The term, Western Canon, was first coined by then Harvard
University President, Charles W. Eliot at the turn of the last
century. Eliot had stated in speeches that the elements
of a liberal education could be obtained by spending 15 minutes a
day reading from a collection of books that could fit on a
five-foot shelf. (Originally he had said a three-foot shelf.)
There has been an ongoing debate over the nature and status of
the canon since at least the 1960s. In the USA, in particular, it
has been attacked as a compendium of books written mainly by "dead
white European males", that thus do not represent the viewpoints of
many others in contemporary societies around the world. Others,
notably Allan Bloom in his 1987 book The Closing of the American
Mind, have disagreed strongly. Authors such as Yale Professor
of Humanities Harold Bloom have also argued strongly in favor of
the canon, and in general the canon remains as a represented idea
in most institutions, though its implications continue to be
debated heavily.
Various "Lists" have floated about over the years, as to what is
Canonical. Shakespeare has usually held a prominent place on
most lists of the Western Canon. No matter your feelings on
the Canon, or lists of this sort in general, it is hard to escape
the themes in Shakespearean plays. Western Culture is
positively steeped in the themes presented in the 38 plays that he
is credited with authoring.
All the worlds a play...
In order to find the Final Cache, you will need to download and
play the following two Cartridges in the order given. The
first Cartridge (Romeo and Juliet) starts at the coordinates at the
top of the Listing. At the end of the Romeo and Juliet
Cartridge, you should save the game and then open up the second
Cartridge (All's Well that Ends Well).
Romeo and Juliet Cartridge
All's Well that Ends Well Cartridge
The start for these Cartridges is located on the UC Santa Cruz
campus, in the parking area for the Performing Arts
Center. There is a fee assessed for parking on campus
($2.00 at time of publication) and the parking areas are rigorously
patrolled. Public transportation from Santa Cruz is
also available. Although walking from off campus is an
option, it is quite a hike up the hill to the beginning of the
Cartridges.