One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
USC Misspells Shakespeare On Newly Unveiled Statue
Language is malleable, right? After all, a dictionary doesn't define a word's spelling, it simply gives the most common version of it. Well, how about a name?
UCLA's The Den tweeted Monday morning that a recently unveiled statue at the new $700 million USC Village displays a typo.
USC. The only place in America that can unveil a statue as the centerpiece of a $700 million project and manage to misspell Shakespeare pic.twitter.com/FGsJUyF3Di
— The Den (@uclatheden) August 21, 2017
As the photo shows, a quote at the base of a Queen Hecuba statue unveiled this month as the centerpiece of the school's 1.2 million-square-foot development is attributed to "Shakespear's" Hamlet. The common spelling of the bard's name is "Shakespeare," of course, but don't tell that to USC.
"To E, or not to E, that is the question," USC said in a prepared statement emailed to LAist.
"Over the centuries his surname has been spelled 20 different ways. USC chose an older spelling because of the ancient feel of the statue, even though it is not the most common form." We wish we could use such logic to squeeze out an A on our term papers.
Photos by Clifford Galiher
Sponsored message
At the 20-foot tall statue's unveiling on August 17, it was noted that Hecuba, the queen of Troy, would serve as a counterpoint to the Tommy Trojan statue in the university's central quad.
“This is our commitment to all of the women of Trojan Family … who share the same spirit as the majestic queen of Troy,” C.L. Max Nikias, president of USC said at the statue's unveiling, notes USC News. The paper adds that Christopher Slatoff, a Trojan parent, spent two years on the sculpture.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
