97: Natasha Solomons (Fair Rosaline)

Charlie and Natasha Solomons (Fair Rosaline) discuss Natasha's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, told from the perspective of Rosaline, wherein Romeo is a groomer and Juliet must be saved from him. We discuss as well Natasha's stylistic choices for her prose and the changes she made to the original ending. Please note that there is a lot of discussion of sexually predatory behaviour and some explicit language in this episode. A transcript is available on my site General references: Mark Scott's rephrasing of Charles Dibdin's argument can be found in his 1987 publication, Shakespearean Criticism, page 419 Susan Calman's audiobook version of Pamela Butchart's To Wee Or Not To Wee Books mentioned by name or extensively: Natasha Solomons: Mr Rosenblum's List Natasha Solomons: I, Mona Lisa Natasha Solomons: Fair Rosaline Pamela Butchart: To Wee Or Not To Wee Ros Barber: The Marlowe Papers Buy the books: UK || USA Release details: recorded 28th November 2023; published 13th May 2024 Where to find Natasha online: Twitter || Instagram Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok Discussions 01:39 The inspiration for Fair Rosaline - Natasha's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet as being darker than it's portrayed 06:18 How we never see Rosaline in the original, and how Natasha changes this 07:01 Shakespeare's own thoughts on his characters, and Natasha's interpretations here 10:29 How Natasha borrowed from other Shakespearean Rosalines and Rosalinds 16:32 The importance of Juliet and her relative relevance in the book, and how Natasha considered different types of readers when she wrote 19:39 We start talking about the changes Natasha makes to the ending 20:44 Romeo's copying Tybalt - the balcony and roses not being Romeo's original idea in Fair Rosaline 21:57 The theme of roses and thorns 24:54 How Natasha wrote her prose - similar but not the same as Shakespeare's 28:12 How Natasha changes (or, as she says, 'made it more explicit') Friar Lawrence 32:45 The men being in on it 34:17 The importance of the convent and the theme of women's freedom 40:25 Tybalt's death and why Natasha made the choices she did 42:29 How Natasha wrote with her young daughter beside her on Zoom in lockdown 44:34 What Natasha's writing now: Cleopatra, with the Shakespearean influence again 47:18 There will be a play of Fair Rosaline! Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops