Sweet Swan of Avon: Did a Woman Write Shakespeare? - Softcover

Williams, Robin P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1463671873 ISBN 13: 9781463671877

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011

Synopsis

Robin Williams' premise that a woman may have written the works attributed to William Shakespeare is NOT based on analysis of the female characters in the plays or on any perceived feminine attributes. Rather, she grounds her provocative study on documented evidence regarding Mary Sidney, a woman who developed the most important literary circle in English history, whose mission in life was to create great works in the English language, and who was unable to put her name on work written for the public theater. The intent of this book is to provide enough documented evidence to open the inquiry into this intriguing—and entirely plausible—possibility. She accomplishes this by, on the one hand, debunking longstanding assumptions about the author of these works and, on the other hand, providing overwhelming documented evidence connecting Mary Sidney to the Shakespearean canon.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"It is long overdue that someone took a closer look at the brilliant Mary Sidney. I have a suspicion that Mary Sidney's life, and especially her dedication to the English language after her brother's death, may throw important light on the mysterious authorship of the Shakespeare plays and poems."
-Mark Rylance
Actor; Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, 1996-2006; Chairman of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust
For more than two hundred years, a growing number of researchers have questioned whether the man named William Shakespeare actually wrote the works attributed to him. There is no paper trail for William Shakespeare-no record that he was ever paid for writing, nothing in his handwriting but a few signatures on legal documents, no evidence of his presence in the royal court except as an actor in his later years, no confirmation of his involvement in the literary circles of the time. With so little information about this man-and even less evidence connecting him to the plays and sonnets-what can and what can't we assume about the author of the greatest works of the English language?
For the first time, Robin P. Williams presents an in-depth inquiry into the possibility that Mary Sidney Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke, wrote the works attributed to the man named William Shakespeare. As well educated as Queen Elizabeth I, this woman was at the forefront of the literary movement in England, yet not allowed to write for the public stage. But that's just the beginning . . .
"
The first question I am asked by curious freshmen in my Shakespeare course is always, "Who wrote these plays anyway?" Now, because of Robin Williams' rigorous scholarship and artful sleuthing, Mary Sidney Herbert will forever have to be mentioned as a possible author of the Shakespeare canon. Sweet Swan of Avon doesn't pretend to put the matter to rest, but simply shows how completely reasonable the authorship controversy is, and how the idea of a female playwright surprisingly answers more Shakespearean conundrums than it creates..."
-Cynthia Lee Katona
Professor of Shakespeare and Women's Studies, Ohlone College; Author of "Book Savvy"

About the Author

Robin P. Williams is the first American with a postgrad degree in Shakespearean Authorship, and she holds a doctorate in the history and future of reading Shakespeare in community from Brunel University London. She is an Associate Member of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust in London and an internationally known speaker. Robin has authored numerous award-winning and best-selling books. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1463671873
• ISBN 13: 9781463671877
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320