The document is a set of instructions and focus questions for Cornell notes on a chapter from the book "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" by Thomas Foster. The chapter is titled "When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare". The summary provides an overview of the main points to address in the Cornell notes, including why Shakespeare is often referenced by new writers, what makes him an "authority", and examples of ways his works have been recreated using modern settings and characters. Students are asked to cite evidence from the text and fully answer the questions in their notes.

1. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
DUE: ________
Cornell Notes Focus Questions
“When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare” Chapter
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
Instructions: Your Cornell notes should ultimately address the following questions and concepts articulated below.
That said, you are not just merely sticking to this information alone and your notes should NOT merely be a list of
these questions with answers. You are to use your notes on the entire chapter to address the main idea points
presented here.
1. Cite a line from the chapter that states the main message of the chapter. Explain how this is the
main idea in terms of the chapter’s title “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare.”
2. Why is Shakespeare so often a point of references for new writers? Cite 3 reasons according to
the text.
3. What makes Shakespeare an “authority”? (Especially since we don’t know if he actually wrote
his own plays.)
4. Foster offers numerous examples of ways Shakespeare has been recreated; identify & explain 3.
5. Foster notes, “Shakespeare[...]provides a figure against whom writers can struggle, a source of
texts against which other texts can bounce ideas.” Explain this statement.
KEY VOCABULARY: the Bard, authority (in terms of being a “sacred text”), uniquity, interplay
FOCUS CORRECTIONAL AREAS
________/ 30 Total Points
MRS J YOU TOTAL
PTS
10 All main idea questions prompted (above) are fully addressed/answered.
5 Each key vocabulary word appears highlighted/underlined and accurately defined.
5 Key Concepts include a record ofat least 8-10 key ideas expressed directly in the
text (should appear as a balance between direct quoting and key phrases/points).
5 Recorded Notes include thorough and accurate responses to the Key Concepts
section by specifically referencing details from the text.
5 Summary fully and accurately sums up, in 6-8 sentences minimum, at least 5 main
ideas expressed in the chapter.
Requirements:
❏ MLA format; types (unless otherwise approved)
❏ Cornell notes format (must include Key Concepts, Recorded Notes, & Summary sections)
❏ Chapter title in quotation marks and book title in italics/underline
❏ Notes appear in “short-hand” techniques are used in that bullet points, indentation,
highlighting/bolding/underlining appear to organize the chapter in notation form

2. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
Gavin McCutcheon
Mrs. Jenkins
English 12CP
24 November 2015
“When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare”
KEY CONCEPTS RECORDED NOTES
Why is Shakespeare often a point of
reference to other writers of our time
period?
3 cited reasons from the Text:
“When in Doubt, It’s from
Shakespeare”
Why Shakespeare is considered an
“Authority”?
Recreation of Shakespeare:
Shakespeare is often a point of reference for new writer because
every writer reinvents Shakespeare in some way and reenacts his
plays with different characters and settings. Intertextuality, and the
ability to identify it, is key for noticing this interaction between
stories. A good writer will often make us ask questions like, what
we think we already know similar to as Shakespeare did. Many
people of ask “Why Shakespeare?” the reason people use
Shakespeare is for his great stories, compelling characters, terrific
language.
An example from the text of someone referencing
Shakespearean writing was in 1982, Paul Mazurky, directed an
interesting version of Shakespearean referencing in the modern
version of “The Tempest”. Also West Side Story famously
reworked the story “Romeo and Juliet” in the early 90’s. This
movie featured contemporary teen culture and automatic pistols.
We consider Shakespeare as an authority because we are able
to connect Shakespeare’s works to other works that came earlier,
we are able to add another form of meaning. When we are able to
connect Shakespeare’s works to later works, we are able to make
meaning. This is why Shakespeare is considered an “Authority”
because everything goes through Shakespeare, he set the rules of
modern day writing.
EVERYONE feeds off of Shakespeare, whether we recognize it
or not. You can find Shakespearean elements in everything you
read.
a. Writers use what is common in a culture as a kind of
shorthand. Shakespeare is frequently echoed.
b. See plays as a pattern, either in plot or theme or both.

3. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
Main Message of the Chapter
● Cited from the story:
○ “He means
something to us as
readers in parts
because he means so
much to our writers.”
What is meant by this sentence:
Key Vocabulary:
Recent recreations of Shakespeare:
Examples:
1. Hamlet--- heroic character, revenge, indecision, melancholy
nature
2. Henry IV—a young man who must grow up to become
king, take on his responsibilities
3. Othello—jealousy
4. Merchant of Venice—justice vs. mercy
5. King Lear—aging parent, greedy children, a wise fool
This line from the passage means so much to the chapters main
idea because it shows the relations between writer and reader and
the understanding of where the writer’s inspiration came from. The
inspiration comes from Shakespeare’s stories and other
Shakespearean recreations.
“Shakespeare provides a figure against whom writers can struggle,
a source of texts against which other text can bounce ideas.” what
is meant is that all work are compared and said to be shorthand of
Shakespeare. Most writers don’t even realize they are quoting
Shakespeare and are inadvertently done without citation or
quotation marks. The struggle writers have is being able to
compare themselves to Shakespeare with using pieces of his
literature and having such quality and original work like
Shakespeare.
The Bard- traveling poets in medieval times, who made a living
performing and telling stories. Usually fit 3 different categories:
● Comedies - Well known comedies include: A Midsummer Nights
Dream, Much Ado About Nothing,and As You Like It.
● Tragedies - Some popular tragedies are: Romeo and Juliet,
Othello,Macbeth,and Hamlet.
● Histories - Some of his best histories would be Richard III,
Henry IV,Henry V,and Henry VI
authority- a book or other source able to supply reliable
information or storyline, or a person with extensive or specialized
knowledge about a subject; an expert
uniquity- uniqueness
interplay-the ways in which two or more things, groups, etc., affect
each other when they happen or exist together
1. ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ (1999)
a. Not many people are aware that this movie is a
Shakespeare movie adaptation, but that’s probably
because the play it adapts, The Taming of the Shrew,is

4. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
not one of The Bard’s more popular titles. This is an
adaption because the writer references the play through
character names and places but isn’t completely married
to the play’s plot. Heath Ledger plays the leading man
who is trying to tame the shrew.
2. ‘She’s the Man’ (2006)
a. Duke + Olivia who likes Sebastian =Viola whose brother
is dating Monique so she hates Olivia who’s with Duke
to make Sebastian jealous = Viola whos crushing on
Duke who thinks shes a guy
b. Believe it or not, this Shakespeare movie adaptation is
just as complicated and hard to explain as Twelfth Night,
the play it’s based on.
3. ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
a. Lion King is loosely adopted version of Hamlet with
lions and great music. The relation is considered as
loosely because Nala doesn’t drown herself and Timon
and Pumbaa aren’t murdered.
SUMMARY: Shakespeare is often a point of reference because he is considered the authority of modern
day writing. Some references to Shakespeare are movies like “West Side Story” and “The Tempest”
because they use modern day plots and characters to play out the story through different views. The main
idea of this chapter is to show the connections between modern day works and the hidden referencing to
Shakespearean times. The key vocab used in this chapter are The Bard or traveling poet, authority or
power, uniquity or uniqueness, and interplay or act of existing together.