Quote:
Originally Posted by JD Gumby
Have you ever actually read untranslated (ie, exactly as it's written in the original manuscripts - no updating the spelling or grammar to modern norms, as you find in many texts, especially those aimed at English class) Shakespeare? Not an easy task, for most people. It's not nearly as bad as untranslated Chaucer, of course, but still bad enough.
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I have a facsimile edition of a 1611 King James Bible, contemporaneous with Shakespeare, which preserves the archaic and inconsistent spelling of the period. As examples, the word "loved", was spelled "loued", and the letter "s" looked like "f". I can read it quickly enough but it involves added mental overhead. It would be counterproductive to use a similar Shakespeare edition in most classes.
Oh, and I forgot to add in my previous post that I enjoy reading Shakespeare, when I am in the mood to do so.