國立交通大學外國語文學系暨外國文學與語言學研究所

Dear Students:

I am writing to let you know the following course details in this message:
the course syllabus, the textbooks, and the first film to watch (when,
where, and what film). Please take a moment to finish reading the message
as soon as it reaches you.

THE COURSE SYLLABUS
The tentative syllabus is now available for view at the Course
Registration site (http://cos.adm.nctu.edu.tw/). I will make additions and
slight changes after the Lunar New Year, though I don’t expect a drastic
overhaul.

As you can see from the syllabus, this class will be conducted wholly in
English. Among the assignments is a term paper to write by the end of the
semester.

THE TEXTBOOKS
The Course Reader is still under preparation. It comprises scholarly
essays to read in class. I expect it to be ready for picking up during the
first week in class.

We will read four Shakespeare’s plays. The editions we will use are as
follows:

King Richard III (1593). Ed. Janis Lull. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP,
2009.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1601). Eds. Roger Warren and Stanley
Wells. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.
Hamlet (1601). Ed. Harold Jenkins. Arden Shakespeare, 2nd series. London
and New York: Methuen, 1982; London: Thomson Learning, 2001.
The Tragedy of King Lear (1605). Ed. Jay L. Halio. 2nd ed. Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 2005.

For the moment, the copies of Twelfth Night have arrived at Chuan Min
Bookstore (tel: 572-7465, 573-9029), located near the north entrance of
our campus. If you are in Taipei, you can acquire the play at Bookman
Bookstore (02-2368-7226, http://www.bookman.com.tw/). At Bookman, remember
to mention that it is a textbook for my class in order to receive a
discount. Please start reading Twelfth Night before the classes begin.

All other editions are on the way to Taiwan, and I’ll let you know when
they arrive. I insist that you use these editions, the reason for which
I’ll explain in class. They are more comprehensive than The Norton
Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, which you can certainly
consult. The Chinese translations, meanwhile, should be used only as a
reference material.

THE FIRST FILM TO WATCH
Each week we will have a screening session on Tuesday evening by 6:00 p.m.
The venue is the Screening Room at the Audio-visual Center. The first
screening will take place on Feb. 23, 2010, and the film to see is
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. For this first screening, keep some notes while
watching. A more specific way of note-taking will be introduced to you in
class when we meet on Feb. 25.

Please make everyone in class aware of this message. Please pass also this
message to anyone who is interested in the class. Before we meet, let me
wish you all a very happy Lunar New Year!

Prof. Lim