Project Gutenberg 2008-12-10 Public domain in the USA. 109 Smith, Francis Asbury 1837 1915 07008252 The Critics Versus Shakspere A Brief for the Defendant Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Carla Foust and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was made using scans of public domain works from the University of Michigan Digital Libraries.) "The Critics Versus Shakspere" by Francis Asbury Smith is a literary critique written in the early 20th century. This work serves as a defense of William Shakespeare against a variety of critics who question his originality and merit. Smith argues against assertions that Shakespeare simply imitated his contemporaries, presenting historical and critical evidence to support the claim of Shakespeare’s unique genius in the realm of English literature. The opening of the text establishes a context for an ongoing debate about Shakespeare's status among writers. Smith references past critics such as Ben Jonson, Voltaire, and Samuel Johnson, who have scrutinized Shakespeare’s work. He presents a detailed account of claims made against Shakespeare, such as accusations of his plays being inferior compared to those of contemporaries and his supposed lack of originality. Smith counters these critiques by highlighting how, despite numerous attempts to diminish his reputation, the broader literary consensus remains in favor of Shakespeare’s brilliance, as evidenced by his enduring popularity and the admiration he garners from later scholars and writers. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 52.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Authorship Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Criticism and interpretation -- History -- 19th century PR Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: British Literature 170833 2025-07-11T09:10:39.019460 text/html 169833 2008-12-10T15:11:14 text/html 144598 2025-07-11T09:10:45.367435 application/epub+zip 145251 2025-07-11T09:10:42.088442 application/epub+zip 124714 2025-07-11T09:10:40.887452 application/epub+zip 274092 2025-07-11T09:10:47.639407 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 269799 2025-07-11T09:10:44.572438 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 241782 2022-09-12T14:57:41.720060 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 149166 2025-07-11T09:10:38.626449 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 149009 2008-12-10T15:11:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 149003 2008-12-10T15:11:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 6239 2008-09-28T18:20:00 application/octet-stream 1409 2008-09-28T18:20:00 application/octet-stream 18441 2008-09-28T18:20:00 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