hamletscalamity

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On the Future

I have received sizeable interest in this project ironically as things surrounding it were breaking down. And I feel I owe you all an explanation as to what is happening now.

Firstly, unless something significantly changes I will no longer be pursuing this as my PhD work. I am not pursuing my PhD at all and I am leaving 4-year/university work in academia next year. While I still have a Hamlet adaptation I am writing with my spouse and plan to continue my research on this topic, I do not want to do so within the prison that is academia.

I will continue to publish papers and speak at conferences for now, though with less frequency I believe, while I figure out my best move for working on accessible education. I have concepts and ideas for publishing work through myself with other "academics" who want to break down these systems but that is not for the present moment.

If you want to keep up with any work surrounding that concept or otherwise you can follow my neocities which is here. You can also follow me on Cohost. You will not, however, be able to find me on Tumblr after Jan 1.

After the ever evolving racism, transphobia, and zionism (and by the staff itself) on this website I do not want to contribute to its existence any longer. I am leaving things up for now as I transition to my other website but I will not be here in 2024. If you want to ask me any questions about my future work, plans, or anything else you are welcome to do so until the blog is gone. I won't be online often but I will still check things as I pull things off of this website. I have enjoyed spreading my research, both Hamlet-centered and otherwise, with all of you. I hope to be able to do so in the future as well just... not on tumblr.

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An Update

Hey everyone! 

Despite promising initial talks the university I was speaking to has disappointed me greatly in their lack of communication. For those who know me personally you may remember that my master’s program, which completes in mere days, has been hellish due to these same issues.

I was very disappointed to receive a message from my potential supervisor that echoed much of the same wording and tactics as my ex-grad school advisor. I refuse to let academics bully each other and especially not me. I do not stand by practices like these and my involvement in academia is to break down these exact issues. As a queer, disabled, first-gen student I know I am working at a disadvantage here but I still want to be treated as a human.

All of this is to say the project is currently on pause. I am taking the next year OFF except for conferences and journals. I need to free my heart from the jaded feeling my master’s program and now this has given me.

My plan and hope is to reconvene with myself in a year and then start applying to different universities and vetting my options. But if in the next year I discover I don’t want this at all then this project will turn into hobby research.

If you are someone who wants to be interviewed please stay tuned for updates in a year when I have them. I appreciate all the enthusiasm this project as received but I must put my well-being first.

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horatio, skidding around the corner: hey hamlet-

hamlet: oh hello horatio.

horatio: hi i have something very important to t-

hamlet, staring wistfully into the distance: i think i see my father, horatio.

horatio [just saw a ghost, possibly hyperventilating]: samesies please elaborate

hamlet: in my mind's eye.

horatio:

horatio: so you're never gonna believe this bu

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happy pride (hamlet edition)

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hey everyone here with yet another update! the update is there are lots of exciting details brewing that i cannot talk about yet! as soon as i can shout about this from the rooftops i will be i so badly don’t want to jinx it or get in trouble for saying too much. what i will say is if you are interested in or care about mental health in theatre please watch this space because i am (most likely, allegedly, etc etc) doing more with this work than i ever thought possible. keep your fingers crossed for me and i will be back on this space the minute i can be.

also of note: i am not currently conducting interviews however i will be in the future so please do reach out if you are interested!

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hey y’all a great and really good update! i have a serious lead on my phd apps/making this research my (second) full time job! i am, as some of you know, also finishing my masters thesis over the next 45 days and have 345839405 other things going on largely because i thought it would take a LOT longer to get my phd stuff on track. so i will update here when i can but i will be largely offline at least until august, wish me luck! to keep up with any fun stuff i DO decide to post that might not be 100% related to this project please do follow my main acct @keepthisholykiss

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For anyone interested in my Horatio and Juliet parallels paper I have good news! I am presenting it at the Outside/rs Conference in collaboration with the University of Sussex. I will be presenting on Saturday 10th of June, time TBD. 

From my understanding the conference will be online (and in-person) and you can buy day tickets, full attendance tickets, or you can reach out for volunteer/community comped tickets for more accessibility for queer folks. Definitely check out the conference I am very excited to present there! 

For anyone that wants the presentation and doesn’t want to/can’t attend that’s fine! I will be producing accessible content in the coming months, after I find out if it’s getting published or not.

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I'm actually not crazy about Hamlet. Everyone else is crazy for not thinking about it all the time. I'm having a normal reaction to it. This is how people are supposed to react to Hamlet.

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Hamlet In Analysis: Horatio’s Story - A Trial of Faith is a book I just finished reading and need to yell into no less than five canyons about. Here is my (mostly) spoiler-free breakdown and review.

One of the things I love about this book is that it is a retelling using literary criticism. So it really reads like you are engaging with (psychoanalytical) criticism while also just having a fun (agonizing) time reading a Hamlet retelling. The story places Horatio as Dr. Horacio (42) a psychoanalyst in 1970s England who is conducting Kleinian psychoanalysis on a young Hamlet (19) who is attending Cambridge.

The story uses Kleinian analysis extremely well as Dr. Horacio investigates dreams Hamlet is having to better understand him. Through the story Dr. Horacio goes against his on rules of analysis and finds himself far too consumed in the story of Hamlet’s life. There are a lot of major differences, no killings being a huge one, but it actually keeps you on your toes wondering how a story you have heard before will end. It does an amazing job of making itself a standalone story while still engaging with important literary criticism surrounding Hamlet. It also uses lines from the play in a creative format for extra pain where you didn’t know you needed it!

I found it incredibly useful for my own research purposes as my doctoral work will be leaning into some psychoanalysis. And this novelization proves my theory of consumption with the work. I feel very conflicted about the ending but other than that I really did love this and think it’s a great piece of writing. It even made references to philosophers who has mclost it over Hamlet before and I felt it was incredibly well researched.

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okay but what was the horatio-heavy hamlet version you were watching?

Hello dear anon, I have to admit I do not know what you are referring to. I have been studying, watching, and posting about Hamlet and Hamlet/Horatio heavy productions for some time. My best guess is that you're referring to a post I made the other night but just in case :D I present my master post of available Hamlet/Horatio heavy productions. Important to note: my definition of a "Hamlet/Horatio heavy" production is one that gives any emphasis to that character relationship, even if it is still a vague concept. There are more productions in that category than I could ever name so here are just a few favs. If anyone wants me to I can do a master post on all my fav Hamlet productions by vibe or something? Because I don't just love a Hamlet for its Hamlet/Horatio vibes. Let me know if y'all want that!! All of these productions are ones I have enjoyed and referenced in conference presentations and my upcoming work on the parallels between Horatio and Juliet (stay tuned I can probably post this soon) as well as my upcoming PhD work on Hamlet in general

To Listen To: Hamlet (English and Spanish Bilingual) Directed by Ana María Campoy - Hands down my favorite Hamlet production I have ever consumed any part of. The best Hamlet/Horatio dynamic that you can just feel as you listen. I love this production and cast so much everyone please listen to it.

To Read: "To Tell Our Storie" a reflection on a queer Hamlet written by Thys Heydenrych - This is a paper I reference a lot in my work when discussing sexuality and Hamlet. It's a very good retrospective on a queer man's queer Hamlet with very explicit Hamlet/Horatio implications. I love this scholarship its fantastic.

To Watch: Hamlet (Spanish) Directed by Roberto Ángeles - This production has a pretty explicit Hamlet/Horatio vibe. Very big emphasis on Horatio's importance to the plot and just overall a very good production. I think everyone should watch more Spanish language theatre always, but especially this. Hamlet (Spanish) Directed by Marcelo Katz - This is another Hamlet/Horatio-y one. Personally I really only enjoyed the Horatio performance and it is far from my favorite take on the play. No big script changes but the set was gorgeous and it was fun regardless. The Globe Hamlet (2018 English) Directed by Federay Holmes & Elle While - A classic with one of my favorite Horatio's I've ever seen onstage. If you haven't watched Michelle Terry's Hamlet you really have to. RSC Hamlet (2016 English) Directed by Simon Godwin - Another that I would consider on the more subtle side but that still achieves its goal. Asta Nielsen Hamlet (German unless someone has the English sub one floating around) - A take on Hamlet inspired by my favorite (/s) essayist Edward P. Vining that does canonically have a Hamlet/Horatio relationship.

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currently working on this which is an art gallery style presentation for this paper. also updates on this are that i will be sharing it but currently the paper and the presentation brief are under submission review for publication. if they get rejected I'll share them as they are now and if they make it through I'll just share a condensed version like I have for other research so tldr watch this space

as always if you enjoy my research or hamlet academic word vomit you are encouraged to participate in my upcoming research by visiting the website in my bio

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this is ur psa that if you think my hamlet (or tragedy in general) posting is weird or concerning or idk a call for help or anything that it is very much the norm for me i am ok i promise. i saw hamlet for the first time when i was 6 years old (yeah i know so much makes sense now right) i have had this play rolling around in my empty drawer of a brain for over 20 years its okay i am doing research in a very healthy way i am just post lil jokes about losing it because the entire hypothesis of my phd is that people lose it when they study or perform hamlet.

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spent the afternoon reading through scripts and notes from hamlets performed before 1950 and also sylvia plaths margin notes justgirlythings

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spent the afternoon reading through essays, notes, and scripts for hamlet prior to 1950. also sylvia plaths marginal notes justgirlythings

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biographical images presented without context

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decided to accept defeat and moved (almost) all of our singular copies of hamlet and all of my current + past hamlet research physical texts to my research shelf instead of pretending like they can live in the general shakespeare criticism shelf forever (there’s like 3x this many shakespeare rip)