与莎士比亚共度时光
English major Alison Brown ‘17 has always been inspired by William Shakespeare’s work. 但在研究他的经典喜剧时 《利记sbo》, she discovered how one of her own ancestors might have inspired the playwright himself.
In the fall of 2016, Alison Brown spent lots of time with 《利记sbo》. 这个故事, 莎士比亚最著名的作品之一, 以普洛斯彼罗为中心, who is cast off to a remote and deserted island at the behest of his jealous brother. 在她的研究中, as part of an independent study with Professor Jason Denman, Brown studied how play’s setting—the now clichéd “desert island”—came from Shakespeare’s keen interest in Colonial Jamestown and a particular tale from the early 1600s.
When the earliest colonists began settling in Virginia, seven convoy ships loaded with supplies were sent from England to Jamestown. While six ships arrived safely in America, 最大的船, 叫做海上冒险号, 在百慕大海岸外失事. 有充足的食物和补给, 然而, all of the passengers survived on the island for many months. 事实上, they were able to rebuild the Sea Venture and finish the journey to Jamestown nearly 10 months later.
But their welcome wasn’t exactly a warm one. 没有预期的供给, the colonists back in Virginia had little food over the winter, and nearly three-quarters starved to death. The period became known as “The Starving Time” in Colonial history.
As Brown learned, Shakespeare heard the story of the Sea Venture and was instantly enthralled. The notion of the colonists thriving on the Bermuda island was “magical to him,” explains Brown. “Many scholars believe the story of the Sea Venture inspired Shakespeare to write 《利记sbo》. 我被迷住了, because you don’t often think of Shakespeare and Colonial Virginia in the same context.”
在布朗的研究中, one tidbit stood out: One of the most important people onboard the Sea Venture was Sir Thomas Gates, who served as governor of Virginia after the island dwellers’ return to Jamestown.
“盖茨是我母亲的娘家姓, and I knew that I was related to Horatio Gates, an American general in the Revolutionary War,她说。, 把这个发现归功于她的姨妈黛布, 谁是“超级祖先”.”
“When I learned about Sir Thomas Gates, I wondered if I was related to him, too.”
Some online research revealed that General Horatio Gates was, 事实上, 托马斯·盖茨爵士的曾孙, 维吉尼亚州州长和, 在某种程度上, 莎士比亚的缪斯女神 《利记sbo》.
“It’s a crazy story, and I love telling people about it,” says Brown. “我一直很喜欢莎士比亚, and to find out one of my ancestors inspired him just makes it 10 times cooler.”
The discovery was a catalyst for Brown’s continued interest in literature about Jamestown. She submitted her work with Professor Denman on the topic to a national journal before graduating in May 2017. 今天, she’s putting her love for literature to good use as school librarian for the Utica City School District. Brown also plans to study library science in the University of Buffalo's online School Librarianship program.
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