Inspired by The Tempest: Tempestuous by Kim Askew; Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston; Rough Magic by Caryl Mullin Inspired by the Taming of the Shrew: The Taming by Eric Walters & Teresa Totem Inspired by Twelfth Night: The Fool’s Girl by Celia Rees Inspired by Othello: Exposure by Mal Peet Inspired by King Lear:... Continue Reading →
Shakespeare in Popular Music, part One
“Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal.“ T.S.Eliot Sometimes,it's not really stealing, its is simply paying homage to great words and great ideas. I was actually surprised by the number of pop songs that have taken inspiration by Shakespeare's words or plays. The variety of artists range from Bob Dylan to Dire Straits, with Canadian contributions... Continue Reading →
Shakespeare at the Movies
Since the birth of film, there has been Shakespeare. While translating his plays into film may have been the high water mark of many careers such as Lord Laurence Olivier and Sir Kenneth Branagh, other actors and directors have felt the urge to interpret The Bard.... Continue Reading →
Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie “Editing Hamlet”
I'm always surprised that Shakespeare is considered so serious and dull. His comedies are some of most bawdy and farcical works ever written, full of innuendo, gender flips and insults. The tragedies are moving; full of missed opportunities, miscommunication and the misinterpretations that lead inevitably to a tragic end. The histories are most somber, but... Continue Reading →
On Shakespeare by John Milton 1608-1674
What needs my Shakespeare for his honour’d Bones, The labour of an age in pilèd Stones, Or that his hallow’d reliques should be hid Under a stary pointing Pyramid? Dear son of Memory, great heir of Fame, What need’st thou such weak witnes of thy name? Thou in our wonder and astonishment Hast built thy... Continue Reading →
Sonnet Twenty -Nine By William Shakespeare, adapted by Rufus Wainwright
Sonnet 29 When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state, And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself, and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd, Desiring this man's art and... Continue Reading →
William Shakespeare
Sonnet One From fairest creatures we desire increase, That thereby beauty’s rose might never die, But as the riper should by time decease, His tender heir might bear his memory: But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes, Feed’st thy light’st flame with self-substantial fuel, Making a famine where abundance lies, Thyself thy foe, to... Continue Reading →
If You Love Austen….
In the spirit of the upcoming release of the movie version of Shannon Hale's Austenland, we created a short video exploring some of the world on sequels, re-imaginings, and followups of Austen's work which are available in every genre imaginable. Here are a few of the best (or worst, if you're a Jane Austen purist).... Continue Reading →
The Great Gatsby
Somehow through both high school and an MA in English, I managed to miss reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. So when I discovered that Baz Luhrmann was making it into a movie, I decided to read the book before going to see it. Right when I read the first page, I knew The... Continue Reading →
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough
Few other writers have inspired the devotion of readers as deeply as Jane Austen, and there are a plethora of authors who have taken her novels and reworked them to the enjoyment or rage of her fans. Some are true to the spirit of Miss Austen, such as this year's "Death Comes to Pemblerley" by... Continue Reading →
Thunder Bay Public Library's Book Blog 