Bloom said "Shakespeare is the Canon. He sets the standard and the limits of literature" (47). "Shakespeare centers the Canon, because we have to struggle hard to think of any representation that is not more convincing in Shakespeare than anywhere else, be it in Homer, Dante, or Tolstoy" (Bloom, 56). Bloom was highly convinced of Shakespeare canonicity, believing his works universal, deeming them applicable to everyone's personal library. My questions is simple: do you agree or disagree with Bloom? Is Shakespeare in your personal library? I'm curious. Bloom, Harold. The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages. The Berkley Publishing Group, 1994

Your first task this week is in the Classroom tab (finally) 🎉! Find the Week 1 lesson: Why the Humanities? — work through it before you respond here. The discussion question will mean more after you've spent time with the lecture and the text. That's intentional. Come back when you're ready. We'll be here.

Welcome to The Humanities!!! I'm so happy you've joined, and I know your fellows scholars are happy as well. So, let's start by introducing ourselves! Tell us: 1. What is your name? 2. Where are you from? 3. What lead you to join The Humanities? 4. What discipline with The Humanities do you enjoy or want to learn more about? 5. And, for my pleasure, what is your favorite book (fiction or non-fiction), and why? I'll start... "My name is Haywood Hayes, your department chair 😁. I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm elated to be apart of this community. With the Humanities under siege, by joining this community, I feel that I contribute to its growth and longevity. We need the Humanities! Joining this community will continue its impact for generations to come. My favorite discipline is literature, but I tend to immerse myself in every disciplines of the Humanities. It's like a body; every member must do its part for the body to survive— every joint supplieth. We need every discipline to continue its growth and relevancy. My favorite book— a really hard question— I definitely enjoyed Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita ("You can always trust a murder with a fancy prose style"— I love it!). I know, I know. "Haywood, how can you enjoy a book such as Lolita?" I'll teach a course on it one day to clarify. But I mustn't forget, most of all, I love Shakespeare! Know this now, Shakespeare is my guy. Not a book but a canonical representative 👀— we'll talk about that too. Happy to be apart! Can't wait to get to know you all." See, simple. Leave your intro below, and I'll make sure to read and comment on them all. Welcome to The Humanities 🥳