"Becoming Shakespeare - $1" Topic

The Dollar Tree line of shops now have Becoming Shakespeare – "The untimely afterlife that turned a provincial playwright into the Bard"

FYI, here's the listing for the book at Amazon: link

Far from being unlikely I'd say it's pretty ordinary. Some artists have been revered continually from their time to ours but it's just as common for a name now hallowed to have been in eclipse or a once great reputation to have fallen, there are even cases of rise, fall, rise and fall again.

As a rule these assessments say more about the sensibilities and peculiarities of the times than the quality of the work.

Of course you can say that about many history books.

"Of course you can say that about many history books."

Do you refer to the remark about reflecting the times? Of course it's one of the more ordinary and in my view, valuable purposes of history. My observation was only a quibble about the use of the word 'unlikely' to describe the gyrations of Shakespeare's reputation. This is probably just the ordinary publishing hyperbole, I can't imagine the writer really thinks it unusual.

Even more fascinating, for those who are interested in how culture changes with time is to follow the introduction and changes in meaning of words. Owen Barfield's, 'History in English Words' is a good introduction to the subject.