Shakespeare in the summer

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, June 2020; written by Michelle Lampton.

Summer has arrived, and given the way 2020 has unrolled, there’s not likely to be any ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ happening. But that doesn’t mean we should abandon the bard! This might just the perfect summer to move beyond merely consuming his content and instead looking further into the man, the history, and his effect on American society.

New to the collection at the UAS Ketchikan Campus Library is "Shakespeare in a Divided America: What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future,” by James S. Shapiro. The author surveys the pervasive way Shakespeare’s work has found its way into American culture, and how that prevalence has had dramatic personal and national effects. He examines both the notable and the common in our society, from Presidents to school children, from Hollywood to the military. Along the way, he brings the reader from the Revolutionary War to the present, and touches on weighty issues such as immigration, free speech, race, and gender.

Also new to our collection is “This is Shakespeare,” by Emma Smith. Smith takes a magnifying glass to the bard and his works, not with a view towards reaffirming our romantic images of them, but rather to supplement with as much truth as she can dispense in what has been called an ‘intellectual, theatric, and ethically exciting’ writing style. From the inside flap: “Smith writes in strikingly modern ways about individual agency, privacy, politics, celebrity, and sex. Instead of offering the answers, the Shakespeare she reveals poses awkward questions, always inviting the reader to ponder ambiguities.”

“Shakespeare in America,” by Alden T. Vaughan and Virginia Mason Vaughan traces Shakespeare's contributions to America's cultural history from the colonial era to the present, with a view towards highlighting theatre history, publishing history, and criticism. The authors focus on how Shakespeare has been consumed and viewed differently in the United States than elsewhere, and on the evolution of Shakespeare’s role in our social, entertainment, and educational venues.

So check out these books, and many more, including “Shakespeare’s Fathers and Daughters” (Oliver Ford Davies), “Wonder in Shakespeare” (Adam Max Cohen), and “Shakesqueer : a queer companion to the complete works of Shakespeare” (Menon, Madhavi).

Looking ahead: We’re excited to announce our Fall Ask UAS schedule is filling up! We will be hosting presentations on local bird life, the art of communicating well in both social and work environments, and more.

Also, while the UAS Ketchikan Campus Library is still temporarily closed to the public due to the University of Alaska’s current COVID-19 policies (which hopefully will be evolving soon), our staff are still working to bring you the best quality service and collection materials we can. Simply place a hold on a book that you’d like to read from our collection (you can do this online through the First City Library’s Catalog, by contacting us at 228-4567 or emailing libket@alaska.edu, or by making the request through the Public Library), and we will deliver it to the Public Library for you to check out.

We’re also still available and happy to help with your reference questions using the phone number or email above. Also, follow us on Facebook, where we frequently share information about new books, University developments, and upcoming events.