cheryl1213's review against another edition
3.0
How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche is a short book looking at how Shakespeare influences the world. Each chapter focuses on a specific arena such as adolescence, sex, and race. It was a quick read and the right length for the project...Marche avoided the pitfall of writing more than an average reader would want to read. He makes some good arguments but I just don't always buy his thesis. There are a few moments in which I do see a causal relationship between Shakespeare and the topic at hand. My favorite example is the individual who, aiming to populate Central Park with every bird named in Shakespeare, released 100 starlings into NYC. There are now 200 million. I am less convinced that Shakespeare invented adolescence or had a direct impact on Lincoln's assassination.
I'd give it 3 stars, maybe 3.5...which translates into an "okay" that has a significant favorable bent. Solid and held my interest, just not sure he got my vote for his thesis
I'd give it 3 stars, maybe 3.5...which translates into an "okay" that has a significant favorable bent. Solid and held my interest, just not sure he got my vote for his thesis
villavaalberu's review against another edition
5.0
Este libro me gustó mucho porque demuestra la gran influencia de Shakespeare no sólo en la cultura anglosajona sino en casi todas las culturas del planeta.
Especialmente delicioso el último capítulo en el que trata con seriedad pero de forma amena, ligera, las teorías acerca de la existencia de Shakespeare como persona. De supuestos autores agrupados bajo su nombre o del uso del personaje para disfrazar la obra de un noble de la época.
Especialmente delicioso el último capítulo en el que trata con seriedad pero de forma amena, ligera, las teorías acerca de la existencia de Shakespeare como persona. De supuestos autores agrupados bajo su nombre o del uso del personaje para disfrazar la obra de un noble de la época.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
4.0
Excerpted from a post originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
If you're interested in reading more about the ways in which Shakespeare and his works have impacted our language, our history, and our culture, read Stephen Marche's How Shakespeare Changed Everything, a delightful collection of essays masquerading as chapters. From race (Othello) to teenagers (Romeo and Juliet and, surprisingly, Hamlet) to sex (almost everything Shakespeare wrote) to the links between Julius Caesar and Lincoln's assassination, Marche explores Shakespeare's plays as through a kaleidescope: a new pattern emerges with each turn of the lens.
FCC disclosure: I received this book as a gift.
You can read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
If you're interested in reading more about the ways in which Shakespeare and his works have impacted our language, our history, and our culture, read Stephen Marche's How Shakespeare Changed Everything, a delightful collection of essays masquerading as chapters. From race (Othello) to teenagers (Romeo and Juliet and, surprisingly, Hamlet) to sex (almost everything Shakespeare wrote) to the links between Julius Caesar and Lincoln's assassination, Marche explores Shakespeare's plays as through a kaleidescope: a new pattern emerges with each turn of the lens.
FCC disclosure: I received this book as a gift.
You can read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
katherinehebert's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of this was super interesting, and lived up to the title. I loved the first half. It smoothly picks you up and points out things you may never have noticed before, or recognized as a "Shakespeare thing", without feeling dry and always staying playful. The second half of this was a bit of a let-down: much less pointing out the ways Shakespeare has influenced the English language & western culture, and way more of the author just getting some *stuff* off his chest.
A weird amount of time is spent arguing with Tolstoy's distaste for Shakespeare, which had its moments, but felt very "old man yelling at cloud" at times. An equally weird amount of time is spent debunking theories that Shakespeare is not the true author of Shakespeare plays - which again, feels like the author just needed some space to work out his frustration with those theories, rather than living up to the title and telling us about how Shakespeare "changed everything" around us. It just comes out of left field, and feels like a waste of space in a book that had such great potential.
The first half totally saves my impression of this though, and the chapter about the words/expressions/etc. that Shakespeare invented and introduced into the English language was so, so great. Overall, it's a short and relatively easy read for those who are interested in Shakespeare's ripple effects on how we speak and think.
A weird amount of time is spent arguing with Tolstoy's distaste for Shakespeare, which had its moments, but felt very "old man yelling at cloud" at times. An equally weird amount of time is spent debunking theories that Shakespeare is not the true author of Shakespeare plays - which again, feels like the author just needed some space to work out his frustration with those theories, rather than living up to the title and telling us about how Shakespeare "changed everything" around us. It just comes out of left field, and feels like a waste of space in a book that had such great potential.
The first half totally saves my impression of this though, and the chapter about the words/expressions/etc. that Shakespeare invented and introduced into the English language was so, so great. Overall, it's a short and relatively easy read for those who are interested in Shakespeare's ripple effects on how we speak and think.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
3.0
How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche is a tiny, pretty (well, I like the cover and color) non-fiction book on the impact Shakespeare has had on culture and society. I found this to be fascinating. Old Shakes has changed everything from starlings in America to words in our lexicon.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
annsantori's review against another edition
2.0
For a book by a Shakespeare scholar, this one is disturbingly poorly researched with rumors thrown out as facts (Edward de Vere, the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, who the 'Oxfordians' believe is the true author of Shakespeare's works is not a confirmed pedophile, as Marche claims "recent biographies have uncovered," but rather was accused of this heinous crime by three enemies who included several other charges that were proven to be slanderous lies) and odd conclusions (Obama as the modern-day incarnation of Othello) presented with little to no substantive analysis. Marche may teach Shakespeare (and he clearly loves his work) but this alone certainly does not qualify him to write a book-length analysis of the Bard's impact on society (a topic that would be magical in the right hands).
fossen's review against another edition
5.0
What a delight. Not a deep book, but a thoroughly enjoyable read. Marche has an easy storytelling style, and it works to his advantage retelling these anecdotes about Shakespeare and history.
rach's review against another edition
2.0
What I learned from this book: Stephen Marche REALLY loves Shakespeare. Like, REALLY really. While I agree that Shakespeare is the most widely-known writer in the world, and many of our common turns of phrase can be attributed to him, I'm still not convinced you can ascribe the wide spread influence over other ideas of thought to him that Marche does throughout this book. Marche's comparisons and conclusions are flimsy and overreaching at times.
I can't say I particularly enjoyed reading this one, as I found the tone annoying and worshipful most of the time, but I did enjoy some of the facts, and found myself bring them up in conversation, so there's something to be said for that. And it was short, and easy to read in bursts. Other than that, I would have a hard time recommending this to anyone other than someone who is already a Shakespeare fan.
I can't say I particularly enjoyed reading this one, as I found the tone annoying and worshipful most of the time, but I did enjoy some of the facts, and found myself bring them up in conversation, so there's something to be said for that. And it was short, and easy to read in bursts. Other than that, I would have a hard time recommending this to anyone other than someone who is already a Shakespeare fan.
maddox22's review against another edition
3.0
some funny parts. a bit hyperbolic for my tastes. would have liked more citations and footnotes especially for some of the more significant claims.
keithclark1964's review against another edition
3.0
A good, short, easy read to get you interested in reading more of Shakespere.