Shakespeare and YA Lit: A New Genre for an Old Favorite

This post ties together my focus research on Shakespeare adaptations in young adult literature. If you haven't read my blog before, you should start here!

Research Question and Thesis
I started this project with a question rather than a thesis. That question (as found in my Focus Project post) is What elements of Shakespeare can be successfully translated into the young adult experience?

This served me well as I researched, and I've finally come to an arguable thesis: Teen lit adaptations of Shakespeare can make the Bard more accessible to young adults, adding to--rather than detracting from--Shakespeare's original texts.

In order to prove this thesis, I took a look at three types of sources: the Bard's original texts, specifically A Midsummer Night's Dream; several YA lit adaptations; and scholarly articles about YA Shakespeare.

Analyzing Original Texts
I read several Shakespeare plays this semester, and I chose to look closely at A Midsummer Night's Dream. As I read, I looked for themes that would appeal to teenagers reading the play or that authors could use when adapting the play into novel form. Two themes that I found were frustrated love and female friendship. I discovered that the Bard's plays are full of ideas that teenagers can appreciate at their unique stage in life; however, because the language is difficult, teens may need help exploring Shakespeare's themes. YA literature is one way that teens can have greater access to Shakespeare's stories and themes.

Self-Blog-Evaluation

Using the same criteria from Dr. B that I used when reviewing Caroline's blog, I'm going to take a look at my own blog. I reference Mandy's review throughout--she gave me some great feedback and I made adjustments accordingly.

The Author of A Loser's Guide

Hey, remember back when I did a review of The Loser's Guide to Life and Love? Well, tonight I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Ann Cannon! She and Betsy Burton, owner of the King's English bookstore in SLC, came to Rick Walton's publishing class to talk about the children's book industry and answer our questions. She was super nice and funny.

After class, I asked her about why she decided to write a modern teen lit adaptation of Midsummer Night's Dream. She said that she was teaching a class where she had students write a paper bridging a YA novel with a classic (I did a similar project--we both got the idea/assignment from Chris Crowe) and she thought, hey, I should try my hand at a novel that can be bridged to Shakespeare. Voila! Just like I mentioned in my last post, this book serves as a great bridge to MND. It was really fun to meet the author of a book that I've read and studied so recently. And hey, maybe I'll do a Shakespeare adaptation myself someday.

(Note to Dr. B: please don't grade my blog yet! I'm working on my hub post and evaluation but I had an exhausting day today that felt something like this and I'm going to bed right now.)

Blog Review: The Globe

This is a review of Caroline's blog, The Globe, and specifically her hub post and research focus. I'm basing this review on Dr. B's evaluation criteria.

Preliminary Hub Post

As we near the end of the semester and the end of this research project, it's time to pull in all the threads of my inquiry and see what I've discovered as I've explored Shakespeare and YA literature.

Research Question and Thesis
I started this project with a question rather than a thesis. That question (as found in my Focus Project post) is "What elements of Shakespeare can be successfully translated into the young adult experience?" This served me well as I researched, and I've finally come to an actual thesis: Teen lit adaptations of Shakespeare can make the Bard more accessible to young adults, adding to--rather than detracting from--Shakespeare's original texts. 


Primary sources
I wanted to read multiple books on Shakespeare, listed in my Focus Project post.
I originally planned to read multiple books based on each play as I planned in this post for The Tempest, but then I changed my plans to read one book for each play.
I reviewed Ariel and The Loser's Guide to Life and Love. I also read Dating Hamlet and The Wednesday Wars, but I didn't have the time to write up reviews.

Textual analysis
I looked in-depth at A Midsummer Night's Dream and made two posts about teen themes that could be used in YA adaptations. The first was about frustrated love and the second was about female friendship.

Scholarly Resources
I checked out a couple of books about Shakespeare and YA literature, which I overviewed here. I followed up by reviewing several articles, one comparing Hamlet to Bridge to Terabithia and another about Harry Potter and Shakespeare as a storyteller.

Book Review: The Loser's Guide to Life and Love

This book review is the second in a series of reviews of teen novels that adapt Shakespeare. As I explore what adaptations can do to enhance the Shakespeare experience for teens, I look at how A. E. Cannon's spinoff translates the text of A Midsummer Night's Dream into a modern setting.

Please note: Book reviews will contain spoilers, so if you want to read the book you might want to do so before reading my review.

Summary
Ed works with his friend Scout at a video rental store where he doesn't get enough respect even to afford him his own name badge. He and Scout spend boring work hours inventing a past for "Sergio" and Ed often wishes that he could be cool like made-up Sergio rather than being a boring nerd. So when beautiful Ellie comes into the store, Ed doesn't clarify the name badge mistake. He becomes Sergio, the suave Brazilian man who loves to cook and "laughs in the face of danger...[and] never sweats."

Meanwhile, Ed's nerdy friend Quark is falling for Scout. But Ellie is nursing a heartbreak of her own, and Scout acknowledges to herself that she has feelings for Ed. All the lies are stripped away one by one, and everything comes to a head at Ali and the Warrior Queen's Midsummer Eve Celebration.

Shakespeare's Legacy in YA Literature II

Hey, so I did some scholarly research again. That was unexpected. This time I looked at a few of the articles in the book Reimagining Shakespeare for Children and Young Adults, mentioned in this post. You can take a look at the first Shakespeare's Legacy post here.

The last article I looked at discussed how Shakespearean themes manifest in modern YA lit, looking particularly at Bridge to Terabithia. Two of the articles that I read continued that train of thought. (I read some other articles from this book, and they are interesting but don't pertain to my subject.)

The first article is "Harry Potter and the Shakespearean Allusion" by Miranda Johnson-Haddad. Woo-hoo, Harry Potter! Everything is better with Harry Potter. Even the Doctor thinks that Shakespeare needs some good ol' J. K. Anyway, the article is about moments in the HP books that parallel moments in Richard III and Titus Andronicus. Unfortunately, the article was written when only four books were out, so some of the speculation is outdated and the examples could be better. However, the main point of the article is still relevant: Harry Potter, like Shakespeare, is concerned with "the relationship--the affinity, even--between good and evil" (168). Modern YA lit builds on themes that are explored dynamically in Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's Legacy in YA Literature

In my ongoing project about how Shakespeare has affected YA literature, I've spent a lot of time looking at direct adaptations and spinoffs in YA novels. As such, I've been using primary texts far more than scholarly materials. To rectify this inadequacy, I read through one of the chapters in Heirs to Shakespeare that I mentioned in this post.

The chapter I read is titled "Hamlet: Prince of the Schoolyard" and it discusses how Hamlet shows up in modern YA lit beyond direct adaptations. The chapter discusses several novels that use Shakespearean themes and character types, but what I found most interesting was the comparison between Hamlet and Bridge to Terabithia. You may be thinking, what in the world does that novel have to do with Hamlet?? Okay, that's what I thought when I started reading. But Megan Lynn Isaac actually points out some surprising parallels.

Mark Zuckerberg

Just a quick post to say that I attended the Mark Zuckerberg technology forum. It was interesting and an enormous privilege to have him come to BYU, especially since he's never done such a big university presentation before. I wish it had been a little more organized and that he'd had time to answer more questions, but it was still cool. I liked his discussion of the interconnectivity of technology and sociology, that at the end of the day all problems are human problems. I think Shakespeare would agree.

Teen Themes: Female Friendship

This post is the second of two posts on themes in A Midsummer Night's Dream that appeal to teenagers, part of my ongoing project about YA lit adaptations of Shakespeare. You can see the first post here.

The second theme that I found in A Midsummer Night's Dream that I thought a YA author could take advantage of is the friendship between Hermia and Helena. Most YA lit readers are female (male teenagers read less in general, and those who do read gravitate towards non-fiction) and friendship is hugely important to teenage girls.

Teen Themes: Frustrated Love

This post is the first of two about themes in A Midsummer Night's Dream that appeal to teenagers.

When adapting Shakespeare, it's important to consider what themes the target audience will appreciate. This means that authors who adapt Shakespeare for a teen audience need to find themes in the original texts that apply to teen experience. The themes that the authors of YA Shakespeare spinoffs choose to explore may or may not be the main themes of the original plays. For example, Ariel by Grace Tiffany (see my book review) explores the ideas that imagination is powerful, that the search for power can ruin people's lives, and that friendly love trumps spontaneous romance. Some of these themes align with The Tempest but others do not.

As I read A Midsummer Night's Dream, I looked for themes that would appeal to teen readers, especially themes that I would capitalize on if I were writing a YA adaptation. One theme I thought would translate well is frustrated love.

Future Posting

This doesn't mean I'm posting from the future, ha ha. But as the semester winds down, I need to make sure that I know when I'm going to be posting on which topics. I've been shedding motivation like a snake sheds skin, and I didn't have much of it to start with.

To Read
Loser's Guide to Love and Life
Henry V
Scholarly research
Two other YA adaptations, probably The Wednesday Wars and either Dating Hamlet or Ophelia

To Post

Scholarly Resources

In my search to understand how Shakespeare is adapted for young adults, I need to focus more on the scholarly side of things, so I went to the library and checked out a couple cool books that I plan to peruse.

The first book analyzes how Shakespeare appears in young adult literature today, giving lists of books that have Shakespearean themes as well as making direct comparisons of YA texts to the original plays.

Isaac, Megan Lynn. Heirs to Shakespeare: Reinventing the Bard in Young Adult Literature. Portsmouth: Boynton, 2000. 

The second book discusses children and young adults as a new audience for Shakespeare and how Shakespeare has been modified to help children understand and appreciate the Bard. I'm especially excited for the chapters "Playing with Shakespeare: Making Worlds from Words" and "Harry Potter and the Shakespearean Allusion."

Miller, Naomi J. Reimagining Shakespeare for Children and Young Adults. New York: Routledge, 2003. 

Also, I didn't check this book out, but it looked like it might be useful to Claire. It has multiple articles about different aspects of teaching Shakespeare; the article that caught my eye was about using Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War to ease teenagers into a critical approach of Macbeth.

Davis, James E. Teaching Shakespeare Today: Practical Approaches and Productive Strategies. 1993. Library Catalog: PR 2987 .T37

And Now For Something Completely Different

Just a quick fun post in case there are people out there who haven't seen this yet. It never fails to make me giggle. (Warning for language at the end.)

Book Review: Ariel

This book review is the first in a series of reviews of teen novels that adapt Shakespeare. As I explore what adaptations can do to enchance the Shakespeare experience for teens, I look at how Grace Tiffany's adaptation interprets the characters of The Tempest.

Please note: Book reviews will contain spoilers, so if you want to read the book you might want to do so before reading my review. 

Summary

Ariel is born out of the mind of a dying sailor in the first century AD. A spirit of whimsy and magic, she dominates her island and creates other spirits whose names reflect her nature: Madness, Mind, and Fantasy. She thrives for centuries on the power that the sailor gave her, but when she realizes that she cannot cross a barrier onto the other half of the island, she becomes determined to find new people who will strengthen her with their belief in her power.

She latches hope onto a human girl who lands on her island, but Sycorax is practical and has no use for the fantasies that Ariel creates in the air, and when Ariel refuses to help Sycorax through her difficult childbirth, Sycorax traps Ariel in the form of an ant and imprisons her in a tree. Ariel's only hope is that she can convince Sycorax's son, Caliban, to believe in her power and let her go. She tricks Caliban into murdering his mother, hoping that with Sycorax gone the spell will be broken. When Caliban realizes what Ariel has done, he turns on her and leaves her helpless--until yet another man shipwrecks on her shore. 

Focus Project: Shakespeare and YA Literature

Main Research Question
What elements of Shakespeare can be successfully translated into the young adult experience?

YA Books
Ariel by Grace Tiffany (The Tempest)
The Loser's Guide to Life and Love by A. E. Cannon (Midsummer Night's Dream)
Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein (Macbeth)
Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney (Macbeth)
Ophelia by Lisa Klein (Hamlet)
Dating Hamlet by Lisa Fiedler (Hamlet)
Shylock's Daughter by Mirjam Pressler (Merchant of Venice)
Romeo and Juliet Together (And Alive!) At Last by Avi (Romeo and Juliet)
Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper (Romeo and Juliet)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (multiple plays)
King of Shadows by Susan Cooper (historical)
Swan Town by Michael Ortiz (historical)

I won't be able to read every single one of these books, but I plan to read at least five.

Excuses, excuses

Eep! I haven't posted since the self-reflection last Monday, and I haven't posted anything substantial for two weeks. I don't have time to post at the moment, but I can report that I've finished The Tempest and a graphic novel version of that play, plus I'm halfway through Ariel by Tiffany Grace. In the next couple days, I will be posting a review of the YA books along with a big planning post that will define my research focus and explain how I intend to fulfill the learning requirements from now on.

Mid-semester Progress Report

Time for a little self-reflection.

Blog Review: Thine Own Adventure

This is a review of Chris W's blog, Thine Own Adventure.

Number of Posts: 11

Quality of Posts: The blog doesn't have quite two posts a week, but Chris's posts are well researched and detailed.

Strengths: Chris does a great job at looking at genre conventions, like in his posts about history and comedy. I like that he posts his questions as well as his thoughts after reading a play. His latest post does a great job of using Shakespeare to interpret modern events.

Suggestions for Improvement: Most posts could benefit from the use of paragraphs and careful proofreading. (Don't hate me, I'm an editor.)

The Tempest: Shakespeare and YA Literature

Because this is the last week of assigned genre reading, I'm going to take a bit longer for The Tempest. (Also, I have all my midterms this week. Whee!) I've decided that for this play I'm going to focus on how Shakespeare has been adapted for children and young adults. This week, I'll read the original play, and then next week I'll read adaptations and do reviews about each book's effectiveness and appeal.

Here's what I'm planning to read:

Ariel by Grace Tiffany. A novel about Ariel's side of the story.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. An eighth-grade boy is forced to study Shakespeare with a teacher he hates but learns to appreciate the Bard in the context of his tumultuous friendships, his uneasy family life, and the Vietnam War. I read this book last semester, so I'll review just the parts about The Tempest.

Lizard by Dennis Covington. A young boy runs away from an institution for mentally handicapped boys and at some point is part of a production of The Tempest.









The Tempest (Graphic Shakespeare) by Daniel Connor and Cynthia Martin. A comic-book style version of The Tempest that uses the original words of the play.

I'll also read several picture books that the library has. Since I've been in several classes for children's and adolescent literature, I'm going to enjoy seeing how authors adapt the Bard's work to appeal to a younger audience and make them want to tackle the real deal.