Shakespeare References in The Art Of Star Wars Galaxy

Shakespeare is mentioned everywhere, it seems, even in a galaxy far, far away. Well, in a book about a galaxy far, far away anyway. The Art Of Star Wars Galaxy, edited by Gary Gerani (and with a foreword by George Lucas), contains a couple of Shakespeare references. The book takes a look at the art, artists and subjects of the series of Topps trading cards titled Star Wars Galaxy. On a page about Grand Moff Tarkin, regarding actor Peter Cushing, it reads, “Cushing also had roles in several film classics, including Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet and John Huston’s Moulin Rouge” (p. 50). And then on a page about Darth Vader, regarding the two men who played the part, it reads, “It took two actors to portray the Dark Lord of the Sith: David Prowse, the undefeated weightlifting champion who was physically inside the awesome costume; and James Earl Jones, the celebrated Shakespearean actor who lent his imposing voice to the character” (p. 90).

The Art Of Star Wars Galaxy was published in November of 1993.

Shakespeare References in Little Girl Lust

Yes, this one surprised me. I did not expect to find Shakespeare references in a trashy pornographic novel from the seventies. And let me make two things clear right away. First, I did not purchase this book; it was given to me. And second, though the book’s title, Little Girl Lust, might seem to imply the story is about young girls, it is actually about college-age folks working at a hotel for a summer.

This book actually has several Shakespeare references. The first two are to Shakespeare himself. Frederick Kunz (perhaps not the author’s real name) writes, “There was a small window near the ceiling with colorful red polka dot curtains hanging on it, and a desk in the corner with a dictionary and a book of Shakespeare” (p. 59). Kunz continues: “Mavis picked it up. ‘Chaucer has more sex than Shakespeare,’ she said, thumbed through it quickly, and set it down again” (p. 59). That’s followed by a reference to Hamlet: “She pressed her boobies against his chest hard. ‘There’s the rub,’ she said” (p. 60). Yes, a fairly goofy reference.

But Kunz is not finished yet. He writes: “Rochelle blushed. Sneed started singing an aria a minute later. All’s well that ends well, thought Mavis” (p. 119). And then there is a reference to Macbeth’s great speech: “And we got a publisher. And that fuckin’ research book, a tale told by an idiot, me, a personal narration, a true confession, butted by raw fact, that book, cookies, sold like hotcakes” (p. 179). Macbeth’s speech is one of my favorite passages in all of Shakespeare (thus, in all of literature), and the lines referred to here are, “It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing.”

And if all that isn’t enough, this book also has a reference to Jacques’ famous speech in As You Like It. Kunz writes: “I told him all the world was watchin’. I told him to try harder. I kept beatin’ his meat and suckin’ his cock and still, nothing. I told him all the world’s a stage. And we were just players. I didn’t want him to take it too serious, or anything” (p. 180). Yes, “All the world’s a stage,/And all the men and women merely players.”

While I have your attention, here is a bit from the book that I found funny. It has nothing to do with Shakespeare, but it’s amusing all the same. “Carol Lou’s big tits dangled down like apples from a tree. Greg had visions of aiming his beebee gun at them, but he didn’t have it with him. In fact, he didn’t even own one. It was just a pleasant fantasy” (p 98). Lines like that made me laugh.

Little Girl Lust was published in 1976 by Star Distributors, Ltd.