A Thousand Acres

William Shakespeare’s King Lear was written in 1605 and follows the story of King Lear as he gives his three daughters—Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia—his kingdom. His daughters must profess their love for him to receive their shares, and Goneril and Regan do so, exaggerating their love for him. However, Cordelia, who is known for her honesty, is unable to exaggerate her love for Lear, leading him to disown her. As a result, Goneril and Regan become greedy and power-hungry, fighting with each other for more control and love. Lear, realizing his mistake, begins to lose touch with reality and experiences symptoms of a mental health condition; he returns to Cordelia to repent. The play ends with almost all the characters suffering and dying, making it one of Shakespeare’s darkest tragedies.

A Thousand Acres bases many of its characters and major plot points on the play. Some consider the novel to be a feminist retelling of the play, primarily because it is from Ginny’s point of view instead of Larry’s. The novel paints a more compassionate and dynamic portrait of Goneril and Regan through the characters of Ginny and Rose by highlighting the childhood trauma both women went through and how it shaped them as people.