Shakespeare Beyond Science: When Poetry Was the World

by Sky Gilbert

Shakespeare Beyond When Poetry Was the World approaches Shakespeare as rhetorician. This means jettisoning the yearning to find the true meaning of Shakespeare's texts, as Shakespeare wrote at a time when poetry was not meant to be interpreted, but experienced as a window on the world. Sky Gilbert looks at Shakespeare in the context of the style wars that obsessed the early modern period, placing Shakespeare on the side of Lyly, Nashe, Sturm and the Greek rhetorician Hermogenes, against the new forward-looking more scientific approach to literature, as expressed by early modern philosopher Petrus Ramus (whose followers in England were Sydney and Gabriel Harvey). In the end Shakespeare was a post-structuralist, more concerned with form than content, and confident of the dangerous magical power of words not only to persuade but to construct our consciousness.

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare Beyond Science by Sky Gilbert is an engaging and deeper than expected look at Shakespeare's use of language as rhetoric, in the ancient meaning.

While the identity passages are certainly interesting (and physically impossible) they serve more to highlight the divide between the "old" use of language and the "new." The framing as a possible answer to Shakespeare's identity serves to make the reader pay close attention, which means we also gain a better understanding of the way language was changing.

The rest of the book is enlightening and well argued. I don't think a reader must necessarily agree or disagree, it is enough, at least at first reading, to take in the information and actively engage with the ideas. There is plenty of time to agree or disagree after one has worked to understand Gilbert's arguments. Otherwise, what exactly are you agreeing to or disagreeing with? A part of the argument?

While at times a bit dense the writing is quite approachable and rewards taking whatever time you need to deal with the dense areas. Whether you're into Shakespeare or into language and thought more generally this book offers a lot to ponder and wrestle with. Definitely recommended.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Shakespeare Beyond Science" looks at the language that Shakespeare uses and explores how this language was a challenge to the world developing around him. In an era when science was becoming popular, when people could make observations about the world around them, did they still need the poetical, flowery language of Shakespeare? I was hoping to learn more about the time Shakespeare was writing, how people thought and spoke, and maybe learn to see both language and Shakespeare's language in particular, through the lens of the Elizabethan world view. Instead, "Shakespeare Beyond Science" became a very scholarly exploration of philosophical and rhetorical styles and views and I was almost instantly in over my head. I kept going, hoping it would begin making sense, but I never really understood the arguments Gilbert was making.

This is definitely not a book for the casual reader, but for the more scholarly and philosophy- oriented reader.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who loves, has studied and currently teaches Shakespeare, I found that some of the points raised in this book to be really interesting. Well researched and written by someone with a clear plan in mind, this book is a deep dive into the changing world of Shakespeare, as well as those who came before him and influenced his work and those of is contemporaries.

This book was much heavy in history and in-depth research than i had expected. In the beginning, Gilbert makes it clear that this is not an analysis of language Shakespeare uses but rather a discussion of what that language means. I had originally thought the book would be about the former, but did learn some new details that I had not covered in my degree or research I have conducted myself to assist in my teaching.

I would recommend this book for those with an interest in the historical impact on language and culture, as well as those looking for a more detailed and specific insight into the works of William Shakespeare..

[Carlos Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most in-depth, yet simple, approaches to Shakespeare's language that I have ever come across.
In Shakespeare Beyond Science, the author is more interested in discussing how the Bard uses language, instead of what he means by it. As the title suggests, language is approached as a scientific subject. From the beginning of the book, Sky Gilbert states they are not to interpret Shakespeare's oeuvre, but rather to analyze his language as a tool to convey stories, emotions, jokes, criticism, and reflection on humankind.
The text is supported by studies of various scholars and philosophers, as well as historical facts. The arguments are illustrated by quotes, characters and plots from Shakespeare's plays, and by his sonnets' verses. I especially liked the discussion around his sexuality, the way sexuality was perceived at his time, and the sexuality his characters performed. 

[Brent Winzek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must first compliment the author for the tone, perspective, & historic awareness he expresses while making his argument. I thoroughly enjoyed and was engaged by the theories offered regarding Shakespeare's influences & writing philosophies. I also greatly admire Gilbert's ability to pull the reader away from our contemporary lens of understanding - an ability that is masterfully maintained throughout this work.

That being said, I cannot rate this title as high as I would like, for the current iteration suffers from perhaps the most egregious number of basic & obvious typographical errors I have yet encountered in a professionally-published work. Such oversights suggest negligence of the subject matter by the editor and publishers, and these errors undermine not only the physical value of the book, but, more importantly, the credibility of the author's otherwise well-articulated thesis.

[Rik Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilbert posits in his opening chapter, 'Bardology', that "there is much medieval and early modern writing that displays humanity, that appeals to our best selves, and creates deep emotion, but which does not touch us the way Shakespeare's work does." Why?

In a long-overdue answer (antidote) to Harold Bloom's 'Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human', Gilbert makes a persuasive argument that it is Shakespeare's poetry (rhetoric) that gives us the illusion of that human "inwardness" that Bloom so highly admired; that it is the language itself, primarily the ambiguity of idea and image provoked in us, which is at the core of what touches us about Shakespeare's characters. Gilbert gives satisfying (and rigorous) context to why Shakespeare's Form deserves pride of place over Content. Highly recommend.