faculty focus
Professor of English Charlotte Artese
Much Ado About Shakespeare
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Recently Charlotte Artese’s mother came across a piece of paper on which 10-year-old Artese had written the words: “When I grow up, I want to be a professer.” Not only did Artese misspell her future profession, but she also did not know exactly what a professor was. She was just sure that was what she wanted to be, and years later her childhood wish came true. As a professor of English and the department chair at Agnes Scott College, Artese spends her days imparting her love and knowledge of books in general — and William Shakespeare’s plays specifically — to her students. “Figuring out what you love and how you can share it with others is one of the most rewarding things,” Artese says. Her love of books was instilled in her early. Because her father was in the Army, Artese’s family moved frequently. As she adjusted to being in a new place, she often found herself turning to books, becoming an avid reader. “I loved fairy tales,” she recalls. “They were mysterious, romantic
and provided an alternate universe to growing up on an Army base.” This early passion for reading led to Artese pursuing an undergraduate degree in English at Yale University, and it was at Yale that she discovered an appreciation for Shakespeare and took as many classes as she could. “Shakespeare’s works are one of the central texts in Western culture,” she says. “Along with the Bible, fairy tales and classical mythology, so much in his plays can be applied to modern themes, such as gender, race and politics.” After completing her Ph.D. at Northwestern University, Artese moved to Decatur in 2003 to take a position at Agnes Scott, where she began teaching Shakespeare and Renaissance literature courses. Her courses include Shakespeare and the Folktale, which explores the parallels between his plays and folktales, and Shakespeare and the Modern World, which examines how his plays influenced other works of art. So how is she able to make Shakespeare relevant and interesting to her students who may think the
Bard of Avon’s plays are challenging or boring? “We jump right in,” she says. “I think it helps that they read his works for an entire semester. They become comfortable as they start to recognize the vocabulary he uses and the patterns in his writing. I also try to come up with creative assignments.” Artese is also highly enthusiastic in her teaching, noting, “It’s important for me to convey my excitement and passion for the subject. If I’m not interested and excited, how can I expect my students to be?” The classroom culture is also important to her, and she tries to create an environment where students feel comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns. “I work to cultivate an atmosphere where everyone is interested in what others are thinking, finding gold in what each person is saying and building upon that,” she says. As an extension of her teaching, Artese’s research explores how Shakespeare’s plays are rooted in folktales. She published “Shakespeare’s Folktale Sources” in June 2015, and in October 2019, the “Shakespeare and the Folktale: An Anthology of Stories,” which was born out of the course she teaches at Agnes Scott. Whether it is through studying Shakespeare’s plays or some other genre of literature, Artese wants her students to be able to think, write, read and express themselves, no matter what career path they choose. And if they happen to develop a love of reading, this is an added benefit Artese appreciates. “Language and stories have always been a profound source of pleasure for me,” says Artese. “It’s so rewarding for me to have my students experience that as well.”
