Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies
How Doubting the Bard Became the Biggest Taboo in Literature
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Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies
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Narrated by:
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Eunice Wong
About this listen
An “extraordinarily brilliant” and “pleasurably naughty” (André Aciman) investigation into the Shakespeare authorship question, exploring how doubting that William Shakespeare wrote his plays became an act of blasphemy…and who the Bard might really be.
The theory that Shakespeare may not have written the works that bear his name is the most horrible, unspeakable subject in the history of English literature. Scholars admit that the Bard’s biography is a “black hole,” yet to publicly question the identity of the god of English literature is unacceptable, even (some say) “immoral.”
In Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies, journalist and literary critic Elizabeth Winkler sets out to probe the origins of this literary taboo. Whisking you from London to Stratford-Upon-Avon to Washington, DC, she pulls back the curtain to show how the forces of nationalism and empire, religion and mythmaking, gender and class have shaped our admiration for Shakespeare across the centuries. As she considers the writers and thinkers—from Walt Whitman to Sigmund Freud to Supreme Court justices—who have grappled with the riddle of the plays’ origins, she explores who may perhaps have been hiding behind his name. A forgotten woman? A disgraced aristocrat? A government spy? Hovering over the mystery are Shakespeare’s plays themselves, with their love for mistaken identities, disguises, and things never quite being what they seem.
As she interviews scholars and skeptics, Winkler’s interest turns to the larger problem of historical truth—and of how human imperfections (bias, blindness, subjectivity) shape our construction of the past. History is a story, and the story we find may depend on the story we’re looking for.
“Lively” (The Washington Post), “fascinating” (Amanda Foreman), and “intrepid” (Stacy Schiff), Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies will forever change how you think of Shakespeare…and of how we as a society decide what’s up for debate and what’s just nonsense, just heresy.
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Critic reviews
—Lewis Lapham, founder of Lapham’s Quarterly
—Bessel van der Kolk, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps Score
—Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Revolutionary
What listeners say about Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs O M Crawford
- 01-02-24
Shakespeare dethroned
Certainty over Shakespeare authorship is robustly challenged. However it is the uncertainty that should be embraced which sadly the professional scholars are unable to do regarding it as a threat to their status and reputation. No mention of Sir Thomas North who translated Plutarch Lives and is also a strong contender for the author behind the mask of Shakespeare
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PM
- 16-06-24
Gives a voice to all sides of the debate
A clear sighted and rigorous examination of all the opposing arguments. Her forensic examination is contextualised so that you are able to understand why key players in the debate hold their respective positions. She demystifies the subject, holds the academics to account and allows you to make an informed judgement on who wrote the plays.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 14-03-24
Tickles your curiousity
I came into this book without an opinion on this topic. It amazed me, kept me curious, and educated me. Despite of the beliefs who was the true Shakespeare, this was a great book to read even just to broaden your own spectrum on the great author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Colliedog
- 02-07-23
Compelling
The author, fired by her curiosity and hunger for truth, keeps bumping into experts who have eaten so much from their chosen branch of the Tree of Knowledge that they just seem to have no appetite for anything new. But then there are the other curious ones, comfortable with uncertainty, with whom she finds real connection. Her journey reveals a great deal about human nature. Compelling reading, whatever you think of “Shakespeare’s” actual works.
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1 person found this helpful