Austin Tichenor
A witty Fool and foolish wit: Christopher Moore’s Pocket Chronicles
Austin Tichenor writes about Christopher Moore’s trio of comic novels, which follow the fool from King Lear as he interacts with other Shakespeare characters.
“Haunt me still”: Shakespeare’s ghosts
Austin Tichenor explores the powerful theatricality of Shakespeare’s ghosts, among whom the most famous is probably Hamlet’s father.
The Shakespearean parts of “Barbenheimer”
Austin Tichenor explores how Barbie and Oppenheimer wrestle with Shakespearean themes of identity, hubris, and redemption.
Shakespeare and gaming in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
Austin Tichenor reflects on the Shakespeare allusions and storytelling world in Gabrielle Zevin’s bestselling novel.
All things Shakespearean
Dynastic power struggles, political intrigue, and forbidden love: Austin Tichenor looks at “Shakespearean” as a popular cultural shorthand.
“By false intelligence": AI, ChatGPT, and (the) Bard
Austin Tichenor finds that AI does not quite measure up to William Shakespeare when he asks ChatGPT and Bard to write a new play called “Cardenio.”
“The book of his good acts”: Shakespeare’s First Folio onstage and on the page
Marking the 400th anniversary of the First Folio, Austin Tichenor compares The Book of Will, Lauren Gunderson’s popular play about the Folio’s creation, with new research shared by Chris Laoutaris in Shakespeare’s Book.
“They do me wrong”: Reputation, Richard III, and The Lost King
Shakespeare’s play Richard III turns real people into fictional villains, as does a new movie about the search for Richard III’s remains, writes Austin Tichenor.
Proving a villain: Problematic Shakespearean mentors
Austin Tichenor writes about the problematic protagonists of the Oscar-nominated films Elvis and Tár, who evoke Shakespeare’s Richard III as they seek to control their respective narratives.
“Wanton boys": Shakespeare and The White Lotus Season 2
Austin Tichenor writes a blog post about how, like many of Shakespeare’s plays, the HBO series The White Lotus explores power among the privileged and the people who attend them.