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 Petition  Reinstate Pat Parker as Arden Editor  

To whom it may concern:

    We, the undersigned, protest the unjust termination of Patricia Parker as editor of the Arden Shakespeare’s planned third edition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Professor Parker’s sterling reputation, as well as the wide acclaim her work on the edition has thus far received in both the academic and theatrical worlds, impels us to deplore the possible loss of a major new edition of Shakespeare’s play–-one that promises significantly to enrich critical discussion and theatrical performance. We are concerned as well that a personal and professional injustice has been done to Professor Parker. The circumstances of her dismissal, along with the record of problems emanating from Arden that impeded progress on the edition, cast doubt on the professionalism with which she was treated, and on the editorial transparency and accountabilty of the Arden Shakespeare in this matter. Finally, the fact that the Arden Shakespeare  has recently been purchased by a private equity company in the latest of a series of corporate publishers, raises concerns that commercial profitability may be trumping a commitment to scholarly thoroughness and diligence. We fear that the excellent repute of the Arden Shakespeare, on which generations of scholars and Shakespeare lovers have come to rely, may be tarnished by this episode.
   For all of the above reasons, we the undersigned urge the publishers of the Arden Shakespeare to reinstate Patricia Parker as editor of this play, and to give her the necessary time and editorial cooperation to bring her important new edition to a successful completion. 









Sincerely,
The undersigned


The content below was added by the petition author on August 12, 2008 at 12:57 pm and may not reflect the views or opinions of signatories prior to that date.

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The content below was added by the petition author on September 15, 2008 at 8:03 pm and may not reflect the views or opinions of signatories prior to that date.

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Petition Author

Richard Halpern
Sir William Osler Professor of English
Department of English
Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218


Petition Information

Current Signatures: 856
Petition Views: 5307
Created: August 7, 2008 at 10:12 pm

Current Signatures
Showing Signatures 837-856 of 856 Browse all signatures

837.
Balaji Chandrasekhar

us

April 8, 2009 at 12:57 pm

(No comment)
838.
Morgan Redman

us

April 8, 2009 at 7:59 pm

(No comment)
839.
Edgar Austodillo

us

April 9, 2009 at 2:01 pm

(No comment)
840.
Keith Miller

us

April 13, 2009 at 2:09 pm

(No comment)
841.
Stacey Chu

us

April 14, 2009 at 3:23 pm

(No comment)
842.
Diane Sparling

us

April 15, 2009 at 6:15 am

When more than 800 people are protesting Arden's decision, and Arden is not budging, that's a clear indication that something is rotten in Denmark!
843.
Jana Weldon

us

April 15, 2009 at 12:37 pm

More transparency for Arden's reasons for termination at the minimum is needed. This decision raises significant questions about the academic publishing process.
844.
Mariangela Tempera

it

April 17, 2009 at 1:09 pm

(No comment)

Questions answered:
Title and institution: University of Ferrara - Italy

845.
Bruce Golden

us

April 21, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Professor Parker is stunningly eminent in Shakespearian studies. Arden 3's reputation would be enhanced by her contribution and scholars, critics, teachers, students, and readers would benefit enormously were she allowed to complete her edition.
846.
Paul Innes

gb

May 5, 2009 at 6:47 am

Perhaps Arden's owners should be aware of the effect on the series' financial viability!

Questions answered:
Title and institution: Dr; University of Glasgow

847.
Peter van Dolen

nl

May 6, 2009 at 4:48 am

(No comment)
848.
Davide Del Bello

gb

May 7, 2009 at 5:46 am

(No comment)

Questions answered:
Title and institution: Professor Universita' degli Studi di Bergamo Italy

849.
Karen Cronin

us

May 8, 2009 at 7:17 am

I support Dr. Parker's reinstatement. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a wonderful, classic play, and
Patricia Parker has shown time and time again through her work that
she is exactly the right person to revitalize this Shakespearean
masterpiece.
850.
Megan Shepherd

us

May 20, 2009 at 7:25 pm

This is outrageous! I can't believe I hadn't heard of this situation sooner. Dr. Parker should absolutely be allowed to finish her new edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream so that we all can enjoy. I genuinely wonder what the decision makers at Arden were thinking when they made this huge mistake. This is, unfortunately, a black mark on Arden's reputation.
851.
OANA-ALIS POPESCU

ro

May 26, 2009 at 2:08 pm

I am utterly dismayed at the fact that Professor Patricia Parker s work on the edition of A Midsummer Night s Dream cannot be published. We need this edition as much of the information and the insights it provides are practically inaccessible to scholars and students from a country such as Romania.

Questions answered:
Title and institution: PhD candidate- University of Bucharest, Romania

852.
Francesca Guidotti

it

June 3, 2009 at 6:55 pm

(No comment)

Questions answered:
Title and institution: University of Bergamo (Italy)

853.
Alessandra Marzola

it

June 4, 2009 at 8:47 am

(No comment)

Questions answered:
Title and institution: professor, University of Bergamo (Italy)

854.
Dan Chianese

us

June 19, 2009 at 10:45 am

(No comment)
855.
MIHAELA IRIMIA

ro

July 2, 2009 at 3:45 am

This exceptionally professional edition is a most valuable academic tool equally for staff and students in such a country as Romania, whose Western cultural tradition has been recently reinforced by tis EU accession. Shakespeare Studies in Romanian culture do need such wonderful editions more than ever. I am sounding the voice of so many in the lines laid on this screen. And I fully believe in academic and intellectual solidarity, at a time when the most canonical of canonicals can be a rare joy

Questions answered:
Title and institution: Prof., Ph.D., Unviersity of Bucharest

856.
Adina Ciugureanu

ro

July 2, 2009 at 6:26 am

At a time when real interest in scholarly work is declining, terminating the publication of an academic work of such high acclaim is, unfortunately, its unwanted effect.So sad if nothing will be done about it.

Questions answered:
Title and institution: Professor, PhD., Ovidius University Constanta