There’s a summer reading guide for everyone – beginners, avid readers, thrill-seekers, romance lovers, fans of the classics. To prepare you for this summer’s production of King Lear, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival came up with a list of five books to add to your list before coming to the park. Check out one or all, and then check out King Lear in Southmoreland Park June 16-July 5!
KING LEAR by William Shakespeare
If you get to the park early enough, you might see a few patrons carting around their copies of King Lear. Many park-goers say it can help to read the play before heading to Southmoreland Park. Doing so is a great way to familiarize yourself with Shakespeare’s language at your own pace. No two editions of King Lear are the same, so use the summer to find an edition that works for you. The Festival always uses the Arden edition in performance, which comes full of historical information and analysis if you’re looking for an in-depth (and insider!) introduction to the play. Want notes side-by-side to the text? Check out the Folger Shakespeare Library’s line of Shakespeare’s plays. Want a portable copy that won’t take up too much room in your picnic basket? The Pelican Shakespeare offers compact versions of the play without skimping on footnotes. If King Lear is your first Shakespeare play, you can find fair-priced editions of the Complete Works at stores like Half-Price Books or online through Amazon Smile. Choose the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival as your Amazon Smile organization, and you’ll support both the Bard and HASF with your purchase!
A THOUSAND ACRES by Jane Smiley
Smiley’s 1992 Pulitzer-Prize winning novel is a new way to experience the plot of King Lear. Set on an Iowa farm in the late twentieth century, Smiley borrows Shakespeare’s narrative but reinvents it with modern characters and a first-person perspective. Larry Cook, like King Lear, looks to divide his property among his three daughters Rose, Ginny, and Caroline. When his youngest daughter objects to the business deal, she is cut out of the transaction. The novel is broken up into five “books,” much like the five acts of Shakespeare. Check out A Thousand Acres either before or after reading King Lear to see how many similarities you can find. If you’re a read-the-book-then-watch-the-movie type, make a movie night with the 1997 film adaptation of the novel. The movie has an all-star cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Colin Firth, Michelle Williams, and Elizabeth Moss.
FOOL by Christopher Moore
American author Christopher Moore has a knack for comedic fantasy. Though most of his books take place in the same world, Moore made an exception for three works: The Serpent of Venice, Sacre Blue, and Fool. All three were inspired by classic works – including those of Shakespeare. Fool, released in 2009, follows the plot of King Lear through the eyes of Pocket, the King’s Fool. Familiar characters—Edmund, Cordelia, Lear—all make an appearance, but lovers of Shakespeare will have fun tracking other Shakespeare references throughout the novel. Moore released a sequel in 2014, The Serpent of Venice, which was inspired by a play the Festival recently performed for the first time: The Merchant of Venice.
THE DRESSER by Ronald Harwood
Harwood’s 1980 play lets you experience King Lear and the theatre through its true medium: the stage. Set during World War II, this drama follows a touring theatre company, whose star is an aging actor cared for by his loyal dresser. The play takes place the night of a performance of King Lear, so you get to read some of Shakespeare’s original play alongside Harwood’s dialogue. Though not a true adaptation like A Thousand Acres and Fool, the actors parallel two of Shakespeare’s most iconic character: Lear and his Fool. Harwood wrote the screenplay for the 1983 film adaptation, which is the closest you can get to seeing the play performed live.
MOBY-DICK by Herman Melville
You might not have expected this nineteenth-century classic to make an appearance on our King Lear reading guide. While the novel is an epic story set at sea, Melville litters the pages of his novel with Shakespearean references – many of them from King Lear. The book often appears on must-read lists, like Goodreads’ “100 Books You Must Read Before You Die,” so you can cross it off your classics reading list while still learning about Shakespeare. If you’re an e-book fan, you can download the book for free through Kindle Unlimited!
KING LEAR runs Tuesday-Sunday June 16 through July 5. For more information, visit www.kcshakes.org. Follow the Festival on Twitter and Instagram @kcshakes for rehearsal and production updates!
–Alyson Germinder
