Oh, Shakespeare

During class today we discussed one of the points of Frederick Turner's book on Shakespeare and economics.  During this conversation, something came to mind which hadn't, until today, particularly concerned me.  In A Midsummer Night's Dream, at some point, the question of money arises and I noticed that even though the play is set in and around Athens, the characters still discuss the money in terms of the British monetary system.  I know I thought it strange when I first read it, but I just brushed it off as a minor detail; but upon further reflection, it shows something more.  I believe that this detail gives us an insight into realism and its progress in British literature.  During the process of literary development, realism came under question and I suppose one could say it peaked under the regime of the English novel.  This is the first time that I have noticed some detail like this entering into the details of realism even if this is a demonstration of a nonrealistic detail.  While this thought seems mostly undeveloped here, it is something which I will keep an eye on in the later readings, and perhaps my additional readings, and see if I can make any more notes or conclusions about Shakespeare and realism (or the lack thereof).

Turner and Hughes

It is my understanding that this blog is supposed to be a reconciliation of Shakespeare, Turner, and Hughes; and after leaving class on Friday, I ran (figuratively) over to the library and picked up a copy of Frederick Turner's book Shakespeare and the Nature of Time.  I will try to get explain the relationship between these three works as well as how we can use these works with relation to A Midsummer's Night Dream


Shakespeare and the Nature of Time:
The metaphysical space that takes place in a Midsummer Night's Dream that comes about due to the majority of the action taking place during the night.  During this time, the natural cycles that help to indicate time are interrupted and therefore, the actions of the play are capable of stepping to a realm that helps break away from a timeless reality.  This helps to bring in subjects that doesn't exist in this reality (like the fairies) into the real world and connect them with the mortal characters.

School of Night:
In School of Night, there is an interesting connection between the action in A Midsummer's Night Dream and the action of the literal School of Night.  During the night, in both cases, we see a series of fantastical events taking place.  The School of Night introduces the world to new developments in the sciences, mathematics, and philosophy.  These introductions can (at least in my opinion) be considered as 'magical' (and I'm certain the government and the church would agree) as the actions that take place during the night in the place.



Essential Shakespeare:
O! Ted Hughes! I'm not entirely certain how to connect this introduction to these other two works, at least not as I've connected the other two so I will just make a few notes about where I am with my Shakespeare memorization from the anthology (if that is what it is to be called).  Up to this point, I have managed to memorize Macbeth's "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.." as well as Sonnet 116.  I have started on the "As You Like It"'s "All the world's a stage..." speech.

Call Me Old Fashioned...

As I wrote this title, I found myself stuck trying to decided between "fashion" and "fashioned."  I went with my gut and settled on the one that seemed correct for no obvious reason.  When I wrote the title, I was going to express my distaste for technology (namely Kindles and their kin and blogs) but I was suddenly struck with a more relevant idea.  In the past twenty years, the surge of technology that has swept over the globe has exposed us to information in way that has never been seen before.  The constant bombardment of advertisements and 'entertainment' has left us swimming in a sea of words in such a way that I believe it may have created changes in the language itself. (i.e. if I were to have experienced this "fashion" "fashioned" dilemma in text, I would have had considerably less trouble when writing my title.)  In fact, language changes across, and sometimes even without, barriers is a subject that has recently interested me.  If we are to believe Harold Bloom in his book, The Anatomy of Influence: Literature as a Way of Life, Shakespeare has been the most influential writer in the world.  This could allow for a baseline reading per se to begin to evaluate language change on a global level. 
While this idea might seem quite undeveloped (and rightly so) I will certainly post any updates that I manage to make over the semester with research into language change and Shakespeare.