Experts on topics currently in the news
Was Shakespeare Really Shakespeare?
Yes, says Michael Saenger, an associate professor of English at Southwestern whose research focuses on Shakespeare.
While new movies such as “Anonymous” try to call into question whether Shakespeare really wrote the plays that are attributed to him, Saenger says these movies have no basis in fact.
“There are hundreds of serious scholars around the world who have studied all the documents related to Shakespeare’s life. All of them agree that Shakespeare was exactly who he claimed to be,” Saenger says. “Originally, the desire to imagine Shakespeare was secretly someone else came from people who believed English nobility are better than commoners (Shakespeare was the eldest child of the mayor of a medium-size city in western England that happened to have a very good school). Lately, I think the fantasies are more driven by people who like the feeling of figuring out conspiracies (even when they aren’t there).”
Professor Saenger may be reached at 512-863-1787 or saengerm@southwestern.edu
Southwestern University professor available to offer expertise on the current situation in the Middle East
Bob Snyder, professor of political science at Southwestern University, is available to offer expertise on the current situation in the Middle East. Snyder is an expert on the Middle East and teaches classes on Middle East politics and U.S. foreign policy.
Professor Snyder may be reached at 512-863-1938 or snyderb@southwestern.edu
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