William Shakespeare's Star Wars delights Canadian readers
American author Ian Doescher's Shakespearean twist on the blockbuster film Star Wars is inspiring Canadians to delve into and better understand the works of Britain's Bard of Avon.
William Shakespeare's Star Wars, which hit stores and book shelves in July, is a retelling in Iambic pentameter of George Lucas's epic Star Wars.
Libraries and school boards see the new book, which features Elizabethan illustrations, as a vehicle for encouraging children to read and better understand Shakespeare.
Random House of Canada, which distributes the book here, says on its website: "The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays."
Dayna Cornwall, who has English and teaching degrees and works for the Windsor Public Library, called William Shakespeare's Star Wars a "great doorway into Shakespeare."
"I spent time trying to inspire students with the love of Romeo and Juliet. It isn’t easy. They find the whole idea of Shakespeare pretty daunting, that’s the impression we have as a culture," Cornwall said. "But we all know Star Wars so well; it’s not a struggle to know what’s going on. Shakespeare doesn’t have to be all that tough."
Memorable lines, such Obi Wan Kenobi's pop culture classic, "these aren't the droids you're looking for," have been translated to, "True it is, that these are not the droids for which thou search'st."
Doescher, a Portland, Ore., father of two who has loved Shakespeare since childhood, has added some soliloquies throughout his first book.
Cornwall called it "beautiful and intriguing."
"He’s poetically expressing some of the feelings of the movie," she said.
Emails to Doescher and publishing company Quirk Books weren't immediately returned. But according to the Stratford Observer in the U.K., the author also wants to inspire a younger Shakespeare audience.
"Shakespeare has a reputation for being rather elite. I think young people see unfamiliar words like fardels and codpiece and assume they won't be able to do it," he told the newspaper. "I hope my book might be a gateway into Shakespeare. They already know the storyline so they won't have trouble following what's happening."
After the book became available in July, the Windsor Public Library immediately ordered three hard copies and an eBook version. On Friday, all three hard copies were on hold.
"I saw it online some months ago and got really excited," Cornwall said. "I personally placed a hold on it when I saw it was in our system."
She finally read the book about a week ago.
"I devoured it," Cornwall said.
Cornwall said Shakespeare fans are "delighted by this kind of thing."
"They see it as a way in for people who don’t know or like Shakespeare all that much," she said.
The Stratford Festival, one of the most respected and acclaimed classical theatres in North America, is aware of the rewrite, but had no comment.
