William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure (1603/4) and Much Ado About Nothing (1598/9)
Emily Bronte's novel is renowned for the passion and intensity of the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff. Not only does the environment and landscape exert a powerful influenece but arguably the novel's greatness lies also in the assurance and technical skill of its complex and layered structure.
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility (1811)
The relationship between mothers and daughters provides the starting point for the exploration of a novel that richly demonstrates a complexity far beyond any simple opposition between head and heart. Mrs Dashwood's preference for her younger daughter shapes the future for Marianne and the elder, Elinor.
W. Somerset Maugham, The Constant Wife (1926)
Edward Albee, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962)
Both plays challenge assumptions about relationships and how men and women negotiate the marital contract. The RSC has commissioned Laura Wade to adapt The Constant Wife (for summer performances in the Swan theatre) and a production of Who's Afraid. is being staged at Leicester's Curve theatre this October.
The works of Stephen Sondheim
A claim that Sondheim's achievements may one day sit alongside Shakespeare's may be a little hyperbolic but the National Theatre's production of his last piece, Here We Are reminds us of his originality and theatricality. Reference will be made to Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1963), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987) and Passion (1994).
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
The novel brilliantly exploits first-person narrative to craft a narrative which is both personal and yet also holds a mirror up to Long Island society in the jazz age. The Great Gatsby is celebrated as one of the greatest American novels and there are three major filmed versions which provide contrasting perspectives.
Euripides, The Trojan Women (415 bc)
The play foregrounds the experience of women left behind after the Trojan War. It explores their grief and suffering while exposing how, in war particularly, women are treated by men as commodities. The play is remarkable for the powerful anti-war perspective it offers. We are fortunate to have an excellent, strongly cast film, directed by Michael Cacoyannis (1971).
William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1848)
The subtitle 'A novel without a Hero' signals the book's position as a trailblazer for nineteenth-century writing. Set during and after the Napoleonic wars, shunning sentimentality, it traces the narratives of two women: Becky Sharp and Amanda Sedley. Their contrasting characters and perspectives upon life and love provide the mainspring of a novel which has enduring appeal.
Shakespeare King John (1594-6) and King Lear (1605/6)
Both plays explore the vulnerability, uncertainty and perils of kingship. Instability on the throne, at the heart of government, can all too readily precipitate civil strife and rebellion. Both narratives include a son proudly proclaiming his illegitimacy. The Bastard and Edmund are empowered with contrasting motives and effects.