King Lear and Mao’s China, with Nan Z. Da

King Lear and Mao’s China, with Nan Z. Da

Nan Z. Da, in her book The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear, finds unsettling parallels between Shakespeare’s play and 20th-century China under Mao Zedong. Da, a literature professor at Johns Hopkins University, weaves together personal history and literary analysis to reveal how King Lear reflects—and even anticipates—the emotional and political horrors of authoritarian regimes. From public punishments to desperate displays of flattery, from state paranoia to family betrayal, she shows how Shakespeare’s tragedy resonates with the lived experiences of generations shaped by Maoism. She joins us to discuss the story of her family in Mao’s China and why Lear may be Shakespeare’s most “Chinese” play. Nan Z. Da is an associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to that, she taught for nine years at the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of Intransitive Encounters: Sino-US Literatures and the Limits of Exchange and co-editor of the Thinking Literature series.

Episoder(298)

Nisha Sharma on Adapting Shakespeare for Modern Romances

Nisha Sharma on Adapting Shakespeare for Modern Romances

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Olivia Hussey: The Girl on the Balcony (Rebroadcast)

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The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, with Helen Castor

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26 Nov 202444min

Studying Shakespeare Now

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20 Nov 202436min

Farah Karim-Cooper on The Great White Bard (Rebroadcast)

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5 Nov 202432min

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Shakespeare is often associated with tragedy, but did you know that he changed the genre? In this episode, Rhodri Lewis, professor of English at Princeton University and author of Shakespeare’s Tragic...

22 Okt 202433min

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