Richard Knowles, Diamond in the Madison Rough

Al, from A Blog To Be Named Later -- another infant blog -- asks me about quality, non-political English professors at UW. I'm not halfway done with my English major (Political Science is my main focus), but I've been impressed by Prof. Richard Knowles, an old-school expert on Shakespeare and appreciator of aesthetic quality. The Daily Cardinal once ran a brief snippet on him.

Knowles is an enthusiastic (if rather unspoken) supporter of Harold Bloom, the controversial contemporary literary critic who once wrote that "The idea that you benefit the insulted and injured by reading someone of their own origins rather than reading Shakespeare is one of the oddest illusions ever promoted by or in our schools." Knowles' classes do not proclaim this (or any other) specific philosophy of Shakespeare. But as they unravel his respect for the Bard's universal relevance becomes an organizing principle and a powerful statement about what the liberal arts can aspire to.

When Knowles makes a political reference, it's wonderfully tongue-in-cheek and intended as a throwaway to Madison liberals -- who I'm sure he has his own problems with. Definitely take a class by him, on Shakespeare if possible.

As this blog continues, I anticipate it becoming (among other things) an avenue of support for great UW professors who support free and open inquiry and are not bound by political correctness. They're more numerous than it sometimes feels, and Knowles is one of them. Hopefully I'll receive some comments about others.