Reviews for Pronouncing Shakespeare: The Globe Experiment

The average rating for Pronouncing Shakespeare: The Globe Experiment based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-12-16 00:00:00 Phil Kos This is a pretty interesting read if you are into linguistics and Shakespeare. Otherwise, it may come off as too dull or detailed. I especially loved David Crystal's knack for turning this into a story rather than just a cold recounting of the events. Most importantly, he mentions every part of the collective thought process involved in this experiment, inlcuding the opinions and reactions of the public and the cast. There isn't any detail in this story that I'm left wondering about. It was quite a satisfying quick read. And if you're into linguistics, this book raises some interesting points that could be interpreted as in favor of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-09-26 00:00:00 Michael Laurion This is a fun little book about a production of Romeo and Juliet in "original pronunciation" (OP) at the Globe Theatre in 2004. As I'm on a bit of a Shakespeare jag at the moment, it was a nice, light balance to King Lear. Halfway through the book, I went searching on YouTube for examples of OP and did stumble across this OP version of Hamlet's famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy, read by David Crystal's son, if any readers are curious. I also just discovered on Audible an OP reading of Tyndale's translation of Matthew's Gospel, read by Prof. Crystal, and know I'll eventually buy it.