Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies
| Author | Elizabeth Winkler |
|---|---|
| Country | United States of America |
| Subject | Shakespeare authorship question |
| Genre | Nonfiction, literary criticism |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | May 9, 2023 |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 978-1-982171-26-1 |
Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies is a 2023 nonfiction book by journalist Elizabeth Winkler about the Shakespeare authorship question. The book explores the possibility that the works of Shakespeare were written by someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon, and details the history of how the Shakespeare authorship question became an academic taboo.
The book was published by Simon & Schuster under the full title Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies: How Doubting the Bard Became the Biggest Taboo in Literature. It contains interviews with various Shakespeare scholars, including Stanley Wells, Alexander Waugh, Marjorie Garber, Stephen Greenblatt, Ros Barber, and Mark Rylance. Winkler explores arguments for alternate authorship candidates, including Edward de Vere, Mary Sidney, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, and Emilia Bassano.
Background and Publication History
Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies was published in the United States by Simon & Schuster on May 9, 2023.[1]
In 2019 Winkler, who holds English degrees from Princeton and Stanford, published an article in The Atlantic titled "Was Shakespeare a Woman?" in which she explored the possibility that the plays attributed to William Shakespeare may have been written by the poet Emilia Bassano.[2][3]
Winkler received heavy backlash for the article, including from the scholar James Shapiro, who published a response, also in The Atlantic, titled "Shakespeare Wrote Insightfully About Women. That Doesn't Mean He Was One." In the article, Shapiro wrote that he was disheartened that a talented journalist for The Wall Street Journal would promote a conspiracy theory in The Atlantic.[4]
In an April 2023 interview with the Shakespearean Authorship Trust, Winkler stated that the book grew as a response to the controversy about her article. She wanted to explore why the Shakespeare authorship question is so explosive and why it became such a taboo to question Shakespeare.[5]
Reception
Despite its controversial subject matter, Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies has been generally well received by critics, with positive reviews published in The Guardian,[6] Publisher's Weekly,[7] Kirkus Reviews,[8] and The Southern Bookseller Review, among others. In The Guardian, literary critic Stephanie Merritt calls the book "a fascinating detective story" and praises Winkler's journalistic approach in examining the subject from all sides."[6] The Winnipeg Free Press praised the book for “brilliantly combin[ing] literary criticism and journalism to expose the social, cultural and institutional dimensions of the taboo against questioning Shakespeare’s identity.”[9] Willard Spiegelman in the Wall Street Journal praises Winkler's research skills and suggests that she is "deftly laying out the myriad questions, arguments, and mysteries swirling around Shakespeare." [10]
Winkler's book has also received support from anti-Stratfordian organizations such as the De Vere Society,[11] the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship,[12] and the Shakespearean Authorship Trust.[5]
Significant criticism of Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies came from author Isaac Butler, who published a negative review of the book in Slate. In the review, Butler compliments Winkler's writing style and humor, and suggests she does point out the weakness in Shakespeare biographers. But he suggests her arguments quickly fall apart under careful examination. Butler also argues that it is dangerous to question Shakespeare's authorship since it leads people to doubt the views of recognized authorities.
References
- ^ Winkler, Elizabeth (2023-05-09). Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-7126-1.
- ^ Winkler, Elizabeth (2019-05-10). "Was Shakespeare a Woman?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ Smith, David (2023-06-27). ""It was shocking": the author under attack for doubting Shakespeare". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ Shapiro, James (2019-06-08). "Shakespeare Wrote Insightfully About Women. That Doesn't Mean He Was One". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ a b Journalist Elizabeth Winkler reads from Shakespeare Heresies book, retrieved 2023-07-11
- ^ a b Merritt, Stephanie (2023-06-18). "Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies review – in search of the bard". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ "Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies: How Doubting the Bard Became the Biggest Taboo in Literature by Elizabeth Winkler". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ SHAKESPEARE WAS A WOMAN AND OTHER HERESIES | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Dudley, Michael (19 May 2023). "Questions aplenty about Bard's backstory". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Spiegelman, Willard (8 September 2023). "Who Was the Real William Shakespeare?". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Shakespeare was a woman and other Heresies Elizabeth Winkler". deveresociety.co.uk. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ SOF (2023-05-23). "Patrick Sullivan reviews Shakespeare was a Woman and Other Heresies by Elizabeth Winkler". Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-07-11.