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Summary: Speaking of the Unspeakable
Review: Professor Richard Burt is a most reknowned scholar in the knowledge and history of William Shakespeare. Prior to reading Unspeakable Shakespeare, I was not a huge fan of Shakespeare, however his usage and encouragement of pop culture as a source of educating and sharing Shakespeare are remarkable. Although the title, Unspeakable Shaxxxspeare seems frightening to a morally sensitive reader (like myself), reading the book, I found that Burt simply uses everyday issues that are familiar to demonstrate the truly beautiful and artistic nature of Shakespeare. Further his intelligence and appreciation of Shakespeare cause the reader to be less focused on the moral content of the book only to gain a greater understanding and admiration for Burt and Shakespeare.
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Summary: Dick Burt Kicks Ass
Review: Professor Richard Burt of UMass-Amherst has produced an excellent demonstration of his own theory of looser-criticism, which perfectly captures the most useful trends in literary studies. Bungee-jumping off of the tip of the ivory tower, Burt thrusts forcefully into the depths of pop-culture, kiddie-culture, hard-core porno and the rest of what is most dynamic and influential in contemporary American culture. Reveling the velvety folds of Americana, Burt finds (gasp, choke) Shakespeare, alive, well and living in da hood. His erudite, fearless and shameless investigation explains both the continuing relevance Shakespeare's work, and the significance of Shakespeare as a pop icon, in (apparently) ALL facets of US culture. By rights this intervention ought to make Burt, a man who constantly promotes his own fascination with celebrity, a media celebrity himself (next on Springer: "You read my book, bitch!"). This is a volume that must be read by all who profess a serious interest in Shakespeare and/or popular culture. And therefore never send to know for whom the porn was made - it was made for thee. Word.
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Summary: An authoritative, inventive and fresh look at Willy Shakes
Review: Richard Burt - a gentleman, a scholar, possibly a visionary, but certainly a writer and theorist of some note. I base this solely on my experiences between the covers of this fine book.This book is not just for Shakespeare junkies, although those strung out on Shakespeare will find a refreshing look at the Bard. Each page is filled with fresh insight into the Poet's oeuvre. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I was especially gratified to see mention of Lloyd Kaufman and Troma and their fine work in revivifying a Shakespeare classic in TROMEO & JULIET. It takes a true genius to recognize one. This book is worth the pound of flesh it requires to buy it.
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Summary: Dr. Burt provides a treasure trove of pop culture references
Review: Richard Burt has managed to write an academic text which is at once thorough and a pleasure to read. Dr. Burt's style is easily accessible while still offering an intellectual's view of all things Shakespearean. This book's vision of modern Shakesperiotics demonstrates just how far reaching "the Bard" can be. The depth of Burt's considerations of Queer Theory and adult films is impressive and well documented, but his real strength is the breadth of his scholarship, as he lists and discusses allusions, citations, and spinoffs found throughout American culture. This volume should not be missed by casual viewers of popular culture or interested academic followers of Shakespeare.
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Summary: Engaging study of Shakespeare in mass media
Review: Richard Burt has to be the most interesting critic of Shakespeare alive and is no doubt a charismatic professor. I've seen his Shakespeare course website and only wish that I could have taken a course like his when I went to college. But having to settle for this brilliant and often hilarious book on Shakespeare's afterlives in modern American mass media, mostly film, is not at all bad. I highly recommend it. Check out Burt's personal website too. It's a gas.
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Summary: Not your parent's Shakespeare
Review: Richard Burt is undoubtedly a scholar ahead of his time. Unspeakable ShaXXXespeares chronicles the "Shakespeare Boom" prior to its juicy climax at this year's Academy Awards. This book takes the reader to a time before "Shakespeare in Love chic" rocked the malls and fashion runways of the world. Burt delves into the bloated underbelly of American pop culture where unknown and unarchived Shakespeare adaptations hide themselves from the critical eye of Shakespeare scholars. It is safe to assume that until Unspeakable ShaXXXespeares, the Shakespearean work of porn stars Rick Savage and Nina Hartley went wholly unnoticed by people in academic circles. While hard core porn offers a surprising bounty of Shakespeare adaptations, Burt also explores soft core late night "Skin-a-max" movies like Skyscraper (starring the beautiful and talented Anna Nicole Smith), 70s and 80s television shows including Scooby Doo, Star Trek, Giligan's Island, and Moonlighting, and big budget mall movies like Clueless and Last Action Hero. Burt's book is not only successful in dramatically expanding the Shakespeare archive. Using the lens of queer theory and what he calls "loser criticism" Burt illustrates that Shakespeare's reoccurring role in American pop culture is not always as a signifier of "authentic high culture". The Bard is often simultaneously "queered", assassinated, or portrayed as "the loser" in many of the films discussed in this book. Unspeakable ShaXXXespeares is a revolutionary work which would appeal to academics, Shakespeareans, film buffs, queer theorists, losers, and anyone into HARD CORE PORNO.
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Summary: The Bard reborn
Review: Richard Burt's book could have never been more well timed. It seems that this seems to be the time to be in one of Shakespeare's plays gone movie. Richard Burt show that this is no new fad but has been a continual fascination for most. Shakespeare, as Burt points out, can be found in every form of media around. Burt's analysis of pop culture are outstanding, everything from The Brady Bunch to Shakespeare inspired porn. The books analysis of the "loser" is also one that is very interesting and valid when you look around. It is also worth the late fines to see the movies to which he makes reference to in the book. Tromeo and Juliet is now one of my favorite interpretations, yet it's not for the squeamish.
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Summary: Essential Shaxxxspeare
Review: Richard Burt's text provides the world of Shakespeare with a refreshing and invigorating overhaul. This book deconstructs the myth of Shakespeare, and how it is treated in the realm of American popular culture in an informative and highly readable fashion. Besides, where else could you read about pornograhic versions of the Bard? The relationship between traditional interpretations of Shakespeare and the modern are carefully scrutinized, placing particular emphasis on the adoptation of Shakespeare by American institutions such as Hollywood as symptomatic of latter-day American imperialisic desire. This book carefully examines many areas of Shakespeare that have until now been widely ignored. Essential for anyone studying or interested in Shakespeare in a modern context.
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Summary: Loser criticism for winners
Review: Richard Burt's Unspeakable Shakexxxxpeares is a wise and witty, incredibly knowledgeable overview of some of the more intriguing, unexpected, and at times bizarre uses of Shakespeare in popular culture, especially in the movies. But Burt's book, written with panache and wit, does much more than bring to light some of the hidden corners of Shakespeareana: he offers a trenchant critique of the dumbing down of Shakespeare in popular culture and he takes to task those academics who are only too willing to substitute a trivialized Shaxxxspeare for the more difficult challenges offered by the genuine article. Burt's discussion of pornographic Shakespeare gives new meaning to the phrase "Shakespeare in Love." Employing Queer theory and what he terms "loser criticism," among other approaches, Burt demonstrates how sophisticated critical concepts can be discussed in an accessible, non-intimidating style. Strongly recommended to anyone with an interest in Shakespeare and/or popular culture, or anyone who just wants to read a fun book.
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Summary: To Burt or not to Burt
Review: Shakespeare is constantly present in all our lives, in films, books and songs. However, Shakespeare is more omnipresent than you first thought, as Richard Burt's book proves. By first examining direct representations of the great Bard, such as the most recent Romeo and Juliet, he then takes us on a literary journey through Hollywood and American popular culture via Shakespeare. In the last decade Shakespeare has not only become accepted, he has almost become cool, as we have seen in the wide variety of spin-offs and adaptations. Burt examines what this not only means to our culture but what it represents about our culture. From the more obvious queering of Shakespeare (indeed his sexuality has been studied , as long as literature has been studied),to his representation in pornography, and finally to the way in which he has been bastardized (bardized) in the current spate of "teen" movies. Not only do we see what this means to the youth of today, we also see how much impact Shakespeare has on our generation. All literary scholars should agree that literature relies on re-interpretation and re-examing the work which we study. Burt brings a new and refreshing light to a subject that could well have become irrelevant to American culture. This book is both fascinating and insightful, how else would I have learnt of films such as Tromeo and Juliet, which make Shakespeare what he should be, new and exciting. So to all those who doubt the validity of such a quest, i.e. redefining Shakespeare in terms of kiddie culture or queer theory, go back to you're stuffy old librarys and let the dust settle upon you. Shakespeare is back, this is the sequel, and its better than ever.
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