Welcome to Litsy!

Last one! Burdett wrote a sonnet for each step of the story, using some of the original wording and some of her own. Her 7 to 9-year-old students drew pictures and wrote short letters between the characters. This was really fun! The author simplified most of Shakespeare‘s language, but there‘s still some vocabulary that I think would require explanation before or during the reading. A good way to start Shakespeare at a young age! #MAANReadalong

Movie versions I watched, clockwise from top left:
1) 2010 East Hollywood High School in Salt Lake City, modern setting—fun but super weird
2) 1993 directed by Kenneth Branagh—LOVE
3) 2005 BBC‘s Shakespeare Retold, full modern adaptation—not what I expected, but very fun!
4) 2013 modern setting—so good!
5) 2011 modern setting—I only got to see clips of this one on YouTube; guess I‘ll have to buy it! 😏#MAANReadalong #ShakespeareReadalong

I know it seems like I‘ve said all I could about this play, but there isn‘t room here for everything. I love how each character plays a role and that the “main characters” are unexpected. Reading this also made me realize that reading the text (versus seeing a play performed) gives a completely different perspective. Can‘t wait to start Hamlet now! #MAANReadalong #ShakespeareReadalong

These were the audio versions I listened to during our #MAANReadalong ! The one on the left is published by Author‘s Republic and I didn‘t make it very far with that one. It sounds less like a professional performance and more like a dull, class-required readaloud. My favorite character performance was Samantha Spiro as Beatrice in the BBC Radio version, but both that and the Arkangel production were fantastic!

Conrade: “Away! You are an ass, you are an ass”

Solid quote. I may be using this in real life on a frequent basis... 🤔 A 5⭐️ story of humor, betrayal, love, and wit. I laughed and also got angry at the injustice. All of which point to a successful play if it can put you through a gamut of emotions. Thanks @readinginthedark for organizing the read along.

More thoughts below:
#MAANReadalong #Shakespeare #TheBard

The original romcom? 🗨+️🗯️=💘 It was great to read this again with the #MAANreadalong group. Sparkling wit & absurdist humour, especially via Dogberry the constable. What I noticed this time around is how dialectical the play is, the push-&-pull of ideas between characters representing different views of the world. I was more attuned to the grimness of Hero's situation--in my film update she'd be a runaway bride. The ending was a tad abrupt.

I forgot to post about Act 5! What did everyone think? For some reason, I didn‘t realize before now that Shakespeare was sometimes using poetry and sometimes prose throughout the play. Does anyone have ideas about when he does each? I can‘t figure it out. I‘m also curious how you all felt about Claudio‘s part in this act. He seems too merry initially. I notice he was drunk at this point in two of the movie versions—very interesting! #MAANReadalong

I started feeling kind of sick and can‘t read right now. But the good news is that my husband moved our TV and XBox up to the bedroom so I can watch some of my Much Ado About Nothing adaptations while resting! Three down...I think two to go? #MAANReadalong #litsypartyofone

I haven‘t read much manga, but this was really fun! There was some simplification and exaggeration of the storyline and characters, so the effect fell somewhere between the written play and a performance. ❤️❤️❤️ #MAANReadalong

Some of my #bookhaul from the library book sale. I tried to be good. Added to my Woolf and Spark collection. (💓 that Mrs. Dalloway cover.) Added to my writing advice collection. Picked up some nature writing books.(I guess I'll give Walden a go.) Got some Rumer Godden to try. And a cheap copy of Hamlet in prep for the #MAANreadalong follow-up.