How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche
Summary (from Goodreads): Shakespeare is all around us. From nightclubs to Broadway musicals, in voting booths in the American South and the trees of Central Park – William Shakespeare’s literary power is so intense and widespread that it intrudes into the material world. “Esquire” columnist Stephen Marche takes us on a delightful tour through the continuous stream of Shakespeare’s influence, summoning up the Bard in the most unexpected places: In 1890, as part of a plan to introduce every bird mentioned by Shakespeare to North America, Eugene Schieffelin imported and released a bunch of pesky Starlings into New York’s Central Park. The Nazi Party issued a pamphlet entitled Shakespeare – a Germanic Writer, and in 1936 there were more productions of Shakespeare in Germany than in the rest of the world combined. Shakespeare coined approximately 1,700 words, including lackluster, fashionable, auspicious, bandit, glow, hush, dawn, gnarled, hobnob, traditional, and the name Jessica. In 1930, Paul Robeson became the first black actor to play the part of “Othello” in England after being rejected for the role in the U.S. Robeson famously said of his performance, “Othello” has made me free.
My Thoughts: This was a very interesting book about just how influential Shakespeare was – and still is. His phrases, words, and even whole works still are integrated throughout society. And not just that of those who speak English. According to Marche, Shakespeare has found his way into cultures all over the world: “Shakespeare is an English writer only in the sense that soccer is an English sport.” (page 119 ARC)
I would agree that “Shakespeare is the world’s most powerful writer.” (ARC page 146) I would not, however, take it so far as to say that “he was one of the most powerful figures in world history generally.” (ARC page 146) While, yes, I love Shakespeare’s works, I really don’t think I’d take it quite that far. To give him credit for shaping modern psychology (with the help of Freud, of course) and even politics seems a bit much to me. Still, I loved the story about Shakespeare’s influence on the environment – apparently he is to blame for the starling problem in North America! (Curious? You gotta read it to find out what I’m referring to! 
)
Not only did I learn a lot about how he influenced language and culture (even if some of the claims seem a bit lofty to me), I also learned about the man. Well, not so much about him, but that there’s very little we actually do know about him. We don’t even know for sure the dates of his birth and death. And we know very little with any certainty about his life. Was he really married to Anne Hathaway? There are even some sects that believe he wasn’t William Shakespeare, but someone else – although Marche isn’t buying it, calling those people “the crazies.” There is a plethora of other things we don’t know with any degree of certainty, and I am in awe of what little we actually know.
Favorite Quotes: There is plenty worth quoting in this book, but I’ll just share a couple of nuggets.
Shakespeare is his words. Lost words, stolen words, fancy words, everyday words, nonsense words, words that trudge through life and words that sing, words like chasms of ever-deepening significance, words that fall apart like sandcastles. He is all of his words, and his words are ours. His truest dominion is in speech, and it grows every time we open our mouths. ~ page 49 (ARC)
I think this is my favorite quote. There is no disputing that Shakespeare is the king of words. The number of words he coined is astounding, and many of his phrases are used again and again and again. Some of his words (mentioned in the book): accused, addiction, alligator, amazement, anchovy, arouse, assassination, auspicious, deafening, buzzer, zany, glow, gnarled, traditional, eventful … I think the one that shocked me the most was “alligator” – really? I had no idea! Some of his phrases/expressions (also in the book): snail-paced, green-eyed, fool’s paradise … Most of these phrases, and the aforementioned words, are used quite commonly in today’s society. It’s hard to believe they’ve lasted so long. And let’s not forget how much lines from his plays get used regularly, too.
More writers read him and imitate him than anybody else. He was, put simply, the first great writer of secular literature, and he has influenced all secular literature after him. ~ page 118 (ARC)
Given the number of Shakespeare’s phrases we use on an almost daily basis, I think this rings true.
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: Sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read It: Get your own copy HERE.
(This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)
Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011.
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