Straight Acting - The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare

''Engrossing, enlightening and hugely entertaining'' SARAH WATERS, author of Fingersmith ''Brilliant - so vivid and so sharp, fantastically clever and consistently fascinating'' KATHERINE RUNDELL, author of Super-Infinite Was Shakespeare gay? The answer is both simpler and more complex than you might think . . . Shakespeare''s work was profoundly influenced by the queer culture of his time - much of it totally integrated into mainstream society. From a relentless schooling in Latin and Greek homoeroticism, to a less formal education on the streets and in smoky taverns, from the gender-bending of the early comedies to the astonishingly queer literary scene that nurtured Shakespeare''s sonnets, this is a story of artistic development and of personal crisis. Straight Acting is a surprising portrait of Shakespeare''s queer lives - his own and those in his plays and poems. It is a journey back in time and through Shakespeare''s England, revealing a culture that both endorsed and supressed same-sex desire. It is a call to stop making Shakespeare act straight and to recognise how queerness powerfully shaped the life and career of the world''s most famous playwright. ''Magisterial and saucy . . . This fresh account kickstarts the queer canon of English literature: Shakespeare won''t go back in the closet again'' EMMA SMITH, author of This Is Shakespeare

Product details

• Authors: Will Tosh, Tosh Will
• Publisher: Sceptre
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 10.04.2025
• EAN: 9781529390513
• ISBN: 978-1-5293-9051-3
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 197 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Biographies, autobiographies; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary Figures, Biography: literary, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, Of specific Gay & Lesbian interest, Biography: writers, Relating to LGBTQ+ people, Biography: historical, political and military, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / LGBTQ+, LITERARY CRITICISM / LGBTQ+, Relating to Shakespeare / Shakespearean