Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC King Henry VI Part 1: Third Series
Book SynopsisA fresh look at a play usually regarded as the first component of a three-part historical epic, this edition argues that Henry VI Part 1 is a 'prequel', a freestanding piece that returns for ironic and dramatic effect to a story already familiar to its audience. The play's ingenious use of stage space is closely analysed, as is its manipulation of a series of setpiece combats to give a coherent syntax of action. Discussion of the dramatic structure created by the opposing figures of Talbot and Jeanne la Pucelle, and exploration of the critical controversies surrounding the figure of Jeanne, lead to a reflection on the nature of the history play as genre in the 1590s.
£11.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC King Henry VI Part 2: Third Series
Book SynopsisThis edition celebrates King Henry VI Part 2 as one of the most exciting and dynamic plays of the English renaissance theatre, with its exploration of power politics and social revolution and its focus on the relationship between divine justice and sin. An extensive discussion of performance history traces the play's progress on stage from abridgement and adaptation to full historical epic. A survey of criticism discusses the wide range of responses provoked by the play's handling of its historical theme, and concludes by focusing on the element of burlesque in the attempted social revolution portrayed.
£11.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Merry Wives Of Windsor: Third Series
Book SynopsisThe Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare's only thoroughly English comedy, created an archetypal literary figure in the shape of the devious, irrepressible John Falstaff. This stimulating new edition celebrates the play as a joyous exploration of language, but also places elements of its plot firmly in a continental, specifically Italian, tradition of romantic comedy. It draws out the complexities of Merry Wives as a multi-plot play, and takes a fresh and challenging look at both textual and dating issues; a facsimile of the first Quarto is included as an appendix. The play's extensive performance history, both dramatic and operatic, is fully explored and discussed.'This is a significant and substantive edition, in that nothing has been taken for granted, everything has been opened to reconsideration. The commentary is exceptionally detailed and attentive to questions of language and meaning.'John Jowett, Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, Shakespeare QuarterlyTrade Review'This is a significant and substantive editoin, in that nothing has been taken for granted, everything has been opened to reconsideration. The commentary is exceptionally detailed and attentive to questions of language and meaning.' * Shakespeare Quarterly *'Shakespeare genially celebrates his own middle class English provincial background and seeks to do nothing more than entertain- which he does, splendidly.' * Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph, 21.08.10 *
£14.19
Greenwich Exchange Ltd Sweetly Sings Delaney: A Study of Shelagh
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£14.99
EduCart Tales from Shakespeare
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£13.49
Double 9 Books Every Man In His Humor
Book SynopsisA well-known English playwright and poet of the 17th century, Ben Jonson wrote the humorous drama Every Man in His Humour. The play, which is set in London, has a varied ensemble of individuals in a number of hilarious and sarcastic scenarios. A character's humour, which refers to their major personality attribute or temperament, differs depending on who they are. Jonson expertly captures the follies and eccentricities of human nature via clever conversation, mistaken identities, and humorous miscommunications. The comedy Every Man in His Humour makes fun of the social mores, ambitions, and pretenses of the day. It paints a realistic and engaging picture of Elizabethan life, complete with recognizable class distinctions, efforts to assimilate, and social mobility. The drama examines themes of self-discovery, change, and the negative effects of having lofty goals and aspirations. It illustrates the absurd results that occur when people attempt to change who they are in order to fit in, which eventually results in mayhem and bewilderment. Every Man in His Humour is an important work of English literature that demonstrates Ben Jonson's skill for character development, razor-sharp humor, and social satire.
£11.89
Double 9 Booksllp The tempest
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£9.99
Double 9 Booksllp Timon Of Athens
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£9.99
Double 9 Booksllp The Two Gentlemen of Verona
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£9.89
Double 9 Booksllp The Life and Death of King Richard the Second
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£9.89
Double 9 Booksllp The Tragedy of Coriolanus
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£11.04
Broadview Press Ltd As You Like It (1598-99)
Book SynopsisBoth a witty satire of literary cliché and a tender meditation on the varieties of love, As You Like It continues to be one of Shakespeare’s most beloved and widely performed comedies. In the introduction to this new edition, David Bevington traces the complex relationships between the characters in the play, and explores the history of its criticism from Samuel Johnson to the twenty-first century.As part of the newly launched Broadview Press / Internet Shakespeare Editions series, this edition features a variety of interleaved materials—from facsimile pages, diagrams, and musical scores to illustrations and extended discussions of myth and folklore—that provide a context for the social and cultural allusions in the play. Appendices offer excerpts from Shakespeare’s key sources and influences, including Thomas Lodge’s Rosalind and Ben Jonson’s Every Man in His Humor.A collaboration between Broadview Press and the Internet Shakespeare Editions project at the University of Victoria, the editions developed for this series have been comprehensively annotated and draw on the authoritative texts newly edited for the ISE. This innovative series allows readers to access extensive and reliable online resources linked to the print edition.Trade Review“With its wealth of contextual material, and linked to the extensive resources online, this edition of one of Shakespeare’s most engaging plays will be particularly welcome in the undergraduate classroom. Editor David Bevington draws on a long and distinguished career to situate the play in its literary, intellectual, and historical contexts, furnishing a well-stocked Introduction that can be navigated readily by students new to the field. A feature that makes this edition especially attractive as a teaching text is the inclusion of nearly two dozen “interleavings” to supplement the traditional footnotes—extended, and often illustrated, glosses on key passages and references that might prove obscure for readers today.” — Judith Owens, University of ManitobaTable of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSINTRODUCTIONSHAKESPEARE’S LIFESHAKESPEARE’S THEATERWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A BRIEF CHRONOLOGYA NOTE ON THE TEXTABBREVIATIONSAS YOU LIKE ITAPPENDIX A: SOURCES AND INFLUENCES From Thomas Lodge, Rosalind (1590) From “The Tale of Gamelyn” (14th Century) From “Robin Hood and the Beggar” From John Lyly, Galatea (1592) From Ben Jonson, Every Man in His Humor (1598) From Joseph Hall, Satires (1598) APPENDIX B: CLASSICAL MYTHS IN AS YOU LIKE ITBIBLIOGRAPHY
£17.05
Broadview Press Ltd Salome
Book SynopsisSalome is Oscar Wilde’s most experimental—and controversial—play. In its own time, the play, written in French, was described by a reviewer as “an arrangement in blood and ferocity, morbid, bizarre, repulsive.” None, however, could deny the importance of Wilde’s creation. Contemporary audiences and reviewers variously regarded Salome as the symbol of a thrilling modernity, a challenge to patriarchy, a confession of desire, a sign of moral decay, a new form of art, and a revolt against the restraints of Victorian society. Less well known than Wilde’s beloved comedies, Salome is as enduringly modern and relevant.This edition uses the English translation done by Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, and overseen and corrected by Wilde himself. Appendices detail the play’s sources and provide extensive materials on its contemporary reception and dramatic productions.Trade Review“Salome illuminated! This edition presents Salome as a formally complex, richly intertextual, and generative phenomenon of international modernism. Kimberly Stern sets a superbly annotated text between an extensive introduction and several appendices documenting the play’s literary, cultural, and visual sources, its reception, and its translation, illustration, and performance histories. The edition offers copious source materials to augment the text, some requisite and some unexpected. Stern’s adept and unprecedented selection of contextual sources enhances the powerful and recurrent fascination of a play that has continuously spawned adaptations as well as controversy. This is where all students of Salome should start.” — Heidi Hartwig, Central Connecticut State UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionOscar Wilde: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextSalomeAppendix A: Sources Matthew 14:1-12, The Bible: Authorized King James Versionwith Apocrypha (2008) “Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World,”The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East (1917) From Heinrich Heine, Atta Troll (1843) From J.C. Heywood, Herodias: A Dramatic Poem (1867) From Oscar Wilde, “Review of J.C. Heywood’s Salome,”Pall Mall Gazette (15 February 1888) From Stéphane Mallarmé, “La scéne: Nourrice—Hérodiade”(1864-67) From Gustave Flaubert, “Hérodias” (1877) William Wilde, “Salome” (1878) From Joris-Karl Huysmans, Á Rebours (1884) From Maurice Maeterlinck, La Princesse Maleine (1889) Appendix B: A Visual History Gustave Moreau, “The Apparition” (1876) Aubrey Beardsley, Design for the Title Page to the English Edition of Salome (1894) Aubrey Beardsley, Final Design for the Title Page (1894) Aubrey Beardsley, “The Woman in the Moon” (1894) Aubrey Beardsley, “The Climax” (1894) Appendix C: Contemporary Responses From Edgar Saltus, Oscar Wilde: An Idler’s Impression (1917) Pierre Louÿs, “Salomé: à Oscar W.” (30 June 1892) Letter from Oscar Wilde to Richard Le Gallienne (22/23 February 1893) From a Letter from Bernard Shaw to Oscar Wilde (28 February 1893) From a Letter from Max Beerbohm to Reginald Turner (February 1893) From “Salomé,” The Times (23 February 1893) From a Review of Salomé, Pall Mall Gazette (27 February 1893) Letter from Stéphane Mallarmé to Oscar Wilde (March 1893) From William Archer, “Mr. Oscar Wilde’s New Play,”Black and White (11 May 1893) From Lord Alfred Douglas, “Salomé: A Critical Overview,” The Spirit Lamp (1893) Appendix D: Translation History Letter from Lord Alfred Douglas to John Lane (30 September 1893) From a Letter from Lord Alfred Douglas to John Lane (16 November 1893) From a Letter from Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas (January-March 1897) From a Letter from Robert Ross to Frank Harris (undated) From Lord Alfred Douglas, Autobiography (1929) Translation Chart Appendix E: Performance History From Charles Ricketts, Self-Portrait (1939) From Graham Robertson, Time Was (1931) Photograph of Sarah Bernhardt in Costume as Salome (1891) From a Letter from Oscar Wilde to William Rothenstein (July 1892) “Mr. Oscar Wilde on Salome,” The Times (2 March 1893) From Oscar Wilde, “The Censure and Salome,” Pall Mall Budget (30 June 1892) Bernard Partridge, “A Wilde Idea,” Punch Magazine (9 July 1892) From a Letter from Max Beerbohm to Reginald Turner (June 1892) Oscar Wilde, “Plan de la scene” (1891) From M.J. du Tillet, “Théâtres” [review of the Paris premiere of Salome], Revue bleue politique et littéraire (1896) From Jean de Tinan, “Théâtre de l’oeuvre: Salomé” [review of the Paris premiere], Mercure de France (March 1896) From “Salome,” The Saturday Review (13 May 1905) Photograph of Alice Guszalewicz in Costume as Salome (c. 1910) “The Cult of the Clitoris,” The Vigilante (16 February 1918) From the Verbatim Report of the Trial of Noel Pemberton Billington, MP, on a Charge of Criminal Libel (1918) Select Bibliography
£18.95
Northwestern University Press Treasure Island
Book SynopsisEnlivened by rum, mutiny, and buried treasure, Treasure Island is the classic pirates' tale, widely regarded as the forerunner of this genre. After discovering a treasure map, young Jim Hawkins sets off to sea as cabin boy aboard the Hispaniola, where he encounters one of the most unforgettable characters in literary history.
£14.36
University of Alabama Press None a Stranger There
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£26.96
Union Square & Co. King Lear No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student
Book SynopsisShakespeare everyone can understandnow in new DELUXE editions! Why fear Shakespeare? By placing the words of the original play next to line-by-line translations in plain English, these popular guides make Shakespeare accessible to everyone. They introduce Shakespeare's world, significant plot points, and the key players. And now they feature expanded literature guide sections that help students study smarter, along with links to bonus content on the Sparknotes.com website. A Q&A, guided analysis of significant literary devices, and review of the play give students all the tools necessary for understanding, discussing, and writing about King Lear. The expanded content includes:Five Key Questions: Five frequently asked questions about major moments and characters in the play. What Does the Ending Mean?: Is the ending sad, celebratory, ironic . . . or ambivalent? Plot Analysis: What is the play about? How is the story told, and what are the main themes? Why do the characters behav
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Poems: Third Series
Book SynopsisIn 1593 Shakespeare awoke and found himself famous. Lines from his comic, erotic, tragic poem Venus and Adonis were on everyone's lips.The appearance in 1594 of the darkly reflective and richly descriptive Rape of Lucrece confirmed his fame as 'Sweet Master Shakespeare', Elizabethan England's most brilliant non-dramatic poet. Shorter poems in this volume testify further to Shakespeare's versatility and to his poetic fame. Some, like the much-debated 'Phoenix and Turtle', pose problems of meaning; others raise questions about authorship and authenticity. Detailed annotation and a full Introduction seek to resolve such difficulties while also locating Shakespeare's poems in their literary context, which includes his own career as a playwright.Trade Review'Shakespeare scholars will be indebted to the editors not only for fine textual and editorial work but also for a number of astute interpretations.' Project Muse (2009)
£11.67
Spark Sonnets
Book SynopsisRead Shakespeare's sonnets in all their brillianceand understand what every word means! Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's sonnets accessible and enjoyable. This No Fear guide contains:The complete original textAline-by-line translation that puts the words into everyday languagePlenty of helpful commentary
£7.99
Oxford University Press The New Oxford Shakespeare Modern Critical
Book SynopsisThe Complete Works: Modern Critical Edition is part of the landmark New Oxford Shakespeare--an entirely new consideration of all of Shakespeare''s works, edited afresh from all the surviving original versions of his work, and drawing on the latest literary, textual, and theatrical scholarship. In one attractive volume, the Modern Critical Edition gives today''s students and playgoers the very best resources they need to understand and enjoy all Shakespeare''s works. The authoritative text is accompanied by extensive explanatory and performance notes, and innovative introductory materials which lead the reader into exploring questions about interpretation, textual variants, literary criticism, and performance, for themselves.The Modern Critical Edition presents the plays and poetry in the order in which Shakespeare wrote them, so that readers can follow the development of his imagination, his engagement with a rapidly evolving culture and theatre, and his relationship to his literary contemporaries.The New Oxford Shakespeare consists of four interconnected publications: the Modern Critical Edition (with modern spelling), the Critical Reference Edition (with original spelling), a companion volume on Authorship, and an online version integrating all of this material on OUP''s high-powered scholarly editions platform. Together, they provide the perfect resource for the future of Shakespeare studies.Table of ContentsTHE COMPLETE WORKS
£50.40
Oxford University Press William Shakespeare
Book SynopsisIn this new offering from Stanley Wells, the pre-eminent Shakespearian scholar, comes a Very Short Introduction to the life and writings of the world''s greatest and best-known dramatists: William Shakespeare.Looking at his early life and education, Wells explores Shakespeare''s social and intellectual background and the literary traditions on which Shakespeare drew. Examining the theatres and theatrical profession of the time, he also considers how Shakespeare experienced this world, both as an actor and as a writer. Examining Shakespeare''s narrative poems, sonnets, and all of his plays, Wells outlines their sources, style, and originality over the course of Shakespeare''s career, to consider the fundamental impact his work has had for subsequent generations. Written with enthusiasm and flair by a scholar who has devoted a lifetime to the study of Shakespeare and his works, this is an engaging and authoritative introduction. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewWells approaches his subject matter with refreshing clarity and potent enthusiasm ... his convivial tone is one of this volume's great strengths. * English *an engaging and insightful guide which may inspire its readers to explore not only the author's life and works, but the wealth of contemporary Shakespearean manifestations. * English *So all in all I enjoyed this little book very much, and it made me want to go back to the plays themselves as well as to delve into some recent secondary works. If you think you might have failed to fully appreciate Shakespeare, whether owing to bad teaching or to less than first-rate performances, this is an excellent place to start exploring the life and work of probably the most celebrated dramatist not only in Britain but also throughout the world. * Shiny New Books, Harriet Devine *this is an excellent place to start exploring the life and work of probably the most celebrated dramatist not only in Britain but also throughout the world. * Shiny New Books *Table of ContentsPreface: Why Shakespeare? ; 1. Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon ; 2. Theatre in Shakespeare's time ; 3. Shakespeare in London ; 4. Plays of the 1590s ; 5. Shakespeare and comic form ; 6. Return to tragedy ; 7. The classical plays ; 8. Tragi-comedy ; Epilogue ; Chronology: Shakespeare's works ; Further reading ; Index
£999.99
WW Norton & Co Poetics
Book SynopsisThis Norton Critical Edition of the world’s first major work of literary criticism is based on James Hutton’s acclaimed translation. The text and explanatory and glossarial notes represent the work of the accomplished Hellenists James Hutton and Michelle
£15.52
Oxford University Press Shakespeares Comedies
Book SynopsisFrom The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the early 1590s to The Two Noble Kinsmen at the end of his career around 1614, Shakespeare wrote at least eighteen plays that can be called ''comedies'': a far higher number than that for any other genre in which he wrote. So what is a Shakespearean comedy? We associate these plays with such themes as mistaken identities, happy marriages, and exuberant cross dressing, but how representative are these of the oeuvre as a whole? In this Very Short Introduction, Bart van Es explores the full range of the playwright''s comic writing, from the neat classical plotting of early works like The Comedy of Errors to the corrupt world of the so-called problem plays, written in the middle years of Shakespeare''s life. Examining Shakespeare''s influences and sources, van Es compares his plays to those of his rivals, and looks at the history of the plays in performance, from the biographies of Shakespeare''s original actors to the plays'' endless reinvention in modern stage productions and in films. Identifying the key qualities that make Shakespearean comedy distinctive, van Es traces the changing nature of Shakespeare''s comic writing over the course of a career that spanned nearly a quarter century of theatrical change.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewAimed at a general readership, the slim volume is nonetheless carefully researched and full of original ideas and connections. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *cover[s] an impressive amount of literary and historical ground, and convey[s] a suitably sizeable serving of Shakespeare knowledge. * Shakespeare Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; World ; Wit ; Love ; Time ; Character ; Endings ; Further Reading ; Index
£9.49
Oxford University Press King John The Oxford Shakespeare
Book SynopsisKing John, a play that offers at least three fine acting roles and was once popular in the theatre, has been neglected in recent years. Its treatment of the death of Arthur, claimant to the throne, and the wit of the Bastard, son of Richard Coeur de Lion, make it particularly worthy of reconsideration. The wide-ranging introduction makes original claims for the play''s relevance to Elizabethan political issues and for its aesthetic importance in Shakespeare''s early career as a dramatist. This edition also offers a comprehensive stage history, a thorough bibliographical study of the Folio (1623) text, and a reconsideration of its disputed relationship with the anonymous Troublesome Reign of King John (1591). A.R. Braunmuller provides new information concerning King John''s early stage history, consideration of legal concepts and practices in the play, and a critical study of its presentation of women and of families.Trade Review`The Oxford Shakespeare is an admirably scholarly edition, immaculately presented, offering close attention to possibilities of staging as well as meaning.' Dr D. Sedge, Exeter University`This edition offers the most substantial & one of the most penetrating discussions of the play to date. A remarkable scholarly achievement.' Dr René J.A. Weis, Department of English, University College, London`a most impressive and illuminating edition' R. N. Alexander, Queen Mary Westfield, London`The major strength of Professor Braunmuller's edition is its introduction. He offers a sane review of such difficult questions as the date of the play, and such controversial ones as its relation to "The Troublesome Reign". The evidence is marshalled in a lucid manner and sensible conclusions drawn ... This is a significant contribution to the (now quickly developing) debate on "King John", and a good demonstration that investigations of Shakespeare as a political dramatist (as opposed to a moral sage) need not be critically reductive.' The Review of English Studies`By its 'conventionally ordered introduction' (p.1), A.R. Braunmuller's Oxford King John signals that it is, indeed what the dustjacket claims, 'the most thorough scholarly edition now available' ... his edition foregrounds technical material important to scholars over more general interests ... Braunmuller's approach to editing is as fair-minded and scholarly as his introduction ... the King John that sets out the issues most fully and fairly, the edition I want in my study, is Braunmuller's 'conventionally ordered', scholarly text.' Virginia Mason Vaughan, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, Yearbook of English Studies, 1992'Stanley Wells' OUP Complete Works of Shakespeare is now eight years old and has spawned a new Oxford Shakespeare which appears now in splendidly affordable volumes in that nonpareil of libraries of good reading The World's Classics.' The Oxford Times
£8.54
Penguin Putnam Inc Antony and Cleopatra
Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now repackaged in award-winning modern covers to inspire Shakespearians of all ages.
£8.54
British Library Publishing Shakespeares Original Pronunciation Speeches and
Book SynopsisHow did Shakespeare sound to the audiences of his day? For the first time this disc offers listeners the chance to hear England's greatest playwright performed by a company of actors using the pronunciation of his time.Trade ReviewAn enthusiastic bunch of actors demonstrate how the Bard s sonnets, songs and various famous scenes from his plays would have sounded to Elizabethan audiences. Pronounce hour as a 16th-century actor would have, that is, to rhyme with whore, and listen to the double entendres multiply. Eng lit aficionados will love it. --Sue Arnold "Guardian "" "An enthusiastic bunch of actors demonstrate how the Bard's sonnets, songs and various famous scenes from his plays would have sounded to Elizabethan audiences. Pronounce 'hour' as a 16th-century actor would have, that is, to rhyme with 'whore, ' and listen to the double entendres multiply. Eng lit aficionados will love it." --Sue Arnold "Guardian "
£10.71
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Springboard Shakespeare A Midsummer Nights Dream
Book Synopsis A Midsummer Night''s Dream is one of Shakespeare''s most popular comedies. This accessible introduction offers a springboard into the play, taking a hands-on, performance-based approach, exploring the challenges and the rewards it presents to actors, audiences and students. Springboard Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night''s Dream has a three-part structure: whether you''re watching or reading, Ben Crystal takes you through exactly what you need to know Before, During and After the play. He combines a genuine passion and understanding of Shakespeare with his experience as an actor, giving the reader a clear route to thinking about, understanding and enjoying A Midsummer Night''s Dream.Trade ReviewHaving Crystal as a companion through the stickier parts of Hamlet and Macbeth is like going to the theatre with an intelligent friend. * The Independent *How different it might have been if we’d had Ben Crystal’s sparky little books to introduce us. My Shakespearean epiphany would have come much sooner...[the books] lead newcomers into the play in question in a gentle, upbeat, unpretentious way. Fresh and slim, they’re about as far as could be from dusty, dry study guides relating to school exams...much better than the average theatre programme...I’d like to see them on sale in theatre bookshops, and/or wherever there’s a production of one of these plays...I’d also recommend them for classroom use. -- Susan Elkin * The Independent on Sunday *A highly worthwhile series, which should prove to be valuable for directors, actors and students…This formula really works. As an experiment, your dedicated reviewer tried out Macbeth in preparation for and following on from the Eve Best production of the Globe. The experience was definitely improved, with some of the tips on words and language proving especially helpful and enlightening… These really are excellent little guides that will prove informative to almost anybody with an interest in the subject. -- Philip Fisher * British Theatre Guide *
£13.10
Union Square & Co. Measure for Measure
Book SynopsisThis guide helps make Shakespeare's play more accessible. It contains a complete text of the original work, along with a line-by-line modernisation and plenty of helpful commentary.
£8.21
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tis Pity Shes a Whore
Book SynopsisMartin Wiggins is a Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham.
£11.67
Harvard University Press The Annotated Prison Writings of Oscar Wilde
Book SynopsisServing prison time with hard labor for the crime of gross indecency, Oscar Wilde wrote some of his most powerful works. A savage indictment of society, and testimony to private sufferings, his prison writings illuminated by Nicholas Frankel's notes reveal a different man from the dandy and aesthete who shocked or amused the English-speaking world.Trade ReviewA welcome gathering of Wilde’s most humane work, with choice illustrations, where the self-proclaimed ‘lord of language’ gives voice to the poor, the disaffected. * Irish Times *Frankel has…done us a favor to annotate such material with such labor and such learning…Wilde comes out of this volume with all his follies flying as an extraordinarily impressive human being. -- Peter Craven * Sydney Morning Herald *With headlines of police brutality and judicial immorality as relevant today as back then, creative works which remind audiences of Wilde’s timeless moral principles remain vital. -- John L. Murphy * PopMatters *De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol are canonical Victorian literature, and Frankel’s precise and well-informed notes will raise readers’ awareness of Wilde’s thinking on morality, crime, religion, sexuality, aesthetics, and prison reform. -- Ellis Hanson, Cornell UniversityFrankel provides a valuable service in comprehensively editing these works for a fresh generation of readers. -- Joseph Bristow, University of California, Los Angeles
£17.95
CONNELL PUBLISHING LTD The Connell Short Guide To Samuel Beckett's
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£5.99
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Doctor Faustus: With Related Texts
Book SynopsisThis new edition of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus offers the complete 1604 A-text with embedded selections from the 1616 B-text. Its innovative format will make it easier for readers to note differences between these texts and to consider what is gained and lost in viewing them both separately and together. A full Introduction to the play, notes, and a rich selection of related texts further enhance the value of this edition to students of Renaissance drama, Reformation theology, magic, and occult philosophy.Trade Review“This most recent edition of Doctor Faustus is guaranteed to appeal to a fresh, widespread audience of students and scholars. Uniquely combining the full A- and B-texts of the play, the edition offers new possibilities for analysis and interpretation. In addition to a generous introduction, replete with crucial data, the edition supplies readers with a bibliography, notes, and an abundant selection of related texts, including the Faustbook. The range of valuable information will surely attract not only Marlovians and all those interested in Renaissance drama and related, historical contextual matters, but anyone interested in accounting for how Doctor Faustus has achieved its enduring fame.” —Robert A. Logan, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Hartford
£14.24
Union Square & Co. TLDR Shakespeare
Book SynopsisThis refresher reference volume features concise character and plot summaries for 12 of Shakespeare's best-known plays, drawn from the SparkNotes website and illustrated with colourful infographics. Each of the 12 chapters in this volume runs 6 to 8 pages of text taken from the SparkNotes website, and is illustrated with colourful infographics for easy consumption. The 12 plays featured six comedies and six tragedies are among the most famous and most taught of Shakespeare's dramas, including Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and Julius Caesar.
£11.69
Yale University Press The Elizabethan Mind
Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive guide to Elizabethan ideas about the mindTrade Review“An outstanding achievement: broad-ranging, intelligently synthetic and written in unflaggingly lucid prose. . . . Helen Hackett shows us over and again that the inability of the Elizabethans to know themselves as fully as they wanted to mattered to them a great deal. Discomfited though this state of affairs could leave them feeling, it explains why their literature still matters to us today.”—Rhodri Lewis, Times Literary Supplement“Hackett reads a breathtaking diversity of literature with great sensitivity. . . . The Elizabethan Mind . . . is an impressive achievement.”—P. Kishore Saval, Australian Book Review“This enthralling study captures the changing ways in which the mind was understood, and the thought processes of a society that continues to captivate today.”—BBC History Revealed“Hackett callipers her subject with shrewd delicacy, arranging interventions and insights along a line of recognisable topoi—the role of women, attitudes towards race, Shakespeare, demonic possession.”—Madoc Cairns, The Tablet“Hackett’s extraordinary achievement in The Elizabethan Mind combines learning and empathy as she ranges across cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and physiological approaches. Come for Hamlet, stay for female complaint, Catholic poetics, sonnets, psychomachia, and much more.”—Emma Smith, author of This is Shakespeare“Hackett has synthesized an extraordinary range of books to illuminate aspects of the Elizabethan mind. She offers excellent readings of familiar works such as Shakespeare’s tragedies as well as little-known gems such as women’s translations of the Psalms. Readers will come away equipped to read Shakespeare and his contemporaries with renewed understanding.”—Jonathan Bate, author of Soul of the Age: The Life, Mind and World of William Shakespeare“Wonderfully perceptive and illuminating. If you want to understand how the Elizabethans viewed themselves, each other, and the world, read this book.”—Elizabeth Goldring, author of Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist
£23.75
Yale University Press Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles
Book SynopsisThe last book written by the most famous literary critic of his generation, on the sustaining power of poetryTrade Review“A magnificent meander through the flames and the breezes, by the waters and over the earth of those creations, intimations and thoughts that most matter. There will be few grand streams-of consciousness like this in the future.”—Stoddard Martin, Jewish Chronicle “An extraordinary testimony to a long life spent in the company of poetry and an affecting last declaration of his passionate and deeply unfashionable faith in the capacity of the imagination to make the world feel habitable”—Seamus Perry, Literary Review “Profound…Draws more deeply on [Bloom’s] scholarly expertise….Shows his readers how even literary criticism must be decoded like a dramatic poem or a novel before we can consume it.”—Eileen M. Hunt, Times Literary Supplement “In the end, only words have a chance of outliving us, and Bloom records his best guesses at the words that might endure. Until the end, Bloom was a man of incessant curiosity, with more questions than answers about an essential poetic imagination.”—Thylias Moss, Professor Emerita, University of Michigan “This book is superb, utterly convincing, and absolutely invigorating. Bloom’s final argument with mortality ultimately has a rejuvenating effect upon the reader, and is nothing short of a revelation.”—David Mikics, author of Slow Reading in a Hurried Age "I felt reading this book the way Virginia Woolf in her diary describes her feeling about reading Shakespeare: 'I never yet knew how amazing his stretch and speed . . . is, until I felt it utterly outpace and outrace my own.'"—Laura Quinney, author of William Blake on Self and Soul “Bloom helps us grasp what Dickinson calls ‘vaster attitudes,’ allowing us to take a proud flight and to disdain, for a time, our own mortality.”—William Flesch, Brandeis University "Bloom! The life, the voice, the sorrowful countenance, the Emersonian swoon, the feasting intellect, the daemonic rapture. His I is an Eye, all-seeing, a container of multitudes, a volcanic primer on the crisis of enchantment in what he dares to name ‘a universe of Death.’ And here, in this last masterwork—an impassioned meditation on the poets who made him—his living breath is indomitably felt.”—Cynthia Ozick
£19.00
CONNELL PUBLISHING LTD Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Book SynopsisRomeo and Juliet is routinely called “the world’s greatest love story”, as though it is all about romance. The play features some of the most lyrical passages in all of drama, and the lovers are young, beautiful, and ardent. But when we look at the play, the lyricism and the romance are not really what drive things along. It is true that Romeo, especially early on in the play, acts like a young man determined to take his place in an immortal tale of love. Everything he says is romantic – but rather like an anniversary card is romantic. His words propel nothing, or nothing but sarcastic admonitions from his friends to forget about love and to treat women as they should be treated, with careless physical appetite. The world we have entered is rapacious more than romantic. Everyone knows something of this, from the film versions of the story if nothing else. Romeo and Juliet must fight for their love inside a culture of stupid hatreds. But it is not a simple case of love versus war, or the city against the couple. If it were, it would nicely reinforce clichés about true love, fighting against the odds. In this book Simon Palfrey suggests that the play Shakespeare actually wrote is more troubling than this. Juliet’s passion – for all her youth, for all its truth – is at the very cusp of murderousness. Juliet is the world’s scourge, in the sense that she will whip and punish and haunt it; she is also its triumph, in the sense of its best and truest thing. The deaths her love leads to are in no way avoidable, and in no way accidental. They are her inheritance, the thing she was born to. Of course she takes Romeo with her. But it is at heart her play.
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers As You Like It Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.All the world''s a stage,And all the men and women merely players.'Featuring Rosalind, one of Shakespeare's most likeable and strong female protagonists, As You Like It is a comedic play centred around concealed identity, love, exile and artifice. Banished from the court by her uncle, Rosalind flees to the forest with her cousin Celia and her jester, joining her already exiled father, and disguising herself as a boy. In the guise of a young man, she instructs her would-be lover Orlando in the ways of love and in doing so allows Shakespeare to explore the dynamics of the city and the country as well as the sexual politics of the time.
£5.62
HarperCollins Publishers Romeo and Juliet Edexcel GCSE 91 English
Book SynopsisExam Board: EdexcelLevel: GCSE Grade 9-1Subject: English LiteratureSuitable for the 2024 examsEverything you need to revise for your GCSE 9-1 set text in a snap guideEverything you need to score top marks on your GCSE Grade English Literature exam is right at your fingertips! Revise Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare in a snap with this new GCSE Grade 9-1 Snap Revision Text Guide from Collins. Refresh your knowledge of the plot, context, characters and themes and pick up top tips along the way to ace your Edexcel exam. Each topic is explained in an easy-to-read format so you can get straight to the point. Then, put your skills to the test with plenty of practice questions included in every section. The Snap Text Guides are packed with every quote and extract you need. We've even included examples of how to plan and write your essay responses! For more revision on Shakespeare, check out our Snap Revision Text Guide on Macbeth (9780008353025).
£7.49
Penguin Books Ltd Shakespeares Language
Book SynopsisThe true biography of Shakespeare - and the only one we really need to care about - is in the plays. Sir Frank Kermode, Britain''s most distinguished literary critic, has been thinking about them all his life. This book is a distillation of that lifetime''s thinking. The great English tragedies were all written in the first decade of the seventeenth century. They are often in language that is difficult to us, and must have been hard even for contemporaries. How and why did Shakespeare''s language develop as it did? Kermode argues that the resources of English underwent major change around 1600. The originality of Kermodes''s writing, and the intelligence of his discussion, make this book a landmark.
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Four Comedies
Book SynopsisWilliam Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and mother Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), a collection of sonnets and a variety of other poems.
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd Nicholl C Lodger
Book SynopsisIn 1612 Shakespeare gave evidence at the Court of Requests in Westminster it is the only occasion his spoken words are recorded. The case seems routine a dispute over an unpaid marriage-dowry but it opens up an unexpected window into the dramatist's famously obscure life-story. Charles Nicholl applies a powerful biographical magnifying glass to this fascinating episode in Shakespeare's life. Marshalling evidence from a wide variety of sources, including previously unknown documentary material on the Mountjoys, he conjures up a detailed and compelling description of the circumstances in which Shakespeare lived and worked, and in which he wrote such plays as Othello, Measure for Measure and King Lear.
£11.69
Penguin Putnam Inc Henry VIII
Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now repackaged in award-winning modern covers to inspire Shakespearians of all ages.
£8.54
Oxford University Press Honoré de Balzac My Reading
Book SynopsisA book on the experience of reading Honoré de Balzac's La Comédie humaine which recounts the process of Peter Brooks's own discovery of Balzac.Trade ReviewBrooks never ceases to intrigue readers by his deeply probing work of literary and critical scholarship. * Dana Vuckovic, French Studies *Table of Contents1: Balzac: Reading for More 2: Fangs and Kisses 3: Making Books, Devouring Presses 4: The Shape of Time 5: To Say Everything
£18.99
Oxford University Press Oxford Student Texts The Importance of Being
Book SynopsisOxford Student Texts offer an accessible route into the study of texts for A Level including line-by-line notes, and detailed sections covering key themes, issues and contexts. This edition focuses on The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.
£14.70
Oxford University Press Oxford Literature Companions Death of a Salesman
Book SynopsisEasy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular A Level set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characterisation and role, genre, context, language, themes, structure, performance and critical views, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work wtih the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent AS/A level specifications.
£11.67
Oxford University Press Oxford Literature Companions Hamlet Hamlet Get
Book SynopsisEasy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular A Level set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characterisation and role, genre, context, language, themes, structure, performance and critical views, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work wtih the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers Hamlet by William Shakespeare, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent AS/A level specifications.
£12.28
Oxford University Press OLC LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA Get Revision with
Book SynopsisGet to grips with set texts and be fully prepared for the AS/A Level exam with the Modern Languages Oxford Literature Companions. The Companions are written by experienced lecturers, teachers and examiners and provide comprehensive coverage of characters, themes, plot, language and context with activities in Spanish to consolidate your knowledge of the text. There are also extensive sections on exam preparation and response planning, with a bank of annotated sample answers and practice questions. This guide covers La casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca. Modern Languages Oxford Literature Companions are also available for selected French and German set texts.
£10.99
Oxford University Press AQA Drama and Theatre A Level and AS
Book SynopsisPlease note this title is suitable for any student studying: Exam Board: AQA Level: AS/A Level Subject: Drama and TheatreFirst teaching: 2015First exams: 2017This student book comprehensively covers both the AQA AS and A Level Drama and Theatre specifications and has been approved by AQA. It provides coverage of the set texts, guidance on interpretations and support for studying a range of practitioners, advice on approaching and assessing theatre visits and support for creating original drama and the Working Notebook. Structured so as to allow for co-teachability of AS and A Level and developed from OUP''s well-loved resources for the previous specification, this new student book will provide all the support and guidance students need as they engage in their studies and prepare for assessments.
£57.54
Oxford University Press The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare
Book SynopsisThe Oxford Companion to Shakespeare is the most comprehensive reference work available on Shakespeare''s life, times, works, and his 400-year global legacy. In addition to the authoritative A-Z entries, it includes nearly 100 illustrations, a chronology, a guide to further reading, a thematic contents list, and special feature entries on each of Shakespeare''s works. Tying in with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare''s death, this much-loved Companion has been revised and updated, reflecting developments and discoveries made in recent years and to cover the performance, interpretation, and the influence of Shakespeare''s works up to the present day. First published in 2001, the online edition was revised in 2011, with updates to over 200 entries plus 16 new entries. These online updates appear in print for the first time in this second edition, along with a further 35,000 new and revised words. These include more than 80 new entries, ranging from important performers, directors, and sTrade ReviewThe Companion is a neatly prepared one-stop shop for a wealth of basic information about Shakespeare's works, then, and now. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *Table of ContentsContents ; Foreword ; Preface to the 1st edition ; Preface to the 2nd edition ; Acknowledgements ; Contributors ; Thematic listing of entries ; List of plays ; Note to the reader ; The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare ; Map of British Isles and France in English Histories and Macbeth ; Family tree of the royal family in Shakespeare's English Histories ; Shakespeare's life, works, and reception: a partial chronology, 1564-1999 ; Further reading ; Picture acknowledgements
£35.99
