Category: Shakespeare

Reading in 2021

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 4 Comments
February Choices. Not pictured: Wintering by Katherine May, an ebook.

One of my goals for 2021 is to be more intentional in my reading. Last year, along with many others, I did a lot of comfort reading. That was fine, and I don’t regret it, but there are areas in which I’d like to grow in my reading life. Growth will only occur if I’m deliberate since I’d much rather just pick up one more murder mystery.

One thing that helped a lot in my planning was listening to Episode 265 of the What Should I Read Next podcast. Anne’s guest Laura Tremaine had ten questions to ask about your reading life. I journaled through these questions and came up with some ideas on how I wanted to approach my reading in 2021.

Also, I downloaded the Literary Life podcast 19 in 2021 reading challenge and the Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge. Since the MMD challenge was more of a worksheet on how you want your reading life to look, I was able to combine the two challenges to give me a good list of areas in which to read this year.

Here are the categories I hope to tackle in 2021. These include both challenges plus some work reading:

  • Poetry – They suggested an anthology, of which I own several. Normally I don’t read one straight through but dip in and out.
  • Letters – These would be real-life letters, which I love to read. I may combine this category with the next one and read the last book of Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s letters that I’ve owned for several years but not yet read.
  • A book from my To-Be-Read stack – Lots to choose from here!
  • Old Books – My cut off is anything pre-1950
  • A Shakespeare play – I’ve read about three fourths of his plays and plan to read one new to me.
  • A book that requires jumping a hurdle. Either because it’s difficult to read or long or I’m avoiding it for some reason.
  • A book I started but never finished – There are several possibilities for this category.
  • Something Russian – Perhaps I should combine the previous category with this one and finally finish Anna Karenina!
  • Biography and Memoir – This is one of my favorite categories so I’ll have fun choosing a book for this one.
  • Something Local – I can read a book set in my area or by a local author. Since I work with the local authors at my library, I have many possibilities.
  • Reading Outside My Comfort Zone – This is a work category and part of the challenge.
  • Travel Books – I have a couple on my shelves that I’ve been meaning to read.
  • A Re-Read – I re-read regularly so this will be easy.
  • A Favorite Topic – I could choose several areas here–writing, genealogy, cooking, needlework, English history, or theology.
  • Focusing on an author – The idea is to read three or more books by the same author. I hope to choose a non-mystery author to stretch me.
  • Multicultural/#OwnVoices novel or memoir – This is for work and part of the challenge – I completed this one by reading The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper.
  • Theology and Christian Living – At least two of each this year.
  • A Winter Reading Challenge badge – Our library has a winter reading challenge each year, and you can earn badges by reading books in different categories. I earned the Surviving Winter Challenge by reading Snow by John Banville, A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow, and Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac.

My January reading was very satisfying in comfort although not so much in the challenge. I read three nonfiction, one of which was poetry, fifteen fiction books, and one children’s book. Of the fiction, only three weren’t mysteries. As much as I love mysteries, I need to be more adventurous in my reading.

I re-read several Hercule Poirot novels, which could count in the rereading category as well as the focus on a single author category, but they aren’t really stretching my reading life so I won’t count them toward the challenge.
Waiting on the Word was poetry and devotional, but since I started it in December, I don’t plan to count it on this list. Also, I finally finished Union with Christ, which I started last year, too, so I’m not counting it either.
Business as Usual by Jane Oliver was a delightful novel in letters. It doesn’t count for the challenge since that’s supposed to be real life letters, but it was so wonderful that I don’t care. I loved every second of it and will most likely read it again in the near future.

February is off to a better start as I intentionally chose books to read and am setting aside time daily to make progress in them—theology, nonfiction, and a book on literature. I’d like to add a book on writing and some poetry. I’ve almost decided which poetry anthology to read. In the meantime, I’m listening to a podcast on poetry and one on writing.

Do you plan to read intentionally in 2021? What’s the best book you read in January?

Reading and Listening – November 2020

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 2 Comments

October was a busy month. My son got married in another state, which required planning, travelling, and quarantining afterward. Then, a few days ago, I was in charge of a virtual conference that has taken a lot of time and work this past month to plan and coordinate all the moving parts.

Added to those two big things, a third big event was the reopening of library access to the public, which requires a lot more time in the library branches. I’m so happy to see and help our community again in person, albeit masked and socially distanced.

However, I have still carved out to read and listen to various articles and podcasts. Here are some of my favorites:

Reading:

Feed the Better Hunger – I used to tell my boys that taking in too much “junk food of the mind” is as bad for your brain as eating too much junk food is for your body. Glenna Marshall writes about what we should be hungering for in this article. We need to intentionally learn to love what is good for us and this article points us in the right direction.

6 Tips to Help You Tackle the Classic Novel – Anne Bogel gives six great ideas on how to read that classic from high school that you skipped. I 100% agree about trying it on audio. I finally managed to read Moby Dick several years ago by listening to the audio, and Heart of Darkness was much more manageable when read by Kenneth Branagh.

Your Devotional is Not Your Bible – As usual, Jen Wilkin encourages the reading and study of God’s Word over everything else: “Devotional writing, when done with excellence, may supplement our time in the Scriptures, but it must not subordinate or supplant it.”

The Hidden Discipline of John Stott – This is an inspiring, convicting article. If I was half as disciplined in my reading and writing as John Stott was, I’d be a first class scholar. Definitely something to aspire to!

Fact Checking Is the Core of Nonfiction Writing. Why Do So Many Publishers Refuse to Do It? – A longish article on the need for fact checking nonfiction books and the lack of industry standards. This was interesting to me as I’m currently working on a nonfiction book and anyone who is also writing nonfiction might want to give it a read. Fact checking and copy editing are not the same thing, and I had been thinking about how to make sure my facts were correct (important when you work in research for a living!) when I saw this article.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had hoped to finish Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell by the end of October and I did. I think this was my favorite fiction book in 2020. The combination of historical detail, rich characterization, an inventive plot, magical realism, and deep, deep emotions left me with a huge book hangover and food for thought for weeks. If you like Shakespeare or you like historical fiction, you will like this book.

Listening:

A podcast on the three stages of creative work: friction, flow, and finalization – At the beginning of episode 37, Cal Newport talks about how all creative work has these three stages, what each stage entails, and how to push through to complete your project. I’ve often said that writing is 25% thought, 25% drafting, and 50% editing/polishing. Even if my percentages are a bit off, it was nice to know that I’m not the only one who has noticed that the majority of the project is not the fun drafting part.

The last Help Me Teach the Bible podcast – After years of talking to Bible teachers all over the world, Nancy Guthrie is (mostly) wrapping up this podcast. She does reserve the right to do an occasional new one if she’s able to do a great interview in the future. Here’s a list of episodes by Scripture: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/help-me-teach-the-bible-episodes-by-scripture/

Now that I’m back to commuting on a regular basis, I should have more listening suggestions next month. What are you reading or listening to right now? Please share in the comments.

Shakespeare Plays I Have Watched

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 2 Comments

When I studied Shakespeare in college, one of the requirements of the class was to watch each of the plays we were studying.  Before that year, other than the couple of times I had seen live performances of a Shakespeare play, I had only read the plays, never watched a video.

However, since it was an assignment for class, I made my way over to the audio/visual library on campus and checked out my first Shakespeare video, Richard II*.  It was marvelous.  I had already read the play and watching it helped me to understand even more what was occurring in the play.  With facial expressions, props, costumes, and even the way the actors said their parts, I was drawn into the action of the play even more than when I had read them.

Since that time, I have watched many of Shakespeare’s plays.  Sometimes it was to go along with whatever play we were studying at the time and sometimes just for the fun of it.

I am listing the plays I have watched below with a brief idea of why I liked it (or not).  I hope to continue watching Shakespeare on video. In fact, I am eagerly awaiting my turn for our library’s copy of BBC’s The Hollow Crown series.

Comedies: 

Much Ado About Nothing – Kenneth Branagh, Denzel Washington, and Emma Thompson.  This is my favorite of Branagh’s Shakespeare films.  It is just so fun to watch.  Also, I love Michael Keaton as Dogberry.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – I’ve seen the BBC production and the 1999 film.  I liked both.  The BBC production has Helen Mirren as Titania, , Peter McEnery, and Geoffrey Palmer.  My favorite is the 1999 film.  It is delightful with Rupert Everett as Oberon, Stanley Tucci is a fantastic Puck, Michelle Pfeiffer as a beautiful, slightly dim Titania, and Kevin Kline as Bottom.  They use Mendelssohn’s music and it is simply magical.  I have yet to see the Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play with Ian Holm, Judi Dench,  Ian Richardson, Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren, and Sebastian Shaw.

The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino as Shylock, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons and Lynn Collins.  While I liked this movie, there were things about it that I didn’t like.  I enjoyed Lynn Collins but I didn’t care for Jeremy Irons as much as I had hoped I would.  Al Pacino is very good although I’m not sure I completely agree with the way he interpreted the role.  I long to see the 1973 version with Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright if I can find a copy.

The Taming of the Shrew – I have seen two versions of this play:  the famous Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor version and the BBC production with John Cleese.  Both have their issues and while it is interesting to watch one of the Monty Python cast playing Shakespeare, the Burton/Taylor version is just so fun and what chemistry between them!

The Tempest – I have only seen the version with Helen Mirren as Prospera.  I had never seen Prospero played by a woman and Helen Mirren is always good, but I’d like to find another version to watch.

Love’s Labour’s Lost with Kenneth Branagh and Alicia Silverstone.  It’s Shakespeare as a musical and while not perfect, an enjoyable way to spend the evening.

Tragedies:

MacBeth – The version with Ian McKellan and Judi Dench was good but not so compelling that I have wanted to see it again.

Hamlet – Kenneth Branagh’s version is the entire play and over four hours long.  Excellent and well worth the time spent.

Romeo and Juliet – I have seen both the Franco Zeffirelli and the Claire Danes/Leo Dicaprio versions.  I prefer the Zeffirelli version.  It is beautifully filmed and catches the tragedy of the play so, so well.

Histories: 

Richard II with Derek Jacobi, John Gielgud, and Jon Finch – Excellent production

Henry IV, Parts I and II with Jon Finch, Anthony Quayle, and David Gwillim  – Good productions

Henry V – Laurence Olivier is wonderful as Henry V, Kenneth Branagh’s music score makes his Henry V one of the best Shakespeare films to watch (I cry every time I watch the scene after the St. Crispin’s Day battle when they sing Non Nobis), and David Gwillim does a great job of playing Henry in the BBC.  Watch all three and decide which you like best.

Richard III with Laurence Olivier is a classic.  Although I don’t agree with Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard, no one can deny that Olivier does a fantastic job playing the evil hunchback who wanted England’s throne so much that he would kill children.

 

*BBC’s productions of the plays:  These are a good place to start.  Some of England’s great character actors play in these and many of them are excellent; most are very good.  They are often more like a stage production than a film though.

Reading Shakespeare

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 3 Comments

Hamlet

 

When you first approach reading Shakespeare, it can be a daunting experience.  Even though I grew up reading the King James version of the Bible with similar language, I still found Shakespeare a difficult read unless I had a teacher holding my hand throughout the play.  I could understand the basic plot line and even some of the language, but many of the jokes, the history, and the language went over my head.

When I first started planning to teach Shakespeare to my children, I knew I was going to need some help.  Three things especially have made an enormous difference in our Shakespeare studies.

First, whenever I could find them, we would use the Oxford School Shakespeare editions of the plays.  Each volume contains a synopsis, commentary, and extensive line by line notes on the language, jokes, people, places, and history.  There are also discussion questions and a book list in the back for more information.  Throughout each book, there are black and white photographs of the play being performed.  I have grown a lot in my understanding of each of the plays for which I’ve had this version.

Second, we listen to the play while we read.  The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare recordings are the best approach to the play, in my opinion.  While many people say that everyone should take parts and read it aloud, I did not feel confident to do so and neither did my children.  Now we can listen to Shakespearean actors act out the play on audio while we follow along.  These recordings are brilliant and make all of the difference in bringing Shakespeare alive.

Third, I read commentaries on the play for myself before, during, and after I read the play.  The two books I read most often are Harold Bloom’s Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human and  Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays by Peter Leithart.  Both of these books have been a great help in understanding what Shakespeare is doing.  I may not always agree with the author but at least it gives me a starting place in my thinking about the play.

Just recently I heard about Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber.  I just picked it up at the library today and am hoping to dip into it for my reading of Hamlet.  Another resource that has been a great help is Peter Saccio’s lectures on Shakespeare, two of The Great Courses lecture series.  My library carries these series and Dr. Saccio is an engaging teacher who “unpacks” each play thoroughly and winsomely.  I recommend them.

Of course, many teachers recommend watching Shakespeare whenever possible and we do that, too.  I will write about some of our experiences another day.

I hope these helps in reading Shakespeare will make a difference in your reading, whether you are reading on your own, for a class, or with your family.

Who wants to read Hamlet in January?

~ Joy O'Toole ~ 1 Comment

TLCOBC Bkmk

There is a new online book club, The Literary Classics Online Book Club, which plans to read a classic work of literature every other month.  The first month TLCOBC will post interesting facts and background information on their blog and social media sites while everyone reads (or listens to) the book.  Then the second month, the club will host discussions about the book for anyone to participate in.  The first book they have chosen to read is Hamlet by William Shakespeare, often considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.  Andrew Kern from The Circe Institute has spoken and written about this play many times and is he is in the middle of a podcast series on Hamlet (the first of which you can find here). Before listening to the podcasts I have been meaning to re-read the play and this seems like the perfect opportunity.  Besides, wouldn’t it be fun to read the play, listen to Andrew talk about it and then join in a discussion?  Who’s game?