I had decided my ignoble goal in the preceeding months to the year's transition, but knew I could not let myself fully descend into the madness of the knight... I had been batting around a few options as islands amongst the pulp, but nothing really found purchase as adequate balance. Until!
I have decided to read through my Shakespeare once more. Five years ago, with no prior planning, I found myself trekking through the bard's bawdy ballads and lo and behold, before the year was out I had essentially read them all (minus The Tempest and a few sundry partial jobs and of course the nonextants and The Rape of Lucrece). And yet, I have found the memory of some plays have turned gray and vacuous.
What will this new schedule look like? As this is my later addition, I am still working out the kinks, but the rough scheme is three plays a month. How will I get in his sonnets and poems or his partial works? Yes, I am still figuring that out. Which reading path will I take? I will probably endeavor the more traditional chronological path, mostly due to beginning with the Henry the VIs in consecutive order for better momentum rather than Two Gentleman of Verona which ended up being my least enjoyed entry in my past read through. Very scientific. I may not hold myself back from doing a play (or other work) a week, meaning I would finish early. I have not yet figured out a planned means of response either, but those rarely survive the first skirmish anyway.
What am I looking forward to in this quest?
- The Histories!
- Digging deeper into the problems of the Problem Plays
- Remembering what happened in a few of them (Coriolanus? Pericles?)
- The fools
- Rewatching Ran when King Lear comes around
- Rewatching Throne of Blood when Macbeth comes around
- Pretty much every tragedy... except maybe Titus Andronicus (the play is kinda smutty)
- Hamlet, then Rosencrans and Guildenstern Are Dead
What I am not looking forward to in this quest...
- Hopefully it will not happen, but missing a week and falling behind
- Getting stuck in just-read mode and not processing well
- I would say Two Gentlemen of Verona, but I look forward to better developing my thoughts there
- Not being able to compliment reading with seeing each performed... I may try to add on some, but...
- The fools
- There isn't much to dislike
If you would like to join along, Shakespeare is all public domain, so it is all free!
Ignoble Goal:
So... last year I supported the kickstarter campaign for a board game involving a certain property that is also celebrating its 80th anniversary as a figure of literature and culture in 2019. For most of the year I grappled with the thought of doing a grand read-through of the various titles where said property has been explored. It would start gaining momentum in my fevered brain until a sentiment (perhaps sediment) of reason would cast a light of truth upon such thought. "There is way too much to read." "What a waste of life." "Maybe read something of some merit." "You will be single your entire life." etc.
Well, reason finally washed its hands of me and I am attempting a grand reading quest of whatever Batman comics I can get my hands on and as chronological as I can manage. If you don't understand how big that endeavor is, good for you. If you do, then you may be asking, what exactly entails a Batman comic? Does Justice League count? Howzabouts other Gothamite characters? Does Robin in Teen Titans mean you are locked into all those books as well? To which I will answer with, we shall see. For now I have a great deal of Golden Age to wade through which lives mostly in the isolation of three titles besides a handful of brief appearances in All Star Comics with the Justice Society... I think I can skip those (and I have read them before).
What am I looking forward to in this quest?
- The Golden Age. I have read the first three years before, but after that it is a smatter of issues here or there.
- The O'Neil/Adams reread. This will be a major transition point, transitioning out of the Silver Age which I have read prior and into the Bronze of which I have not read past Adams.
- All the stuff between Adams and Knightfall because it seems like a tasty mystery
- The Dark Knight Returns, Year One, and The Killing Joke in their 80s context.
- I really want to squeeze Outsiders in here, even though Batman is only in the title for its inception.
- Chuck Dixon's Robin
- No Man's Land, I hear it doesn't live up to the billing, but it seems like fun 90s crossoverpalooza
- Rereading the Morrison crossing Snyder crossing King span. Bats has been having quite the time of it for years now
- a lot more
What I am not looking forward to in this quest...
- The Golden Age... I really want to experience the silly 50's but I know it will wear on me
- rereading some of that 60s stuff, it had moments, but I suspect it will drag
- burnout
- too much Batman, not enough side characters
- Harley Quinn...
- New 52 other than Snyder
- Resurrected Jason Todd
- way too many stinkin' comics on the docket
Well, I would not recommend you do what I am planning, but if you want to dip a toe, I usually start people with The Long Halloween as a fun batty romp. If you have a library card, check out the Hoopla app and see if your library supports it. DC has been giving it pretty decent support.
All of this to say, I am mad and need help. Also, feel free to ask me how these schemes are going. Or send help.
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