August 22 proposal regarding Andrew Gurr

August 22 proposal regarding Andrew Gurr

The following is an extract from my letter to Cengage of 22 August 2008 in which I proposed a solution to the present situation with regard to Professor Parker’s termination as the editor of the Arden 3 Midsummer Night’s Dream. The letter was circulated to all those involved in Arden projects, and since then a number of fellow scholars have either written to me privately to say that they support this solution, and/or have said so publicly. In the interests of clarity, and in response to those to whom the full text of the letter was not circulated, and who have asked for the details, I copy below the relevant section of the letter that I sent to Cengage on 22 August:

“Certainly there is now sufficient uncontested information in the public domain to warrant the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of Professor Parker.

I think that in the interests of the reputation of Arden, there is no alternative to this course of action. I would very strongly advise against the appointment of a co-editor at this late stage, since this would simply impede the process of completion, and would raise further (dare I say sinister) questions about Arden’s general editorial procedures. The best way forward for all concerned, I suggest, would be to bring in an independent, experienced, internationally recognised Shakespearean textual and theatrical scholar such as Professor Andrew Gurr, to oversee this edition. I understand that Professor Gurr has seen substantial amounts of Professor Parker’s ongoing work on this edition over the last few years, which is, I imagine, the reason why she has been invited to deliver a keynote lecture at a forthcoming Globe conference to be held in his honour. This course of action would, I believe, be welcomed by the scholarly community generally, and would also have the effect of restoring confidence in the Arden project that has been seriously damaged by this whole affair.

I trust that you will regard my concern in this matter as being in the best interests of the Arden 3 Series. It is of vital importance that proper collegial relations be re-established as a matter of urgency, since if the situation is allowed to continue unchecked, then the opportunity to redeem what has quickly become a very critical situation will have been lost. I am circulating this letter to all those directly involved in Arden, since I understand that this particular case has generated very considerable anxiety amongst scholars actively involving in completing Arden projects.”

I reprint this extract here in the fervent hope that it will help to bring to a speedy conclusion a matter that many of us regard as being very serious indeed.

John Drakakis