Book Note: Is It True What They Say About Shakespeare?

Wells, Stanley. Is It True What They Say About Shakespeare? Ebrington: Long Barn Books, n.d. [Note: The edition I have isn't dated, but other sources offer 2007 as a publication date.]

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Stanley Wells is one of the great popularizers of scholarship about Shakespeare. He writes clearly and entertainingly about both simple and knotty problems.

This volume is no exception. It's brief, but it's fascinating, and it's the kind of book anyone can dip into to get succinct, comprehensible answers to a number of questions commonly (and uncommonly) asked about Shakespeare.

I'm providing a number of examples below, starting with one I've investigated and written about before (for which, q.v.).

Some of the questions Wells addresses form part of the anti-Stratfordians arguments, like these that deal with the writing habits of his family:

Here's another question related to the argument that Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to Shakespeare:

The questions aren't all designed to put to rest the quibbles of the anti-Stratfordian camp (though there is an extensive section toward the end of the book that deals with a host of pretenders to the authorship of Shakespeare's works), but they are all enlightening—whether you're well-versed in the bard and his oeuvre or a relative newcomer to the man and his works. I recommend getting a copy to leave on your coffee table for everyone who comes into your home to dip into.

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Click below to purchase the book from amazon.com
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).

Book Note: A Wounded Name

Hutchison, Dot. A Wounded Name. Minneapolis: CarolRhoda LAB, 2013.

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A Wounded Name is another retelling of Hamlet from Ophelia's point of view. I was mostly unimpressed by the prose, but I found some of the characterization and modernization to work in interesting ways.

The novel modernizes Hamlet and places the majority of its plots among the young adults—but not like Falling for Hamlet, which seems imminently inauthentic (for which, q.v.). There's something more convincing—more significant about these teens' struggles.

It's particularly true of Ophelia. We're not entirely sure how reliable she is as a narrator. She doesn't always take her medicine, and when she fails to do so, she sees the ghosts surrounding the area—including that of her departed mother, who keeps urging her to come back to the lake where she (Ophelia's mother—but possibly also Ophelia herself) drowned. Sometimes she takes her meds; sometimes she hides them. We're never sure quite where we are with Ophelia. At one point, she says, "I took my pills, but the pills are like words, they don't always mean anything even when they should" (40).

Here's a quick sample chapter—but remember that I'm not admiring the writing as much as the way the plot plays out and the characters are constructed.

I wasn't expecting much, but I was intrigued enough to keep on reading until the very end. I'm not the target audience, but I think this will appeal to that audience (certainly much more than Falling for Hamlet did).

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Click below to purchase the book from amazon.com
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).

Introducing Infinite Variety: The Shakespeare Rewatch Podcast: “And Now for Something Completely Different”

kj & sg (a.k.a. Keith "Bardfilm" Jones and Duane "ShakespeareGeek" Morin). Infinite Variety: The Shakespeare Rewatch Podcast. Podcast. 2024–Present. 

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I was brainstorming with ShakespeareGeek the other day about all things Shakespeare and how to expand the audience for the conversation about his works—and then it struck us that we were uniquely situated to start a Shakespeare podcast.

We've both been blogging about Shakespeare for years. We both have a great passion for (nearly) all things Shakespeare. And we both have strong opinions and aren't afraid to argue about them.

After that, it was a matter of considering where we could best fit in and what an audience would like to hear. With the increasing number of "rewatch" podcasts out there and the relative paucity of rewatch podcasts focusing on Shakespeare, the choice became clear. We would put together the ultimate Shakespeare rewatch podcast, re-watching (or, for one or the other or both of us, watching for the first time) Shakespeare films in the infinite variety that exists out there. 

We are now pleased to present Infinite Variety: The Shakespeare Rewatch Podcast:

Infinite Variety: The Shakespeare Rewatch Podcast explores the enormous number of things that have been done with the works of William Shakespeare. Bardfilm and ShakespeareGeek, two longtime Shakespeare bloggers, offer insight, commentary, and argument on a vast array of projects inspired by Shakespeare—and on the plays and poetry of Shakespeare himself.

Please join us for our first endeavor in what we hope to be a long series of Shakespearean adventures: A rewatch of the Canadian television show Slings & Arrows. Even if you've seen it a dozen times before, you'll find new insights here. And if you've never seen it, you won't be lost! You'll find much of interest in our discussions and arguments (and you're likely to be inspired to track down a great television show to watch on your own).

Subscribe to Infinite Variety on your favorite podcast platform (links are found below), and spread the word. We want to invite as many people as possible to join the Shakespeare conversation.

p.s. All right, it's not something completely different. But it is a completely new medium for a continuing conversation!

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Links: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on Spotify. Subscribe elsewhere. Read ShakespeareGeek's blog post on the podcast.

Click below to purchase Slings & Arrows from amazon.com
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so)

so that you'll be ready for this and future episodes 

of the newest Shakespeare podcast around!