tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post8352866020734126977..comments2023-07-07T10:56:11.083-04:00Comments on Shakespeare Geek: Of Quartos, Folios and WhereforesDuane Morinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569611828708601563noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-33362615620623167662016-05-13T12:30:07.837-04:002016-05-13T12:30:07.837-04:00There's something to that. Many quartos had p...There's something to that. Many quartos had phrases like "Enacted by the King's Men this Past January, to Great Applause." As such, they were promotional in general about the company or about the theatre though not about the specific play.<br /><br />And the Queen (and, later, the King) had someone read the plays for them beforehand—the Master of the Revels! But he read them kjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14863005904313974654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-37993153330642262592016-05-13T07:31:20.058-04:002016-05-13T07:31:20.058-04:00Hi Everyone,
Here is a possibility, what if the Q...Hi Everyone,<br /><br />Here is a possibility, what if the Quartos started out as advertising synopsis of a play to be performed by a stage group and were published to attract investors and backers of the plays to show what a play was about, and used as promotional materials. <br /><br />Someone could have purchased a copy to read to small groups to get people to go to the plays, then get a Joe Wocoskihttp://joewocoski.com/series/shakespeare-sonnet-word-search-books/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-24034705955476250362016-05-12T21:00:01.815-04:002016-05-12T21:00:01.815-04:00""Wait, no, stop, you're doing it wr...""Wait, no, stop, you're doing it wrong."<br /><br /><br />Well, that's just ignorance--or plain stubbornness for the sake of appearing as though they "know" what they're talking about. There is no right or wrong--only better. <br /><br />The point is that it's a visceral/communal experience. That's the way the material was conceived and what it was JMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08099932219392937069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-1057266796180576882016-05-12T20:13:54.932-04:002016-05-12T20:13:54.932-04:00>bet that not one of your so-called "sanct...>bet that not one of your so-called "sanctimonious" friends would claim that they *should not* be read AT ALL.<br /><br />Oh you'd be surprised, J. :) As I'm sure you know I monitor Reddit, Quora and other sites where I can get involved in Shakespeare discussion. The question of "What should I read first/next?" comes up quite regularly. And a common answer is, &Duane Morinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16569611828708601563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-7829374692507316232016-05-12T18:06:57.327-04:002016-05-12T18:06:57.327-04:00"Every time the "Shakespeare was meant t..."Every time the "Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read" argument comes up I would be all ready to go and shove that right back in certain sanctimonious faces!"<br /><br />As to the above, I think you're nitpicking here. The plays were *meant* to be performed. Careful--even cursory--study of their construction reveals this. As to being read, I'd be willing to JMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08099932219392937069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-82140098462007503302016-05-11T19:24:44.929-04:002016-05-11T19:24:44.929-04:00Interesting thought. I would probably place the s...Interesting thought. I would probably place the sanctimonious faces on the other side of the issue--saying that Shakespeare was primarily meant to be read, not performed.<br /><br />You've hit upon a vexed issue. Plays were hugely popular in performance; how popular were they in print? And why? It would seem that a playhouse with a hit on its hands would be reluctant to print it--because kjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14863005904313974654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-24009701847758287212016-05-11T13:56:06.902-04:002016-05-11T13:56:06.902-04:00>got the vague notion that students at the Inns...>got the vague notion that students at the Inns were readers of plays in quarto, but I couldn't back that up.<br /><br />How great would it be to document that! Every time the "Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not read" argument comes up I would be all ready to go and shove that right back in certain sanctimonious faces! :)<br />Duane Morinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16569611828708601563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13529575.post-63568439864375149502016-05-11T13:47:18.510-04:002016-05-11T13:47:18.510-04:00I don't think there's such an agreement ab...I don't think there's such an agreement about no market. We have multiple printings of some quartos, which means that some stationer thought they could make money selling them, not once, but two or three times. I've got the vague notion that students at the Inns were readers of plays in quarto, but I couldn't back that up.<br /><br />Ben Jonson published his first collected Bardiachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.com