Who would have thought that picking up Bill Bryson's little Shakespeare biography would unlock so many thoughts in my brain?

I picked up this bio to read because it was available at the library and pretty easy to get through. Then, I had a lot of thoughts and feelings I pursued some other biographical things that turned into this episode.

Today we'll be talking about Bill Bryson's take on the Bard, but through the lens of historical context. What information do we have from the past, what are the limitations of the historical record in general, and when it comes to the questions about Shakespeare's life, will we ever all be able to just...let it go?

Join me as we dive into all this and more (including a lengthy tangent about Anne Boleyn). Strap in, friends!

Further Reading

Bill Bryson, Shakespeare: The World as Stage

If you want to know a little more about Anne Boleyn (beyond Wikipedia but without reading anything too academic), try Susan Bordo, The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen

Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit (this is a scan of the original printing with pretty good notes underneath)

Henry Chettle's apology to Shakespeare, or someone he refers to as the "best of living writers" (this is a scan of the original with no notes, so good luck reading the old school printing)

Copy of the drawing Johanne de Witt made of the interior of The Swan theater (the only known Elizabethan representation of the interior of a playhouse)

Credit where credit is due

Art by Halie Branson

Music recording by josdvg