Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2015

The Millionaire and the Bard

Mays, Andrea. The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger's Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare's First Folio. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2015. Print.



First Sentences:
William Shakespeare died in April 1616 on or around his fifty-second birthday.
He was mourned by a small group of devoted family members, friends, and theatrical colleagues. His most productive years and major creative accomplishments were long behind him...Whatever ended Shakespeare's life, he died within one hundred yards of the place where he was born.









Description:

Maybe you are not very familiar with William Shakespeare, his influence on drama and literature, his era, and his lasting popularity. Maybe you are not clear that, without the publication of Shakespeare's First Folio which was the first collection of all his plays, we would not even know of Hamlet, Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. And maybe you don't know about the obsession of one man, Henry Folger, who tried to collect every existing copy of the first folios to preserve them and relish in his possession of them.

Fear not. Andrea Mays clearly answers all questions Shakespeare- and Folger-related in her wonderful, fact-packed narrative of The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger's Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare's First Folio. First we get an introductory, but solid detailing of Shakespeare's life, his work as an actor and playwright, and his power to astonish audiences from commoners to royalty. Then there is a short retelling of how the collected plays came to be published, and finally how they became the rarities sought by collectors, especially Folger, in the twentieth century.

It was soon after that and the death of Shakespeare in 1616 that John Heminges and Henry Condell, actors and share-holders in Shakespeare' company, set out to preserve all eighteen plays and publish them together in one folio (book). But plays at that time were not written down mainly to protect against other companies performing the plays without authorization. To the public, plays were to be watched, not read, so there was little call for printed version of drama. Also, many actors were illiterate so did not need complete copies of the play, relying instead on the directions of the playwright and director and their own memories. 

Using their recollections of company members, pirated versions copied by rival companies, and other sources now unknown, Heminges and Condell painstakingly created the First Folio which was printed over two years in a small run of 750 copies with 900 pages in each book. Details of the printing of such a massive volume were fascinating. 
If they had waited any longer, it might never have been printed. Within a generation, a Puritan dark age of antitheatrical mania, an attempt to "appease and avert the wrath of God," would create an eighteen-year gap in theater history. There would be no stage performances to keep the plays alive, no passing of Shakespeare's torch from one generation of actors to the next. By 1660, and the renaissance of English theater under the patronage of Charles II, it would have been too late; the age of Shakespeare's King's Men would have long passed, and with it all hope of recovering what, a generation earlier, Heminges and Condell had saved.
At that time the First Folio was in little demand, taking nine years to sell out. This First Folio, created by two men who knew and worked with Shakespeare, became the only authentic version of Shakespeare's plays as they were performed to Renaissance audiences. Other folios came later, but none matched the accuracy or completeness of the First Folio. Less than 200 copies survive today with only about 35 complete with all pages, title page, and woodcut of Shakespeare.

Enter Henry Clay Folger, a brilliant accountant with the new Standard Oil Company. Folger, as he rose in the ranks in responsibility and salary, began to collect Shakespearean rarities, including First Folios. At that time, the folios were not in high demand (indeed, some libraries and museums discarded First Folios and replaced them with Second, Third, and Fourth Folios, versions that superseded the First, but were actually full of errors, revisions, and plays not written by Shakespeare). Folger initially could only buy battered copies fairly cheaply. Soon, though, the better, more complete (and expensive) copies lured him and his wife and the passion to purchase grew to an obsession.

Folger became a Shakespeare expert, acquiring all things Shakespeare. Author Mays tells the gripping tales of discovery of rarities, bidding, and acquiring (or losing out on) these items. One First Folio took four years to negotiate at a cost of $50,000, more than the much rarer Gutenberg Bible. One copy was nearly discarded as trash after being found in a barn loft in Sweden. He lost out on several very rare copies due to his cheapness and lack of urgency, but he did not repeat those failings often. What he wanted, he got, keeping his identity a mystery so sellers would not know of his passion and raise prices. Eventually, Folger acquired 82 copies of First Folios, about a third of all known existing copies.

But what to do with the collection? Folger in his later years designed and build the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. to preserve his works under one roof. The trials from 1921-1930 of acquiring land and worrying every detail of the building (install the new invention of air conditioning?) kept him occupied to his death in 1930. When the Folger Library opened in 1932 the collection included:
Two hundred fifty-six thousand books; 60,000 manuscripts; 200 oil paintings; 50,000 watercolors, prints, and photographs; dozens of sculptures; half a million playbills; plus theater programs, musical instruments, costumes, and more. Each book, artwork, and artifact spoke to the others in a magical resonance that recreated the spirit of Shakespeare's age. 
Author Mays is a storyteller with few equals. Her thorough research provides fascinating details about the life and times of Shakespeare, the passion of Folger, and the world of rare book dealers, The Millionaire and the Bard never wavers in its goal to provide a great story full of interesting facts to its readers. There is genuine tension as Folger seeks out long-lost first folios, bidding anonymously, wondering whether the article is genuine, and whether he overpaid/underbid in his one opportunity to acquire a treasure. He is a strong, determined man on a quest and Mays lets you into his brain and his world in all its richness and dogged pursuit of Shakespeare's rarities.

Whether you are interested or not in Shakespeare, Folger, or First Folios, The Millionaire and the Bard is a rip-roaring tale of history, rare books, riches, and passion that will engross any reader. Highly recommended for any history-lover, Shakespeare-lover, or just lovers of a gripping tale.
When a lonely little old man hoards thousands of pounds of stacked newspapers and trash, we call him compulsive and crazy. When a multimillionaire industrialist squirrels away tons of rare books, manuscripts, artworks, and memorabilia, we call him a great collector and a man of exquisite taste.
(P.S. Here's a look at the First Folios and also the Folger Shakespeare Library).


Happy reading. 



Fred

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Works of Shakespeare

If you want to attend a Shakespearean play and not only understand the plot but realize the background behind the action, nod your head at the historic element of the characters, and chortle at the jokes, then this book is the best, most readable way to that end. Asimov tackles all the plays, providing explanations of important lines and bring the plot and characters into a new light. (previously reviewed here)

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Shakespeare Saved My Life

Bates, Laura. Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks. 2013. Print


First Sentences:

"Oh, man, this is my favorite freaking' quote."


What professor wouldn't like to hear a student enthuse so much over a Shakespeare play - a Shakespeare history play, no less! And then to be able to flip open the two-thousand-page Complete Works of Shakespeare and find the quote immediately: "When that this body did contain a spirit, a kingdom for it was too small a bound"!


He smacks the book as he finishes reading. Meanwhile, I'm still scrambling to find the quote somewhere in Henry the Fourth, Part One.






Description:

Just imagine yourself as a 17-year-old boy, a fifth-grade dropout, in court facing the death penalty for your involvement in a random murder of a stranger. Advice from your family is to plead guilty and accept whatever the court gives you in order to escape execution.


The verdict: a life sentence with no possibility of parole, no appeal of the sentence, and incarceration at a juvenile and then an adult prison - mostly in solitary confinement. For the rest of your life. And you are only 17.


Such is the fate of Larry Newton, depicted in Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates. Newton went to jail as a teen, spent 10 years in solitary confinement, stabbed a guard, lead a prison riot, had several escape attempts, and in general was angry at the world, himself, and life. 


Enter Laura Bates, a professor at Indiana State University and prison volunteer who had been going inside the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Indiana to teach classes for prisoners pursuing undergraduate degrees. 


In 2000 she was allowed to teach several prisoners in the supermax portion of the prison, the solitary confinement section that housed the most violent of men. Her goal was to read and discuss Shakespeare with these prisoners, seemingly an absurd notion. 

But Bates reasoned that these prisoners would relate to the ambition, violence, murder, and revenge portrayed in the plays. She hoped that familiarity with these situations and themes would create discussion among the prisoners and her about their experiences with human psychology, social pressures, behavior, and punishment.

In the supermax, she met Newton, the man with the most violent history, but also with one of the brightest minds. "Met" does not exactly describe their first encounter. For these sessions, Bates had to sit on a folding chair in an empty area surrounded by four blank, solid doors of the solitary confinement cells. Her only view of the four prisoners in her class was via a small slot in each man's solid iron door where they received their food. They cannot see each other, can barely see her, and must talk with faces pressed against that rectangular slot.

Newton responds to one of the first readings Bates gives the men, the soliloquy from Richard II delivered from Richard's prison cell. Dialogue between Newton and the prisoners soon arises about the meaning and relevance of "fortune's slaves" and predetermination. Newton reasons that Shakespeare might have done time in prison for his accurate portrayal of the thoughts Richard feels while pacing inside his cell, the most common activity of prisoners according to Newton. 

Newton becomes the leader of these classes, asking insightful questions and encouraging dialog among the solitary prisoners. Bates later even asks him to create a teaching packet based on his questions for other prisoners outside of the program to learn about Shakespeare's themes. His packets contain discussion questions for MacbethKing John, Hamlet, and other plays. He and others in solitary write their own versions of Romeo and Juliet and other plays which are performed by prisoners in the regular prison population. Of course, Newton and his fellow playwrights cannot attend.

Shakespeare Saved My Life tells a bittersweet story. It's not always a pretty picture, but the book honestly shows the environment of these men, their complete lack of control and decision-making regarding any aspect of their lives, and their limited opportunities to improve their minds. Hanging over each page is the realization that Newton is in prison forever, no matter his intelligence or positive influence in spreading the thoughts of Shakespeare to his fellow inmates.


But the book succeeds over and over in recalling the discussions with Newton and others, their probing new theories about about the motivation of Shakespeare's characters, and the repeated examples that show the Bard created situations, people, and actions that still ring true 400 years later, even to men behind bars. Professor and prisoner, together and alone, expand their awareness about the completely different life in existance outside their own world.

A fantastic book, intriguing, and eye-opening on many levels. 


Happy reading. 


Fred
www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com
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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Lowrie, David. My Life in Prison  
Memoirs of a man sentenced to 15 years in San Quentin in the early 1900s, He intelligently and compassionately describes the ordinary people incarcerated there, all aspects of the prison life, and even the torture of solitary confinement and the early version of the straight jacket. Fascinating, riveting reading. 


Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare  
Absolutely the best book for general readers to understand each of Shakespeare's plays, with historic background, significant passages, insight into motivation, explanation of Renaissance themes and word plays, and more to make any Shakespeare play understandable and enjoyable. Fantastic. [Previously reviewed on this blog.]  

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare

Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare. New York:Wings books. 1970. Print


First Sentences:

Those of us who speak English as our native tongue can count a number of blessings. 

It is a widespread language that is understood by more people in more parts of the world than any other and it is therefore the language that is most nearly an open door to all peoples....

But most of all, we who speak English can read, in the original, the writings of William Shakespeare, a man who is certainly the supreme writer through all the history of English literature and who, in the opinion of many, is the greatest writer who ever lived -- in any language.







Description:

William Shakespeare presents a unique dichotomy. On one hand, his plays are still being performed worldwide over 400 years after they were composed, and his complete works are always prominently featured on lists of books to be taken to a deserted island. As in the quote above, he is widely considered the greatest writer in any language.

On the other hand, for many people there is a sense of dread about facing this author. When high school students are required to read a play by Shakespeare, there is much teeth-gnashing, protesting, and avoidance. People of all ages in today's theatre audiences often experience more confusion than pleasure when attending a performance of a Shakespearean play.

And why is that? It is because the language makes his art very difficult to understand. Added to that, his plays involve unfamiliar plots, settings, and story lines that can prove challenging to decipher much less enjoy for many modern theatre-goers. Throw in the rapid speaking by large numbers of characters and an evening of Shakespeare soon translates into more frustration than pleasure.

To the rescue comes Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare by Isaac Asimov. This is the greatest reference book for complete understanding all forty of the plays the Bard penned, written in Asimov's clear, intelligent, and very thorough style. If you are faced with attending a performance of Shakespeare, get this book immediately. You will thank me over and over!

In his two-volume Guide (usually combined into one very thick book), Asimov separates the plays into five groups: 
  • Greek plays - based on Greek history or legends
  • Roman plays - based on Roman history
  • Italian plays - set in Renaissance Italy or nearby locales
  • English plays - historical English events and legends

He provides a 10-50 page guide for each play starting with a historic background of the specific setting, era, and incidents that have led up to the action set forth in the play. This history is extremely handy for today's audiences unfamiliar with the play's setting, characters, and story. Because Shakespeare wrote for audiences who already knew this background information from stories, legends, and histories, he wasted little performance time with needless scene-setting. Shakespeare's plays start with a bang in the first lines of every Act I, so any modern audience member must be familiar with the back story and characters before sitting down or risk being hopeless lost from the opening minutes.  

Following the background, Asimov meticulously highlights lines which are the most critical to the play, as well as the words, phrases and references that might be confusing to anyone not familiar with the language and culture presented in the piece. Asimov shows the context of these lines, then gives brief explanations and even histories of the unknown words and phrases. Thus, he helps clarify the obscure (to us) references, define words created by Shakespeare, reveal the innuendos, illuminate references to previous events, and even describe the severity of insults.

Slowly, by providing this understanding, Asimov draws us into the complexity of the characters and their motivations in the backdrop of this historical setting. With his guidance, the characters are revealed as genuinely human, representatives of their era, with real ambitions and failings, along with passionate love or hatred for others in the play. 

The action, therefore, becomes easier to comprehend as it flows naturally from the dreams, fears, ambitions, and frailties motivating the decisions of these characters. The play becomes more than words, costumes, and sets. It now shines as if a brighter light was turned up to reveal what was previously hidden in shadows, far beyond the basic plot and famous speeches.

Armed with this knowledge of character, plot, and language, we are now fully prepared to enjoy reading or watching a Shakespeare performance. Asimov provides an understanding of the subtleties of the setting and forces at work and an intimacy with the characters and their motivations. And during a performance you are on the edge of your seat in anticipation of rich phrases or shocking actions, or chuckling smugly at jokes that sail over the heads of the uninitiated.

And that is why Shakespeare is still performed, read, memorized, and taken to deserted islands today. The same forces of love, passion, pride, envy, and ambition drive the characters in a 400-year-old Shakespearean play as they do all people over the past centuries. Audiences everywhere are fascinated to watch this fact play out year after year, generation after generation.

And thanks to Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, we, too, are able to recognize and appreciate the richness, the wit, and the truisms expressed by the greatest writer of all time in the most wonderful writing ever produced

What a gift Asimov has given us: the ability to enjoy rather than dread Shakespeare. 

Happy reading. 


Fred
www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com
Comments 
Previous posts
____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Tey, Josephine. Daughter of Time 
Inspector Alan Grant, laid up on his back recovering from a police-related injury, becomes fascinated with the face of Richard III, King of England, and decides to solve the mystery of this king's legacy and the death of his nephews in the Tower of London. Great historical research and references are used to unravel the details of the murder, with very surprising conclusions.

Burgess, Anthony. Nothing Like the Sun 
Based on the meager bits of information known about Shakespeare, Burgess constructs a richly imaginative, plausible biography that depicts the love life of WS as the driving force behind his works. Sprinkles in many allusions to Shakespeare's sonnets and plays, much like the Shakespeare in Love film.