Episode 8: After the Curtain Falls: Recovering Shakespeare's Women in Joy MacCullough'sEnter the Body

Episode 8: After the Curtain Falls: Recovering Shakespeare's Women in Joy MacCullough'sEnter the Body

In this episode of Shakesfic, I review Joy McCullough's Enter the Body, a powerful young adult novel inspired by four of Shakespeare's tragic heroines: Ophelia, Juliet, Cordelia, and Lavinia. Together, we explore how McCullough reimagines these iconic women beyond the moments that defined them in Shakespeare's plays, creating a moving story about friendship, grief, memory, and reclaiming forgotten voices. I also reflect on Whitney White's All Is But Fantasy, discuss the Victorian fascination with Ophelia, and consider why Shakespeare's women continue to resonate with modern readers. Book recommendation: Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff, an engaging exploration of the remarkable women writers of the Renaissance whose achievements have often been overshadowed. Film recommendation: The Virgin Suicides, directed by Sofia Coppola, a dreamlike and haunting meditation on girlhood, memory, and the stories that survive after young women are gone. Perfect for readers of Shakespeare retellings, literary fiction, young adult fiction, feminist literary criticism, and anyone interested in Shakespeare's women, adaptation, and contemporary book recommendations.

Episode 7: We That Are Young: Language, Power, and the Afterlife of Lear

What happens when King Lear is reimagined through the lens of postcolonial India? In this episode of The Shakesfic Podcast, Koel explores We That Are Young by Preti Taneja—a bold, unsettling adaptation that doesn’t just retell Shakespeare, but actively reshapes him. This is a novel about language, inheritance, and power. Koel looks at how Taneja reworks King Lear through corporate dynasties, fractured narration, and code-switching—and how her version of Sita draws on both Shakespeare and the Ramayana to complicate ideas of silence, endurance, and resistance. Koel also reflects on what it means to inherit Shakespeare as a British Asian writer, and how this novel sits within a wider tradition of adaptation, performance, and cultural negotiation.

Episode 4: Shakespeare at Work: A Review of Jude Morgan’s Novel

Episode title: The Secret Life of William Shakespeare: Biofiction, Work, and Ethical Imagination Episode description: What do we do with the silences in Shakespeare’s life? In this episode of Shakesfic, I explore Jude Morgan’s The Secret Life of William Shakespeare as an example of Shakespeare biofiction at its most restrained and plausible. Rather than scandal or conspiracy, Morgan offers a Shakespeare shaped by work, collaboration, ambition, and emotional reserve. The episode considers biofiction as a genre, the ethics of imagining real historical lives, and what novels like this reveal about how we think about creativity, labour, and authorship today.

Episode 3: Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed and the Joy of Talking Back to Shakespeare

In today’s episode, we trade the magic staff for a prison ID badge. We’re doing a deep dive into Margaret Atwood’s 2016 reimagining of The Tempest. We explore how the protagonist, Felix, mirrors the vengeful Prospero and how a group of inmates at a correctional facility find their own voices through the character of Caliban. From the "no-cursing" rule to the haunting presence of a ghostly Miranda, we break down why this is one of the most successful Shakespearean retellings of the century. 📚 Key Themes Discussed * Performance as Therapy: Can Shakespeare actually rehabilitate? * The Power of Language: The "Shakespearean Insults" only rule. * Internal Prisons: Grief as the ultimate "island." * Technology vs. Sorcery: How modern special effects replace Prospero’s staff.

Episode 2: The Sharpest Blade in Brooklyn, Ron Wimberley's The Prince of Cats

Episode Show Notes: The Sharpest Blade in BrooklynThe Main Feature * Title: Prince of Cats * Creator: Ronald Wimberly * Publisher: Image Comics (Original Vertigo release 2012; Image Definitive Edition 2016) * Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars) * Synopsis: A neon-noir, hip-hop infused retelling of Romeo and Juliet focused on Tybalt. Set in an alternate-1980s Brooklyn, the story follows the Capulet crew as they navigate blood feuds, katana duels, and the frantic energy of the underground. Immersion Recommendations: The "Vibe" Kit 1. The Visual Companion: Romeo + Juliet (1996 Film) * Directed by: Baz Luhrmann * Why it fits: The ultimate 90s "hyper-visual" Shakespeare. If Wimberly’s book is the soul of the remix, Luhrmann’s film is the heartbeat. * Watch on Max/Amazon [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/william-shakespeares-romeo-juliet] 2. The Non-Fiction Deep Dive: Can’t Stop Won’t Stop * Author: Jeff Chang * The Connection: To understand the "Duelist" culture in Prince of Cats, you must understand the history of the South Bronx and Brooklyn. Chang’s book provides the essential history of how hip-hop emerged as a response to urban neglect. * Learn more at JeffChang.net [http://cantstopwontstop.com/] Sources & Literary AnalysisInterview: Ronald Wimberly on the "Remix" Culture [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.tcj.com/the-ronald-wimberly-interview/] – An in-depth conversation with The Comics Journal about the intersection of race, art, and Shakespeare. * * The Origin of "The Prince of Cats" [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-characters/tybalt/] – A breakdown from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on the fables that inspired Tybalt’s nickname. * Anatomy of a Duel: The Italian School of Fence [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/fenc/hd_fenc.htm] – A look at the 16th-century fencing manuals that Wimberly translates into 80s katana combat. * The Art of Ronald Wimberly [https://ronaldwimberly.com/] – The author's official site featuring more of his jagged, high-energy character designs.