Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood

Shakespeare Stealer is quite a different novel than My Name is Will. For starters, it is targeted towards a younger audience, Publishers Weekly reports the intended age group as 10 - 14 year olds. Just as a product of its audience, Shakespeare Stealer is much less ... shall we say bawdy than My Name is Will. There's no sex or drugs here.

Despite being squeaky clean - except for the occasional chamber pot, Shakespeare Stealer does evoke the feeling of the Early Modern Period. The diction is reminiscent of the Shakespearean form of English, without being incomprehensible to a young audience. One of the ways in which Blackwood draws attention to the language without overpowering the story is through Widge, the protagonist. Widge, being from the rural, northern, hillbilly part of England must learn to overcome his use of "aye" and instead learn to say "yes." Alright, not the most clever or exciting of conversions ever, but his change in language does parallel his change in personality and view of the world. It is interesting, however, that Widge's freedom and growth is tried into his transition from country boy to city dweller.

An incredibly common trope occurs in Shakespeare Stealer. It is a plot line I loved as a little girl, and is likely one of the reasons I liked this book when I was younger. Julian, the friendly but private apprentice of the company, is revealed to be a woman after a mock sword fight gets out of hand. This is incredibly common in youth literature, and movies, set in any time period previous to post-second wave feminism. Even Shakespeare borrowed this trope in Twelfth Night. I will be incredibly surprised if it does not come up again this semester.

Julian is not the only character in costume. In addition to the various actors in various stages of costume, the bad guy is in costume from the moment Widge meets him. Costumes and subterfuge appeared in My Name is Will as well, both with respect to the Catholics hiding their faith, and Willie dressed as a fool to enter the Faire.

Returning to Shakespeare, since he is the point of this whole class, the bard is conspicuously absent for a book titled after him. All told, I believe he speaks maybe five lines in the entire novel and appears in maybe a quarter of the book. The focus is here much more on the company and the plays.

One last observation, writing and reading are incredibly important and revered in the novel. Widge's adventure only occurs because he can read and write in a shorthand that is quick enough to pick up words as they are spoken. This class is now two for two with writing and reading being very important in the novels, and from what I have read (the first chapter) of Ophelia, the next book will continue the pattern.

Plays mentioned in Shakespeare Stealer:
- Hamlet (everywhere)
- Romeo and Juliet (briefly)
- Richard III (offends Elizabeth I)

Next : Ophelia by Lisa Klein