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Investigating Shakespeare's "Literary Supremacy."

Shakespearean scholar Gary Taylor. Four years ago, Taylor made headlines when he claimed to have discovered a new Shakespeare poem. Now Taylor's written a cultural history of the Bard of Stratford, called Reinventing Shakespeare. In it, Taylor asks `is Shakespeare really as great as everyone says?' Taylor looks at how changing societies have reinterpreted Shakespeare, and to some extent all great literature, to correspond with changing social mores and opinions. Taylor's a professor at Brandeis University, and he served as joint general editor of Oxford University Press' recent new edition of the complete Shakespeare works.

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Other segments from the episode on September 19, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 19, 1989: Interview with Arthur Ashe; Commentary on British punk music; Interview with Gary Taylor; Review of Cynthia Ozick's book "The Shawl."
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22:55

Arthur Ashe: The Fresh Air Interview.

Former tennis champion Arthur Ashe. In 1980, after quadruple bypass surgery, Ashe retired from professional competition. For the last several years, Ashe has been teaching and writing about the barriers and discrimination which black atheletes have faced. A Hard Road To Glory is his three-volume history of African-American athletes. (Rebroadcast. Originally broadcast on Friday, January 6, 1989.)

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06:57

When Punk Rock Erupted in London.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks back to the dawn of the British punk scene, and the creation of acts such as the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Billy Idol, and Siouxie and the Banshees.

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52:30

Glenda Jackson On Playing King Lear: Gender Barriers 'Crack' With Age

Shakespeare's King Lear is one of the most challenging and prestigious roles in theater — and one that's traditionally played by a man. But now a new production of King Lear on Broadway stars Glenda Jackson in its title role. The British actor, who is 82, is fine with the gender bending casting. She recently returned to acting after 23 years away, when she served as a Member of Parliament.

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06:15

Whedon's Touch Finds A Match With 'Much Ado'

Sandwiched into Joss Whedon's busy schedule of TV series and big-screen features was an unexpected low-budget adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing -- shot in black and white. Film critic David Edelstein says it's a delight.

Review
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06:00

Shakespeare, Thompson: Stick To The Print Versions.

The lives of writers drive two films opening this week: The Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp, dramatizes a Hunter S. Thompson novel. Roland Emmerich's Anonymous, meanwhile, examines who wrote Shakespeare's plays. Critic David Edelstein says both films show how hard it is to write about writers.

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Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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