Jes - Four Hundred Years Later
As it was William Shakespeare's birthday last week, I decided to pop into Stratford and have a look at what all the fuss was about. I encountered throngs of overseas visitors all wanting to be photographed outside what is said to be the home where he wrote. It looks quite grand, but is actually very small in scale. He must have been a shorter man than I imagined. There wasn't really that much to see, but my mind wandered off, back in time, imagining what it must have been like then for a writer.
The population of England would have been a fraction of what it is today and those who were educated, well enough to write, must have been quite thin on the ground. Add to this that they had to write everything over and over again, just for the smallest of edits, must have been immensely time-consuming and not a hobby to be taken up by anyone who had a regular job to cope with.
Thinking this way, made me see Shakespeare in a different light. Maybe he was not that great after all, but merely one of the best out of a small pool of writers who dotted the nation. I wondered how well he'd be doing if he was born in this age of technology when everyone can write. The fact that he would be competing with millions of other writers and a floundering publishing industry makes me believe he'd struggle to get noticed at all.
Today, everyone has access to electronically write, edit, grammar check, spell check, cut, copy and paste. I agree that not everything written is a masterpiece or has style, but with a little imagination and flair most people can come up with a good story in no time at all. There is even voice recognition software for those who can't physically use a keyboard.
It is sad to think of the amount of great works which are lost inside Amazon, never reaching the eyes of readers due to the sheer amount of books available, the lack of finance to promote or downright bad luck.
There are more leaves in that great Amazon jungle than there are people on earth and every year many are shed and a new batch appears. It's not called Amazon for nothing.
I wonder if DB will be renovating his house in the hope it stands for the next four hundred years for when the throngs of visitors come to have their photos taken outside it.
DB-
You have no idea how much my house needs renovated, but for an entirely different reason - we won't go there. As far as Shakespeare goes, I can see your point and somewhat agree. I have been amazed when I have read or heard letters read by soldiers of our civil war. People had a flair for English language in days gone by that we rarely see in our modern world. Instead of beginning a letter with 'Dear Jes', they would say 'My dearest and most honorable Jesamine James'. Eloquence seemed to be the norm even for the average foot-soldier. During Shakespeare's time paper was a luxury and writing was a talent imparted only to the chosen few. Maybe everyone spoke like William and he was the only one who was lucky enough to be able to write it down. He could have been a buffoon for all we know. But he was a talented buffoon, nonetheless.
I would give my right nut to be able to write like old Willy. To be able to capture an idea, thought or emotion in a way that is not only thought-provoking, but also eloquent and poetic, is an enviable talent that I can only look at and wonder. I wouldn't really call myself a fan of William Shakespeare, (his writing makes my head hurt) but I'm always amazed at the depth behind his works.
I am in total agreement on the Amazon jungle. I'm afraid that both of my books have met a grizzly end soon after they entered the Amazon. If all the world is truly a stage, as old Willy told us, then Amazon Kindle is a bar full of drunks who are only there to mock you. :P
Jes -
I'm not sure that I'm totally comfortable with so much agreement from you. Are you ill?
Maybe it's due to you not being able to go back 400 years. The American civil war was only 150 years ago and the world was a very different place then to Shakespeare's days.
DB-
And you call me old? If you can go back 400 years, then I'm a spring chicken. I never knew you were a vampire, but it explains a lot.
As it was William Shakespeare's birthday last week, I decided to pop into Stratford and have a look at what all the fuss was about. I encountered throngs of overseas visitors all wanting to be photographed outside what is said to be the home where he wrote. It looks quite grand, but is actually very small in scale. He must have been a shorter man than I imagined. There wasn't really that much to see, but my mind wandered off, back in time, imagining what it must have been like then for a writer.
The population of England would have been a fraction of what it is today and those who were educated, well enough to write, must have been quite thin on the ground. Add to this that they had to write everything over and over again, just for the smallest of edits, must have been immensely time-consuming and not a hobby to be taken up by anyone who had a regular job to cope with.
Thinking this way, made me see Shakespeare in a different light. Maybe he was not that great after all, but merely one of the best out of a small pool of writers who dotted the nation. I wondered how well he'd be doing if he was born in this age of technology when everyone can write. The fact that he would be competing with millions of other writers and a floundering publishing industry makes me believe he'd struggle to get noticed at all.
Today, everyone has access to electronically write, edit, grammar check, spell check, cut, copy and paste. I agree that not everything written is a masterpiece or has style, but with a little imagination and flair most people can come up with a good story in no time at all. There is even voice recognition software for those who can't physically use a keyboard.
It is sad to think of the amount of great works which are lost inside Amazon, never reaching the eyes of readers due to the sheer amount of books available, the lack of finance to promote or downright bad luck.
There are more leaves in that great Amazon jungle than there are people on earth and every year many are shed and a new batch appears. It's not called Amazon for nothing.
I wonder if DB will be renovating his house in the hope it stands for the next four hundred years for when the throngs of visitors come to have their photos taken outside it.
DB-
You have no idea how much my house needs renovated, but for an entirely different reason - we won't go there. As far as Shakespeare goes, I can see your point and somewhat agree. I have been amazed when I have read or heard letters read by soldiers of our civil war. People had a flair for English language in days gone by that we rarely see in our modern world. Instead of beginning a letter with 'Dear Jes', they would say 'My dearest and most honorable Jesamine James'. Eloquence seemed to be the norm even for the average foot-soldier. During Shakespeare's time paper was a luxury and writing was a talent imparted only to the chosen few. Maybe everyone spoke like William and he was the only one who was lucky enough to be able to write it down. He could have been a buffoon for all we know. But he was a talented buffoon, nonetheless.
I would give my right nut to be able to write like old Willy. To be able to capture an idea, thought or emotion in a way that is not only thought-provoking, but also eloquent and poetic, is an enviable talent that I can only look at and wonder. I wouldn't really call myself a fan of William Shakespeare, (his writing makes my head hurt) but I'm always amazed at the depth behind his works.
I am in total agreement on the Amazon jungle. I'm afraid that both of my books have met a grizzly end soon after they entered the Amazon. If all the world is truly a stage, as old Willy told us, then Amazon Kindle is a bar full of drunks who are only there to mock you. :P
Jes -
I'm not sure that I'm totally comfortable with so much agreement from you. Are you ill?
Maybe it's due to you not being able to go back 400 years. The American civil war was only 150 years ago and the world was a very different place then to Shakespeare's days.
DB-
And you call me old? If you can go back 400 years, then I'm a spring chicken. I never knew you were a vampire, but it explains a lot.