Quote:
Originally Posted by FlorenceArt
My understanding is that practically nothing is known of the life of William Shakespeare, so a lot of this must be fiction. Which isn't necessarily bad of course, though personally it bothers me, I don't know why  |
Yes, the book is historical fiction, and
William Shakespeare was both a poet and playwright. "Really we know nothing about the private Shakespeare ...", so as Meredith Whitford says, in the author's post-text note, "... Might as well write fiction, then, and have some fun." Nevertheless, following the end of the book, she explains what is known about Shakespeare, and why she wrote the book the way she did. Also, there is a separate section in which she explains briefly, what is known about some of the main characters covered in the book, including Elizabeth I, the Earl of Southampton, and of course Shakespeare's family.