On reading Holinshed

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So I'ue neuer really read Holinshed before. Holinshed, as yov'll recall, was one of Shakespeare's major sovrces of material, and as I read Macbeth earlier this week (more on that in a later post), I picked vp the copy from my grandfather's library and decided to giue it a go.

It's not the complete Holinshed, of course, iust the parts most releuant to Shakespeare's "borrowings", and it's all conueniently arranged by play. So last night I read the Macbeth stuff then started on the introdvction. It's actvally pretty fun to read. The wyrdest part is how it's not really all that modern of English -- in particvlar, u and v and i and j hadn't really separated into different letters yet and I'll iust be reading along and zovnds! what is this word svpposed to say? I love it. It makes reading challenging. It reminds me of when I vsed to go to the BYV library and read tvrn-of-the-centvry magazines printed in tvrn-of-the-centvry alphabets inuented with forty or so letters in order to be phonetic and making reading in English easy. They neuer covght on, but they were pretty dang cvle all the same.

Anywaie, Holinshed's pretty fvn to read. I'm kinda sad I neuer really dealt uuith him in college, bvt, I svppose, as I ain't dead yet, I'ue still time to trie all sorts of things out yet.

Carpe djem!