like that. But its also true that not all authors are published, or even publicity put their beginners' work out there. (Shit, look at Harper Lee. One brilliant novel, and that's pretty much all she wrote, literally.) So, just because we know other works had to have existed at some point does NOT mean they ever had to be published, or that they still survived, or that these plays are them.

It's still pretty effing exciting though, skepticism and all. I'll have to read his book and check out these new 'discovered' plays asap.

Posted: Mar 22 2009 03:33 am

There is skepticism as to whether or not Shakespeare wrote many of the works attributed to him. Perhaps it is by the same person who wrote the plays you are talking about, just not Shakespeare. Or, perhaps Shakespeare wrote them and they were forgotten because they were not as popular as the others.stories.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

If they're authentic and any good, this is great news.