A Thousand Acres By William Shakespeare - 2620 Words

Shakespeare have influenced many generations of writers since his demise and he continues to have a massive impact on modern-day plays, movies, and poems. Whether it be a title of a book or lines of the protagonist, Shakespeare’s presence can be felt in every genre of writing. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley is also one such piece of writing. This novel came out in 1991 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, this novel is set on a thousand acre farm in Iowa owned by a father with three daughters. The narration is done by Ginny, the eldest daughter. There are many similarities between the character development of King Lear and A Thousand Acres, along with the plot. Throughout this paper we’ll be exploring the similarities and differences between these works which belong to entirely different eras (King Lear from Shakespearian times and A Thousand Acres from late 20th century). Apart from the principle texts, we have used several articles published in various magazines and journals as well as available online. The analyses of these literary work as depicted in these articles helped us to develop a better understanding of the topic. King Lear The story starts in old Britain, where the aging King Lear is deciding to give up his power and divide his realm between his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Lear plans to give the largest portion of his kingdom to the child who admits to love him the most. Goneril and Regan,Show MoreRelatedA Thousand Acres By William Shakespeare1726 Words   |  7 PagesLake Crawford Crawford-Parker Engl 105 3 November 2014 A Thousand Acres A Thousand Acres is a brilliant novel that puts a modern twist on Shakespeare’s King Lear. Jane Smiley spends a great amount of time describing the modern labels that society places on the different genders. Females are described as inferior to men; they spend their days cooking, cleaning, and trying to remain anonymous. The men in the story are portrayed as the patriarchal figures; they rule over their family with an iron fistRead More Comapring Father/Daughter Relationships in King Lear and A Thousand Acres1129 Words   |  5 PagesFather/Daughter Relationships in King Lear and A Thousand Acres   Ã‚  Ã‚   The bond between a father and a daughter stands as one of the strongest emotional bonds present within many families. From the moment their little girls emerge from the womb to the moment their young women marry, the father reigns as the head of the household, the controller, and the protector. Though this rings true for many families, sometimes Daddys little girls make all the rules. 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The oppressive social expectations that Clarissa struggled under in her adolescence are significantly lighter for her daughter, who sees herself as â€Å"a pioneer, a stray, venturing, trusting,† who â€Å"might own a thousand acres and have people under her â€Å"(Woolf, 135-6). As the only young character in the novel, Elizabeth becomes a symbol of England’s adolescent generation who will shoulder the responsibility of social reconstruction. As such, Elizabeth’s most significant