Book review: Who art thou, Shakespeare?
By Michael Dirda Michael Dirda Email Bio Critic May 22 at 12:09 PM For the past 400 years William Shakespeare has held a position in English-language literature roughly analogous to that of the major authors of Latin antiquity during the Renaissance. His plays and their characters, as well as myriad lines of unforgettable poetry, have suffused and shaped our art and culture.
Now, any study of classical influences can readily come across as either daunting or soporific, but Bate eschews jargon, writes a forceful, clear prose, provides translations of Latin quotations and makes sure that his arguments are easy to follow. As a result “How the Classics Made Shakespeare” stands as a model of sensitively marshaled humanist learning and thoughtful appreciation. Not incidentally does Bate admire such elegant and magisterial examples of historical criticism as E.R.
While Shakespeare drew strength from literary tradition, Bate emphasizes that the playwright’s fundamental view of life was irreverent, even — to use a current vogue word — disruptive. His women are usually smarter than his men and he values friendship, Falstaffian gusto, rural pleasures and kindness over duty, religion, politics and martial heroism. People, in all their troubled, moral complexity, matter more than laws and abstract principles do.
He is obviously right to feel uneasy. Still, we will almost certainly continue to be fascinated, perplexed and maddened by the “authorship” question, what Stuart Kells grandiosely calls, in the subtitle to “Shakespeare’s Library,” the “greatest mystery in literature.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Review | Why I will start including accessibility information in my restaurant reviewsToo many diners find they can’t easily get in — or around — a restaurant. They need to know what to expect.
Read more »
How One Founder Is Convening Black Women To Improve Access To The Art World.tila_studios, a visual arts incubator for black women in Atlanta, has made noise in an industry that statistically doesn’t hear black women. paid colehaan
Read more »
Daniel Hahn on the art of translationA translator does not transcribe a text, he argues, nor do they rewrite it
Read more »
A billionaire shows his peers a better use of their wealth than buying crummy artOn one side: A former Goldman Sachs exec who spent $91 million on a rabbit statue. On the other: A billionaire who paid off student loans for nearly 400 graduates for an estimated $40 million. From columnist hiltzikm:
Read more »
Art Collectors Splurge on Trophy Works at AuctionsCollectors jostled at the high end of the market during the New York auctions, smashing record prices for more than four dozen artists, including Claude Monet and Jeff Koons.
Read more »
How the biggest new comic-arts festival reflects better representation for womenThis weekend's National Cartoonist Society Festival in Southern California embraces fields where female cartoonists are thriving.
Read more »
Why women’s art sells at a discountIn countries with greater gender equality, discounts applied to artwork by women were lower
Read more »
Barr Says Review of Origins of Russia Probe Could Lead to Rule ChangesAttorney General William Barr said his review of the origins of the Russia investigation is focused on U.S. intelligence-gathering before the FBI opened its formal inquiry in July 2016 and could lead to rule changes for counterintelligence investigations of political campaigns.
Read more »
‘John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum’ Review: Elegant Escapism“John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum” won’t win any points for deep thinking, but that’s just fine, writes our film critic
Read more »
‘Catch-22’ Review: Satire Goes From Biting to BleakHulu’s six-part adaptation of Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” is one of the existentially bleaker experiences your TV has to offer this season
Read more »