Join the
book club as we read Twelfth Knight
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Folger Book
Club returns in April with our next book discussion—Twelfth
Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth on Thursday,
April 3, at 6:30pm (EDT).
The evening will
begin with a presentation from Kavita Mudan Finn, an
independent scholar who has published widely on medieval and early
modern literature, Shakespeare, popular medievalism, and
fan/reception studies.
Participation is
free. Click below to reserve your spot.
All discussions
will be held in Zoom and we will also share the discussion
questions, supplemental materials, and suggestions for sips and
snacks in advance.
Hope to see you
there!
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by
Alexene Farol Follmuth
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Thursday,
April 3, at 6:30pm (ET)
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From
the New
York Times bestselling
author of The
Atlas Six
(under the penname Olivie Blake)
comes Twelfth
Knight, a
YA romantic comedy and coming of age
story about taking up space in the
world and learning what it means to let
others in.
Viola
Reyes is annoyed.
Her
painstakingly crafted tabletop game
campaign was shot down, her best friend
is suggesting she try being more
“likable,” and her school’s star
running back Jack Orsino is the most
lackadaisical Student Body President
she’s ever seen, which makes her job as
VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite
escape from the world is the MMORPG
Twelfth Knight, but online spaces
aren’t exactly kind to girls like
her—girls who are extremely competent
and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi
creates a masculine alter ego, choosing
to play as a knight named Cesario to
create a safe haven for herself.
But
when a football injury leads Jack
Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight,
Vi is alarmed to discover their online
alter egos—Cesario and Duke Orsino—are
surprisingly well-matched.
As
the long nights of game-play turn into
discussions about life and love, Vi and
Jack soon realise they’ve become more
than just weapon-wielding characters in
an online game. But Vi has been
concealing her true identity from Jack,
and Jack might just be falling for her
offline…
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Why
did we choose this book?
Twelfth Knight borrows plot elements and character
inspiration from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, thoughtfully
exploring questions of sexism and self-identity in a high
school setting. YA fiction is increasingly being recognized
for its high-quality and appeal beyond teenage audiences,
with outlets such as The
Atlantic and The
Guardian exploring how YA books have been
broadening their readership.
Twelfth Knight also connect to two exciting strands of
Folger programming: Folger Institute’s “Folger Foe-lios,”
a series of introductory 5E Adventures meant to be enjoyed
in a single session up to six players and a Game Master
(GM), and Folger Theatre’s upcoming production of Twelfth
Night, on stage May 13 – June 22.
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Did you miss this
March's discussion of The Tower by Flora Carr?
The Folger Spotlight has introductory and supplemental
material—including discussion questions—to help you explore the
book or even host your own conversation.
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We would
like to thank the following sponsor for its generous support of
Folger
Book Club
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Folger Shakespeare Library | 201 East
Capitol Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
Main (202) 544-4600 | Box Office (202)
544-7077 | info@folger.edu
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