I got nothing to say but that's okay
Am working busily away on the Mariam presentation -- or at least I have been for a respectable chunk of the evening. Go me. I think I'll be able to pull it off well enough: I'm talking a bit about Cary's biography, because (as one of the articles I've read points out) you can't not do that when talking about her works. Which of course leads to the question of the value of biographical criticism of the play -- how important is it to an understanding of the play? Is it important in that it's the work of a woman, or as the work of a woman with Cary's specific background, or what?
I'll also talk about the notion of closet drama, which is a genre I really don't get, thanks to my great love of stagecraft, I admit. In other words, why write dramatic poetry if it's not meant to be performed per se? This ties to a nice point about how much of the play has to do with women speaking out, and the genre is one essentially of speech; then I can say something about negotiation of the public and private spheres, as the genre bridges that gap somewhat. Yes, I like this. Can also talk about the theatrical traditions that influence the play -- both Seneca and the English mystery play (which means I can cite the Wakefield Herod, always fun. People don't refer to medieval plays enough.)
In other news, have been named a judge for a local Shakespeare monologue competition (standing in, admittedly, for Annie). I love that I'm at the point where my opinion on Shakespeare is authoritative to someone. ;)
I need to write a bio for it, though -- the woman running it asked me for one. Am trying to decide what to say in it. I wonder if being a co-founder of a digital Shakespeare company enhances my credibility?
I'll also talk about the notion of closet drama, which is a genre I really don't get, thanks to my great love of stagecraft, I admit. In other words, why write dramatic poetry if it's not meant to be performed per se? This ties to a nice point about how much of the play has to do with women speaking out, and the genre is one essentially of speech; then I can say something about negotiation of the public and private spheres, as the genre bridges that gap somewhat. Yes, I like this. Can also talk about the theatrical traditions that influence the play -- both Seneca and the English mystery play (which means I can cite the Wakefield Herod, always fun. People don't refer to medieval plays enough.)
In other news, have been named a judge for a local Shakespeare monologue competition (standing in, admittedly, for Annie). I love that I'm at the point where my opinion on Shakespeare is authoritative to someone. ;)
I need to write a bio for it, though -- the woman running it asked me for one. Am trying to decide what to say in it. I wonder if being a co-founder of a digital Shakespeare company enhances my credibility?