Shakespeare is the Literary Sourdough
of the Pandemic
It's full of hot air and we don't quite understand how it works
Welcome to a series of blog posts in which I will share some of the delicious Shakespearean morsels I've been gobbling up during lockdown.
At the beginning of 2021 I was discussing the ubiquitous nature of online Shakespeare content with a colleague, and it came to me. Shakespeare is the literary sourdough of the pandemic!
Why is Shakespeare booming right now? My perception that Shakespeare is hugely trending is no doubt in part a result of finding what you look for. In 2016–logically timed with the 400th anniversary of his death–I noticed a definite uptick in Shakespeare programming around the globe, and my own burgeoning bardolatry led me to discover a whole world of material that was, turns out, only new to me.
However, there is no denying that COVID has accelerated people’s interest in and engagement with Shakespeare. Our virtual Zoom-based existence has helped make Shakespeare more accessible, putting his works into more people’s lives, thanks to actors and theater professionals who have time on their hands, and are generously sharing their content and creativity with the rest of us.
How is Shakespeare Like Sourdough?
It’s full of hot air and we don’t quite understand how it works.
For many of us, the idea of baking bread at home has always been way too time consuming and requires special knowledge that is too complicated to acquire. But people who bake their own bread claim it’s easier than you think.
Sounds like Shakespeare.
Bread is a timeless symbol of comfort and community.
People with time on their hands are turning to baking and sonnets to learn something new, and they are finding that once they get the hang of it, they can make sourdough–or Shakespeare–their own.
Daniela Galarza, Features Editor at Serious Eats, suggests that making sourdough “gives people a sense of control that they otherwise don’t have in…their lives right now.” Shakespeare has been doing the same for furloughed actors, theater workers, writers, and directors.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/05/sourdough-starter-science.html
As long as we keep feeding it, it can live for 400 years.
The alchemical nature of Shakespeare’s works insist on a constant feeding and reinterpreting by the current generation. We need to use Shakespeare as a starting point (starter!) with our students. As a way in to discuss the very particulars of the ways in which they are experiencing the common themes of life today.
This sourdough nature of Shakespeare also points to why we need to keep teaching it: because it’s a living breathing entity that connects us to each other through the ages.
This month I’ll be starting a series of blog posts that share some of the gems I’ve found while exploring the Shakespeare landscape and its ever-expanding offerings during the Coronavirus pandemic. Bon appetit!
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