Is Shakespeare any Good? reveals why certain literary works and
authors are treated as superior to others, and questions the literary
establishment's criteria for creating an imperium of "great" writers.
- Enables readers to articulate and formulate their own arguments about
the quality of literature - including works that convention forbids us
to dislike
- Dismantles the claims of academic criticism - particularly Theory - to
tell us anything useful about why we like or appreciate literature
- Challenges and shatters many longstanding beliefs about literature and
its evaluation
- Poses serious questions about the value of literature, and studying
literature, and presents these in a lively and entertainingly
provocative manner