ABSTRACT
The public discussion of literary topics was a popular activity among the Victorians. Literary controversies in Melbourne, as elsewhere, were usually conducted in a gentlemanly fashion. There were, however, occasions when one or other of the participants took the opportunity of using personal innuendo in the course of refuting opposing opinion. James Smith was at the centre of the Hamlet controversy, which was conducted through the columns of the Argus in 1867. The role of Hamlet was an important one for the tragedian. Most critics had their own views on the way in which it should be played and any interpretation that moved away from the traditional one was certain to be the subject of comment. Smith was to become involved in another literary controversy in 1881. The topic of Shakespeare vs. Bacon was initially one of general interest, but, as the argument continued, the focus altered until it developed into a personal attack on Smith.
