This weekend sees the release of the latest piece of Hollywood nonsense on the life of the Bard. Those with long memories might remember the absurd Shakespeare in Love. Or, perhaps, they might have forgotten about it and are now cursing me for reminding them of it. Now, in the latest outpouring of Tinsel-town Bard-abuse, the film, Anonymous, seeks to convince us that Shakespeare was too stupid to write the plays and that only rich aristocrats like the Earl of Oxford were literate enough in Elizabethan England to be able to write. The first chapter of my book, The Quest for Shakespeare, exposes the febrile fantasies of the so-called Oxfordians who believe this rubbish. I’m also pleased to have been commissioned to write articles for the Catholic Herald in England and Crisis in the States debunking Anonymous and the Oxfordian nonsense that was its inspiration. Hopefully these will be published over the coming weeks (watch this space). In the meantime, I’m pleased that Ignatius Press has just released this timely video discussion between Father Fessio and myself on Shakespeare’s Catholicism.
http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2011/10/fr-joseph-fessio-and-joseph-pearce-discuss-who-really-was-william-shakespeare.html
This was charming. There were so many points at which I wanted to raise my hand like a good student who wants to contribute to the discussion—
Writing like a Catholic
Shylock as a Jew in an England with no Jews
What you read=how well you think/speak/write
And most of all–what it was like to be a Catholic during Elizabeth’s reign.
And many other remarks….
What to do? “Anonymous” is bunk for sure…but I still enjoy period pieces….
Maybe I’ll catch it on dvd, and have a good laugh at it 😀
You know what I’d really like to see…a film about Shakespeare that portrays him as a believing Catholic, now that would be interesting! If Hollywood really wanted to be daring and controversial, they’d put that on the screen!
Save for the cliche’ use of “bard,” enthusiastic applause.