BOOK REVIEW: William Shakespeare's Star Wars, by Ian Doescher (illustrated by Nicolas Delort)

William Shakespeare's Star Wars:
Verily. A New Hope
Author: Ian Doescher
Illustrator: Nicolas Delort
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Source: Edelweiss
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It's essentially the script of Star Wars arranged to look like a play, with a few "verilys" and "thous" thrown in. It's cute, but it's exactly what you'd expect it to be with few surprises. Mostly it would make a funny gift for someone. Of course if you do happen to know someone who loves Shakespeare and Star Wars in equal measure, and they've literally got everything else they could possibly need, then you should definitely buy this for them.

The Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright's Universe, by Dan Falk

The Science of Shakespeare isn't so much about scientific principles or even about William Shakespeare as a person. It's all about context. What did the world look like at the time of Galileo, not to the philosophers and the astronomers but to the artists and the populace? Shakespeare's plays are full of references to the body, the natural world and the cosmos, but they were written at a time when our modern understanding of medicine, biology, and the universe was just beginning to unfold.

"If you're a Shakespeare nerd AND a science nerd AND a history of science nerd, this book is perfect for you," Dan Falk said at a recent library event in my city (I'm paraphrasing just a little). "But that's probably a pretty narrow audience." Maybe, but I'm definitely in that group!

There are few things I love more than being able to put familiar things--whether it's famous art, literature, fashion or even food--into historical context. I love learning the connections between things, how the writers I love were influenced by the politics of their day, or how the fashions of a certain era reflected the changing attitudes of the people at the time. So Dan Falk's new book, The Science of Shakespeare, is kind of perfect for me.


"Shakespeare lived in a time--at the end of the 16th century, beginning of the 17th century--when science as we think of it today simply didn't exist... He wasn't a modern thinker; he wasn't a medieval. I guess he was somewhere in between. Perhaps that is part of the appeal of Shakespeare, that he came at a time when the world was changing."
  --Dan Falk              
  (at an author reading in Dartmouth, NS, April 15, 2014)


The science, history AND Shakespeare nerd in me loved this book, not because it explained scientific principles (well maybe a little) or uncovered hidden truths about Shakespeare as a person (again, maybe a little), but for the way it shed light on the world at that time. Shakespeare wrote plays that he wanted his audience to be able to understand. If he referenced the Roman gods in one play and "Mars in retrograde" in another, it's because he was confident his audience would get it. So by examining Shakespeare's plays, we can get a glimpse into the worldview of his audience at a fascinating time in the history of scientific discovery.

Hit the jump to learn more about the book and see pictures of me and Dan Falk...


BOOK DETAILS:

Cover of the Canadian edition

The Science of Shakespeare: 
A New Look at the Playwright's Universe
Author: Dan Falk
Publisher: St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books (GooseLane editions in Canada)
Publication Date: April 22, 2014 (April 15, 2014 in Canada)
Source: NetGalley
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View on Amazon.ca







ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Falk is a science writer who lives in Toronto, Canada, but he grew up in Nova Scotia (like me!). Here I am with him at an author reading at Alderney Gate Public Library in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on April 17, 2014:

Me and Dan Falk at Alderney Library, Dartmouth NS
photo credit: Rebecca Fahie

I should have gotten him to hold up a book!
photo credit: Rebecca Fahie

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

Shakespeare on Toast
(my review)

Shakespeare Saved My Life
(my review)

A Little History of Science
(my review)

Living With Shakespeare
(my review)

William Shakespeare's Star Wars
(my review)

My 4-year-old has way too much faith in the postal service

This post originally appeared on my other blog, Cozy Little Book Journal.

Today was Shakespeare's birthday and Magda decided to celebrate--because she knows I like Shakespeare (sort of) and she considers herself an expert on birthdays, having had four of them already--by making him a nice card. It started out well, with her disappearing to her art table with all of her crayons and a large piece of paper.

Then she asked me for an envelope and stamps. Wait a minute.

I was like, "Honey, where is it you think you're sending it?" And she was like, "To Shakespeare. It's his birthday, Mommy." (Duh.)

Me--Okay, but you know he's dead, right? He was born 450 years ago and he died 398 years ago. Remember we learned that he died on his own birthday? So he's definitely dead.

Magda--I know that, Mommy. He died on his birthday. But on his actual birthday, like when he was born, he wasn't dead yet. He was only a baby. I'm sending the card to Baby Shakespeare.

I admit I didn't have an answer for that. I felt kind of like Allie Brosh when she found a letter she had written as a child to her future self, asking her future self to please write back.

In the end I told Magda we'd comprise and send it "to the internet" instead. Here's what she made:

The red things are presents. I asked Magda what was in them and she said, "I don't know. He hasn't opened them yet." Honestly, I think sometimes she must be frustrated by my inability to get things.

That's Shakespeare on the left, wearing a ruff. Magda told me that the person on the right is someone wearing a party hat and preparing to blow out the candles on Shakespeare's birthday cake before he gets a chance to, which Magda explained was "very aggrevating." Note that the only other person at Shakespeare's birthday party is someone specifically trying to piss him off.

Then again, he did die on his birthday, so it's not like this is the worst thing that ever happened to him at a birthday party.

Happy Birthday, Baby Shakespeare!

Eep! Shakespeare Day is here already and I haven't even come close to reading all the plays!