An examination of how dramatists including Shakespeare, Sarah Kane and Samuel Beckett manipulated actors' bodies for laughter or sympathy, discussed in relation to the social construction of ‘snowflake culture’ as a 21st century phenomenon.
An examination of how dramatists including Shakespeare, Sarah Kane and Samuel Beckett manipulated actors' bodies for laughter or sympathy, discussed in relation to the social construction of ‘snowflake culture’ as a 21st century phenomenon.
Aesthetics, Drama, Popular culture
Drawing on plays by Shakespeare, Sarah Kane, Sophocles, Samuel Beckett, and others, this book examines the ways in which these dramatists manipulated the actor’s body to demand laughter and/or sympathy. Ian Burrows shows how these strategies can be thought about beyond the stage-space: in the classroom, in the media, and in relation to the social construction of ‘snowflake culture’ as a 21st century phenomenon.
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Shakespeare for Snowflakes is a provocative book, and a brave, thoughtful attempt to reclaim the meaning and context of those trigger warnings. It makes intriguing connections between contemporary conservative anxieties and the ontology of spectatorship. It takes real delight in physical comedy; it ranges from custard pies to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; it takes non-scholarly material seriously as evidence for audience reactions; and it works with exemplary courtesy and rigour to refute lazy and reactionary thinking. [...] Burrows’ is a calmly and idiosyncratically ethical voice. His elegant ability to literalize metaphors and figures of speech in refreshing ways, and his steely critical urgency, softly presented in this book for a wider audience, are full of intellectual promise. I look forward to the next one. ~ Emma Smith, University of Oxford; author of 'This is Shakespeare: How to Read the World's Greatest Playwright'
A lively and nuanced foray into the culture wars, inspired by both theatrical scholarship and personal experience ... This brisk consideration of the power of words to suppress or awaken empathy strikes a timely note in the context of today’s debates about free speech and tolerance. ~ Publishers Weekly
It’s probably the best presentation of this sort of an argument I’ve seen about content warnings in university classrooms. ~ Andy Boyd, New Books Network
The line between laughter and tears is dotted at best, and Ian Burrows’ inspired alignment of slapstick and tragedy gets to the heart of human response to pain and the unexpected. In his nuanced analysis of drama from Sophocles to Kane, Burrows unpacks the complexities of reaction to trauma and the ways in which artists have utilised laughter. Alongside this, in responding to the wider media discourse generated by the lectures in which the book originated, Burrows turns controversy in on itself, offering mature, important reflection on what it means to find empathy in the ridiculous or to mock the trauma of others. ~ Peter Kirwan, University of Nottingham
