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. A number of people have encountered problems with the verification code needed to sign the petition. It seems to be the case that using Internet Explorer or Firefox as your browser to view the petition increases your chances of signing successfully. It is recommended that you copy any comments (highlight comments,  click on “edit” in your browser toolbar, then click “copy” on the dropdown menu) before attempting to sign. If you cannot read the verification code, click the line that says “read code out loud.” If this doesn’t help, click the “refresh” function (usually indicated by a circular arrow or arrows in your browser) to get a new verification code and try that. This may take a couple of attempts. Finally, if this doesn’t work, close the window, reopen the petition, and use the paste function (Situate cursor in comment box, then click “edit” and “paste”) to reproduce your comments, and try again. This usually works.    If none of these methods suffice and you cannot sign, please contact Richard Halpern at r.l.halpern@att.net 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. Some people who have tried to sign without adding comments have run into an additional technical problem: an error message stating that improper symbols or characters have been entered into the comment box when in fact nothing has been entered into the box. This problem can be solved by typing anything into the box: a comment or even just a single period. Sign this petition! 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: 1021 Petition Views: 7058 Created: August 7, 2008 at 10:12 pm

		Current Signatures Showing Signatures 1002-1021 of 1021 Browse all signatures 1002. Dennis Jobman October 30, 2009 at 8:59 pm Please reinstate Prof. Parker as soon as possible. This whole situation reflects very poorly on Arden's reputation for scholarly integrity. 1003. Jon Havarti October 31, 2009 at 7:46 pm Please include my name among the list of Dr. Parker's supporters in this matter. 1004. Dana Delano November 15, 2009 at 8:48 pm I support this petition. 1005. Jamal Rajmindra December 2, 2009 at 9:09 am I support this petition. Please reinstate Dr. Parker and make her academic insight available to all. 1006. Jubilith Moore December 20, 2009 at 1:57 pm I whole heartedly support this petition. The unjust termination of any outstanding scholar such as Dr. Parker is horrifying. To imagine it may be born out of corporate greed is even more so. Thank you for your consideration. Questions answered: Title and institution: Artistic Director, Theatre of Yugen 1007. Eric Walker December 22, 2009 at 9:21 pm Dr. Parker is one of the premier scholars in Shakespeare. It would be a shame for the public to miss out on all of the work she has done. 1008. Michael Hathaway December 28, 2009 at 10:01 am I support this petition. 1009. Taylor Tepherd December 29, 2009 at 12:58 am Please reinstate Dr. Parker and start the new year off right! 1010. Tim Giddings January 5, 2010 at 6:13 am The Arden Shakespeare has built its formidable reputation on eminent scholarship. To jettison such a reputation in the name of supposed increased profitability can only be counterproductive. Arden will keep its profitable niche in the literary market only by continuing to employ the foremost experts on each text, and giving them the time they need to crystallize their criticism. Reinstate Dr. Parker, and publish her manuscript when it is ready. Questions answered: Title and institution: Winchester College, England 1011. Noel Davelka January 13, 2010 at 1:38 am I strongly support this petition. 1012. Michael Sturke January 14, 2010 at 11:12 am I support this petition. 1013. Kim Pilot January 15, 2010 at 12:58 am Please reinstate Dr. Parker. 1014. Geoff Rheingarten January 28, 2010 at 1:57 am I strongly support this petition! Academics and scholarly integrity should always come first, not whatever backroom politics inspired this regrettable decision. 1015. Irina Dannon February 7, 2010 at 4:26 am I also support this petition! 1016. Gillian Campbell February 7, 2010 at 4:27 am Please reinstate Patricia Parker as Arden Editor as soon as possible. 1017. Michael B. Luskin February 17, 2010 at 3:41 pm Please reinstate Dr. Parker as editor,her work is thought provoking. 1018. Lynne Kinder March 1, 2010 at 3:54 pm . 1019. Mark Valencia March 2, 2010 at 12:13 pm I support this petition 1020. Frank Morris March 4, 2010 at 4:22 pm I support her reinstatement. Questions answered: Title and institution: UMass Boston 1021. Anna Maria Cimitile March 5, 2010 at 3:22 pm (No comment) Questions answered: Title and institution: Associate Professor, Univ. of Naples 'L'Orientale'

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