I don't want to say too much about this as I've just fired off a review to Teach Secondary magazine. I'll publish that review in due course. But a few quick points will not go amiss I think.
It's a very timely publication. The first section is replete with anecdotes about trigger warnings and similar. Some of these are, in my opinion, ill-informed (such as the charges levelled against Jane Austen) while others are ridiculous (like the rewriting of parts of the Noddy books).
The second section contains information about trigger warning websites and similar, whicle the third and last section contains more detailed case studies.
Sutherland takes a fairly objective look at the whole scene, even appearing to argue that trigger warnings can serve some useful purpose, such as causing us to stop and think before engaging with a work.
I discovered from the first part that some academic regards Hamlet as a sort of school spree killer (mind you, the body count does mount up towards the end), and Macbeth as an example of toxic masculinity. Well, in fairness, he and his wife (an example of toxic femininity?) didn’t seem to believe in the concept of live and let live.
I feel that depicting Macbeth as the epitome of toxic masculinity is a bit of a one-sided portrayal of what actually went on. I mean, Mrs Macbeth egged him on a bit. I know if my wife asked me to bump off a few rivals, being the sort of person who likes to avoid arguments I’d probably say, “OK dear. And would you like me to get some shopping on the way home?” So you see, that would be an example of toxic masculinity and reconstructed new-man-ness. In other words, it’s a bit more nuanced than that academic would have us believe.
In order to get this point across, I’m in the process of rewriting Macbeth for a modern audience. Here’s an extract:
Big fanfare as King Duncan enters, stage left.
Macbeth: Good morrow, your highness. We’ve made up the spare bedroom for you.
Duncan: Oh good, I’m knackered. I think I’ll turn in now if you don’t mind.
Macbeth: Your wish is my command, O magnanimous one. Ho, servant! Take my master to the spare bedroom, then bring him a cup of hot chocolate.
Duncan and servant exit, stage right.
Mrs Macbeth: Well?
Macbeth: What do you mean, ‘well’?
Mrs Macbeth: You going to let that so-called king sleep in our castle and then carry on reigning when he wakes up?
Macbeth: Er…
Mrs Macbeth: Bump him off, then you can be king. Are you a man or a mouse?
Macbeth: What are you going to do while I’m doing that?
Mrs Macbeth: I'm going to listen to a True Crime podcast.
Macbeth (aside): To get some more ideas, methinks.
It’s clearly only a matter of time before I’m offered the Nobel prize for literature.
Incidentally, parts of the above article were first published (in different weeks) in my Eclecticism newsletter. Clcik the pic below to have a look at it.
