Poetry Books

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: - The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition - Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. - Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. - Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. - How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." - Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. - Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. - Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes screen grabs from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: - The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition - Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. - Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. - Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. - How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." - Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. - Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. - Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes screen grabs from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book Synopsis George Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some include time chronologies within the plays. Topics for Discussion and Further Study. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes screen grabs from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: - The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition - Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. - Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. - Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. - How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." - Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. - Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. - Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes screen grabs from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: - The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition - Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. - Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. - Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. - How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." - Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. - Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. - Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes screen grabs from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is an English translation of Sophocles' tragedy of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother and step father for the murder of their father. This edition also includes an "afterlife" essay that discusses adaptations of the play, as well as touches on other ways Electra has had influence (Jung''s identification of the Electra Complex, O''Neill''s "Mourning Becomes Electra"). Focus Classical Library provides close translations with notes and essays to provide access to understanding Greek culture.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis The New Kittredge ShakespeareCymbelineoffers the text of the play, and glosses, as prepared by William Kittredge for hisComplete Works of William Shakespeare. Hannah C. Wojciehowski''s performance notes and additional textual notes offer readers a streamlined reading experience aimed at helping them understand the play and envision how key "interpretive junctures" in it have been, and might yet be, performed on stage or screen. Wojciehowski''s Introduction brilliantly illuminates the play''s plot and lyricism as well as its treatment in recent stage and screen productions--including Michael Almereyda''sCymbeline(2014). In "How to ReadCymbelineas Performance" an interview with James Loehlin, Director of the Shakespeare at Winedale program at the University of Texas, offers practical reflections on making the leap from reading this challenging play to imagining its performance. Notes on Names, Pronunciation, and Language; ACymbelineTimeline; Topics for Discussion and Further Study; and Bibliography and Filmography are also included.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: - The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition - Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. - Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. - Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. - How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." - Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. - Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. - Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes screen grabs from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishmentsall of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. The plays in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series retain their original Kittredge notes and introductions, changed or augmented only when some modernization seems necessary. These new editions also include introductory essays by contemporary editors, notes on the plays as they have been performed on stage and film, and additional student materials. These plays are being made available by Focus Publishing with the permission of the Kittredge heirs.

Read more less

Book Synopsis George Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes film stills from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book Synopsis George Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes film stills from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book Synopsis George Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments, all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. These new editions have specific emphasis on the performance histories of the plays (on stage and screen). Features of each edition include: The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition Editor's Introduction to the Focus Edition. An overview on major themes of the plays, and sections on the play's performance history on stage and screen. Explanatory Notes. The explanatory notes either expand on Kittredge's superb glosses, or, in the case of plays for which he did not write notes, give the needed explanations for Shakespeare's sometimes demanding language. Performance notes. These appear separately and immediately below the textual footnotes and include discussions of noteworthy stagings of the plays, issues of interpretation, and film and stage choices. How to read the play as Performance Section. A discussion of the written play vs. the play as performed and the various ways in which Shakespeare's words allow the reader to envision the work "off the page." Comprehensive Timeline. Covering major historical events (with brief annotations) as well as relevant details from Shakespeare's life. Some of the Chronologies include time chronologies within the plays. Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section. Critical Issues: Dealing with the text in a larger context and considerations of character, genre, language, and interpretative problems. Performance Issues: Problems and intricacies of staging the play connected to chief issues discussed in the Focus Editions' Introduction. Select Bibliography & Filmography Each New Kittredge edition also includes film stills from major productions, for comparison and scene study.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis translation by Tom Simone provides a text that is close to Dante's meter and style as is possible using modern English. In such a way a student gets a feel for the structure and impact of the original, and it could also provide an easy segue to the original Italian. Simone provides an extensive introduction, ample footnotes for references that may not be clear to the reader, and each Canto provides a prose overview of the poetry to follow, all designed to provide the modern student with access to this important work.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishmentsall of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. The plays in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series retain the original Kittredge notes and introductions, changed or augmented only when some modernization seems necessary. These new editions also include introductory essays by contemporary editors, notes on the plays as they have been performed on stage and film, and additional student materials. These plays are being made available by Focus with the permission of the Kittredge heirs.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge''s perceptive editions have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishmentsall of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. The plays in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series retain the original Kittredge notes and introductions, changed or augmented only when some modernization seems necessary. These new editions also include introductory essays by contemporary editors, notes on the plays as they have been performed on stage and film, and additional student materials.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Lyman Kittredge''s perceptive editions have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishmentsall of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. The plays in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series retain the original Kittredge notes and introductions, changed or augmented only when some modernization seems necessary. These new editions also include introductory essays by contemporary editors, notes on the plays as they have been performed on stage and film, and additional student materials.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJan Blits'' edition represents something new among editions ofJulius Caesar. In addition to textual glosses and explanatory notes focused on the rhetorical, historical, and political contexts of the speeches, it includes a wide array of quotations and citations from writers of classical antiquity chosen to illuminate passages of special pertinence to the Roman world represented in the play. Highlighting Shakespeare''s significance as a political thinker, it also demonstrates his deep understanding of Roman antiquity, its competing worldviews, and the demise of its Republic. Intended for a broad readership, the edition also includes a Preface, Introduction, Bibliography, and a topical Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLike previous editions in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series, this edition of The Two Noble Kinsmen takes George Lyman Kittredge''stext as its base, though in this case one that has been extensively edited by Jim Casey in the light of more recent editions. As Kittredge never published a free-standing edition of the play, all annotations and performance notes are Casey''s and have been prepared specifically for this edition. In addition to other standard features of New Kittredge Shakespeare editionsTopics for Discussion and Further Study, a timeline, and a discussion of reading the play as performanceit offers a splendid new Introduction by Casey focusing on the themes and recent production history of this recently revived play of Shakespeare and Fletcher''s.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAhmad Karimi-Hakkak has selected and ably translated the poems of Mandana Zandian''s poems. The translation includes poems which have never been published in the original.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first appearance in English of the poetry of Gabriel Zaid, this book comprises forty-two poems (in both English and the original Spanish), translated by a variety of English-speaking poets. Renowned in Mexico as one of his country''s leading writers, Zaid has published two books in English, "So Many Books" and "The Secret of Fame".

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the heartland of Islam arise poems of fiery love and peace, composed by a modern-day female poet descended from a long line of Meccan (from Mecca) scholars. Reflecting the pulsing, indivisible bridge of the works of great Sufi mystics and poets to modern times, these spiritual pieces recall the beloved works of Rabi‘ah Al ‘Adawiyyah, Rumi and Hafiz. Drawing on a rich religious legacy and led by the Sufi tradition seeking Unity, the poems cover aspects related to spirituality and present-day challenges. The inspiring combination of the traditional and modern in these compositions will touch the inner souls and captivate the hearts of those interested in Higher Love in these turbulent times of transition and frantic search for peace

Read more less

Book SynopsisPrudence Steiner's lively prose translations remain close to the original French, giving us the speech of the characters in a slightly compressed and formalized language that echoes the effect created by Moliere's verse.Roger Herzel's thoughtful Introduction discusses Moliere's life; Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and the comic tradition; and the setting, casting, and style of the plays.Trade Review"The new Steiner Tartuffe offers welcome relief from all the rhymed translations that make Molière sound like a third-rate Restoration poet while creating the (false) impression that verbal dexterity and wit trump all other values in the great comic playwright's dramaturgy. Steiner's crisp, lucid prose--her adroitly balanced sentences are especially effective at conveying the slippery rhetoric of Tartuffe's seductions--unfolds the plot and characters of Molière's play with an unaccustomed clarity, presenting the ideological clashes of the play with a bluntness many other translations attenuate." —Jim Carmody, Professor of Theatre History, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of California, San Diego"Prudence Steiner has produced an excellent prose translation of The Misanthrope that respects the internal dynamics of the text while capturing admirably the feel of the French text in English. The translation succeeds in conveying both the texture of the world of Louis XIV and a modern feel that will particularly appeal to young audiences." --Florent Masse, Director, L'Atelier, The French Theater Workshop, Princeton University

Read more less

Book SynopsisPrudence Steiner's lively prose translations remain close to the original French, giving us the speech of the characters in a slightly compressed and formalized language that echoes the effect created by Moliere's verse.Roger Herzel's thoughtful Introduction discusses Moliere's life; Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and the comic tradition; and the setting, casting, and style of the plays.Trade Review"The new Steiner Tartuffe offers welcome relief from all the rhymed translations that make Molière sound like a third-rate Restoration poet while creating the (false) impression that verbal dexterity and wit trump all other values in the great comic playwright's dramaturgy. Steiner's crisp, lucid prose--her adroitly balanced sentences are especially effective at conveying the slippery rhetoric of Tartuffe's seductions--unfolds the plot and characters of Molière's play with an unaccustomed clarity, presenting the ideological clashes of the play with a bluntness many other translations attenuate." —Jim Carmody, Professor of Theatre History, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of California, San Diego"Prudence Steiner has produced an excellent prose translation of The Misanthrope that respects the internal dynamics of the text while capturing admirably the feel of the French text in English. The translation succeeds in conveying both the texture of the world of Louis XIV and a modern feel that will particularly appeal to young audiences." --Florent Masse, Director, L'Atelier, The French Theater Workshop, Princeton University

Read more less

Book Synopsis[Beaumarchais'] fame rests on Le Barbier de Seville (1775) and Le Mariage de Figaro (1784), the only French plays which his stage-struck century bequeathed to the international repertoire. But his achievement has been adulterated, for ‘Beaumarchais’ has long been the brand name of a product variously reprocessed by Mozart, Rossini, and the score or so librettists and musicians who have perpetuated his plots, his characters, and his name. The most intriguing question of all has centered on his role as catalyst of the Revolution. Was his impertinent barber the Sweeney Todd of the Ancien Régime, the true begetter of the guillotine? . . . Beaumarchais' plays have often seemed to need the same kind of shoring up as his reputation, as though they couldn't stand on their own without a scaffolding of good tunes. Yet, as John Wells' lively and splendidly speakable translations of the Barber, the Marriage, and A Mother's Guilt demonstrate, they need assistance from no one. [Beaumarchais] thought of the three plays as a trilogy. Taken together, they reflect, as John Leigh’s commentaries make clear, the Ancien Régime’s unstoppable slide into revolution. --David Coward in The London Review of BooksTrade Review[Beaumarchais'] fame rests on Le Barbier de Seville (1775) and Le Mariage de Figaro (1784), the only French plays which his stage-struck century bequeathed to the international repertoire. But his achievement has been adulterated, for 'Beaumarchais' has long been the brand name of a product variously reprocessed by Mozart, Rossini, and the score or so librettists and musicians who have perpetuated his plots, his characters, and his name. The most intriguing question of all has centered on his role as catalyst of the Revolution. Was his impertinent barber the Sweeney Todd of the Ancien Régime, the true begetter of the guillotine? . . . Beaumarchais' plays have often seemed to need the same kind of shoring up as his reputation, as though they couldn't stand on their own without a scaffolding of good tunes. Yet, as John Wells' lively and splendidly speakable translations of the Barber , the Marriage , and A Mother's Guilt demonstrate, they need assistance from no one. [Beaumarchais] thought of the three plays as a trilogy. Taken together, they reflect, as John Leigh's commentaries make clear, the Ancien Régime's unstoppable slide into revolution. --David Coward in The London Review of Books

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnusual among Shakespeare's plays in that it drew theatrical responses from the outset, The Taming of the Shrew continues to inspire adaptations and interpretations that respond to its fascinating, if provocative, representation of a husband's dominance of his wife.This annotated collection of three early modern English plays allows readers to explore the relationship between Shakespeare's Shrew and two closely related plays of the same genre, the earlier of which, the anonymous The Taming of a Shrew (whether inspired by Shakespeare's play or vice-versa), once enjoyed a level of popularity that likely surpassed that of Shakespeare's play.The editors' Introduction brilliantly illuminates points of comparison between the three, their larger themes included, and convincingly argues that Shakespeare's Shrew is seen all the more vividly when the anonymous A Shrew and Fletcher's table-turning The Tamer Tamed are waiting in the wings.Trade ReviewThis excellent volume brings together for the first time three plays that need to be read together as each casts light on the other two. It will be invaluable to students and teachers. --David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History, The University of YorkA wonderful edition for teachers and scholars both. I will happily order it for my classes in Shakespeare and in Renaissance English literature. The Shrew is a rich center for cultural debate about marriage, gender, and sexuality—and also, as these three play scripts amply show, about the Renaissance theatre itself as a site for exploring competing views and systems of value. The texts are well annotated and handsomely presented for modern readers. --Margaret Ferguson, University of California, DavisAn idea whose time has come. How wonderful to have all three shrew texts in one convenient volume. The notes and text are modernized and clear. Bravo! --Virginia M. Vaughan, Clark University

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnusual among Shakespeare's plays in that it drew theatrical responses from the outset, The Taming of the Shrew continues to inspire adaptations and interpretations that respond to its fascinating, if provocative, representation of a husband's dominance of his wife.This annotated collection of three early modern English plays allows readers to explore the relationship between Shakespeare's Shrew and two closely related plays of the same genre, the earlier of which, the anonymous The Taming of a Shrew (whether inspired by Shakespeare's play or vice-versa), once enjoyed a level of popularity that likely surpassed that of Shakespeare's play.The editors' Introduction brilliantly illuminates points of comparison between the three, their larger themes included, and convincingly argues that Shakespeare's Shrew is seen all the more vividly when the anonymous A Shrew and Fletcher's table-turning The Tamer Tamed are waiting in the wings.Trade ReviewThis excellent volume brings together for the first time three plays that need to be read together as each casts light on the other two. It will be invaluable to students and teachers. --David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History, The University of YorkA wonderful edition for teachers and scholars both. I will happily order it for my classes in Shakespeare and in Renaissance English literature. The Shrew is a rich center for cultural debate about marriage, gender, and sexuality—and also, as these three play scripts amply show, about the Renaissance theatre itself as a site for exploring competing views and systems of value. The texts are well annotated and handsomely presented for modern readers. --Margaret Ferguson, University of California, DavisAn idea whose time has come. How wonderful to have all three shrew texts in one convenient volume. The notes and text are modernized and clear. Bravo! --Virginia M. Vaughan, Clark University

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis edition includes Edward Gallagher's prose translations of The Lays of Marie de France; a general introduction; a map; commentaries on the lays; two anonymous Breton lays—-The Lay of Melion and The Lay of Tyolet; a glossary of proper names; a glossary of specialized terms; and an appendix of selected texts in the Old French, including Marie's Prologue, Guigemar, Bisclavret, and Yonec.Trade ReviewWith admirable sensitivity to the meaning and style of the originals, Edward J. Gallagher has skillfully rendered these charming Old French verse narratives from the late twelfth century into engaging and readable modern English prose. Gallagher includes a detailed commentary on each of the twelve lays, two useful glossaries, and a selection of lays in Old French. Readers will appreciate his substantial and informative introduction to the works of Marie de France and to the illustrious literary and cultural context within which these masterpieces in miniature took shape. --Donald Maddox, University of Massachusetts AmherstEditions and translations of Marie de France's Lais have appeared at a steady rate since 1885, indeed in every decade since the 1940s. Edward Gallagher's prose translation (which also translates two anonymous lais, Melion and Tyolet) is the latest, a lively, readable version. . . . [T]his book is welcome: it should help introduce yet more students to these fascinating poems in a clear and energetic prose. --Modern Language ReviewProfessor Gallagher’s translation is a very timely one. It is produced in a handsome paperback and is highly accessible in price and in its level of critical language to undergraduates, graduates, and lay (no pun intended) readers alike. Students of medieval literature, French or European, will find it a congenial text, written in clear English prose, of Marie’s twelve Lays, along with two other lays not attributed to Marie. Each Lay is followed by an illuminative commentary. The body of the text is preceded by an excellent Introduction wherein Gallagher provides the chief facts about Marie, her oeuvre, and recent critical scholarship on Marie, without indulging in unneeded pedantry. --Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures

Read more less

Book SynopsisOwing to the rich storehouse of information it contains, the poetry of Venantius Fortunatus (c. 535--600) has long been mined as a historical source for Merovingian society, a focus that overshadows an appreciation of the poems' literary value. This volume, offering free-verse translations of Fortunatus' personal poetry, remains faithful to the historical sweep of the poet's lines while paying attention to the literary qualities that make these poems masterpieces of their kind. The volume includes an overview of late antique Gaul, Fortunatus' biography, interpretations of the poems, prosopographical introductions, maps, bibliography, and indices.Trade ReviewA fugitive handprint in a bowl of cream, a bird tangled in the grapevines of a mural, holy women who clap their voices into prayers--this is a world of unexpected beauty, and Pucci as a translator deserves our respect and praise for having clapped these poems into songs. --Joel C. Relihan, Wheaton College, Norton, MAOwing to the rich storehouse of information it contains, the poetry of Venantius Fortunatus (c. 535-600) has long been mined as a historical source for Merovingian society, a focus that overshadows an appreciation of the poems' literary value. This volume, offering free-verse translations of Fortunatus' personal poetry, remains faithful to the historical sweep of the poet's lines while paying attention to the literary qualities that make these poems masterpieces of their kind. The volume includes an overview of late antique Gaul, Fortunatus' biography, interpretations of the poems, prosopographical introductions, maps, bibliography, and indices.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPetrarch fashioned so many different versions of himself for posterity that it is an exacting task to establish where one might start to explore. . . . Hainsworth's study meets this problem through examples of what Petrarch wrote, and does so decisively and succinctly. . . . [A] careful and unpretentious book, penetrating in its organization and treatment of its subject, gentle in its guidance of the reader, nimble and dexterous in its scholarly infrastructure—and no less profound for those qualities of lightness. The translations themselves are a delight, and are clearly the result of profound meditation and extensive experiment. . . . The Introduction and the notes to each work form a clear plexus of support for the reader, with a host of deft cross-references. --Richard Mackenny, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkTrade ReviewHainsworth's translations from the Italian are first-rate, both in terms of accuracy to the intent of the originals . . . and in terms of conveying the force of Petrarch’s imagery. The translations from the Latin read freshly and easily . . . they are sure-footed, managing to capture the mix of pride and playfulness which characterizes Petrarch's composite prose style. The notes to the individual poems are well-judged, just enough to keep the reader on track without parading off-putting erudition. --Jonathan Usher, Emeritus, University of EdinburghA judicious selection of the varied writings of the great humanist, translated from both Latin and Italian. The Introduction is admirably structured, clear, and coherent, and presents Petrarch to the reader without didacticism or oversimplification. Hainsworth has a light editorial touch. . . . All in all, a luminous portrait of the 'father of humanism'. --David Marsh, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyTable of ContentsIntroduction: Mending a Broken Lineage: Women, Writing, Theology; Fear & Women's Writing: Choosing the Better Part; 'A Wretched Choice?': Evangelical Women & the Word; 'My God Became Flesh': Angela of Foligno Writing the Incarnation; Speaking Funk: Womanist Insights into the Lives of Syncletica & Macrina; 'A Moor of One's Own': Writing & Silence in Sara Maitland's "A Book of Silence"; With Prayer & Pen: Reading Mother E J Dabney's "What It Means to Pray Through"; Writing a Life, Writing Theology: Edith Stein in the Company of the Saints; Writing Hunger on the Body: Simone Weil's Ethic of Hunger & Eucharistic Practice; The Body, to be Eaten, to be Written: A Theological Reflection on the Act of Writing in Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's "Dictee"; Not with One Voice: The Counterpoint of Life, Diaspora, Women, Theology, & Writing; Embodying Theology: Motherhood as Metaphor/Method; Postscript: Wounded Writing / Healing Writing.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawn from Sharon Marie Carnicke's volume of Chekhov, Four Plays and Three Jokes (Hackett), this edition of The Cherry Orchard features Carnicke's groundbreaking translation of a play that has been called Chekhov's ultimate theatrical coup d'etat.** Donald Rayfield, The Cherry Orchard: Catastrophe and ComedyTrade Reviewp>Carnicke's Cherry Orchard is direct, easily accessible to young American students, and mercifully free of all that blather that mucks up so much of the other versions that I know. --James Parker, Late Professor of Theatre, Virginia Commonwealth University

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawn from Sharon Marie Carnicke's volume of Chekhov, Four Plays and Three Jokes (Hackett), this edition of The Cherry Orchard features Carnicke's groundbreaking translation of a play that has been called Chekhov's ultimate theatrical coup d'etat.** Donald Rayfield, The Cherry Orchard: Catastrophe and ComedyTrade Reviewp>Carnicke's Cherry Orchard is direct, easily accessible to young American students, and mercifully free of all that blather that mucks up so much of the other versions that I know. --James Parker, Late Professor of Theatre, Virginia Commonwealth University

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe four late plays of Euripides collected here, in beautifully crafted translations by Cecelia Eaton Luschnig and Paul Woodruff, offer a faithful and dynamic representation of the playwright’s mature vision.Trade ReviewExcellent! Fine translations, useful introductory material, and invaluable notes. --John F. Makowski, Loyola University, Chicago

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe four late plays of Euripides collected here, in beautifully crafted translations by Cecelia Eaton Luschnig and Paul Woodruff, offer a faithful and dynamic representation of the playwright’s mature vision.Trade ReviewExcellent! Fine translations, useful introductory material, and invaluable notes. --John F. Makowski, Loyola University, ChicagoTable of Contents`

Read more less

Book SynopsisA dazzling recreation of the most memorable Middle English poem, and one that captures the original alliterative verse in all its dimensions: sense, sound, and rhythm. --Ad Putter, Professor of Medieval English Literature, University of BristolTrade ReviewAccurate, poetic, and masterly, Joseph Glaser's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight captures and replicates with brio the craftsmanship of the English romancer known as the Gawain-poet. A brilliant Introduction by medievalist and romance expert Christine Chism invites readers' engagement with the text in addition to presenting reliable and up-to-date scholarly information about the work, its anonymous author, and its historical milieu. A finely executed and thought-provoking undergraduate edition of this medieval masterpiece. --Jordi Sánchez-Martí, Department of English Philology, University of Alicante[A] great book of really useful introductory material appropriately pitched for undergraduates. --Gina Brandolino, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor"One of the greatest strengths of the volume is the introduction by Christine Chism. Its language is both accessible and eloquent; the concepts she explains are sophisticated. In it, she contextualizes the poem in terms of both its literary and critical reception and introduces readers to the cultural and political climate of fourteenth-century England. Further sections suggest possible directions for undergraduate research and gesture toward contemporary scholarship on the poem. "Also to be lauded are the translator's preface (in which Glaser reflects candidly about the challenges of translation and the difficult choices such a task requires) and, wonderfully, the translation itself. It is both accurate and evocative. . . . Glaser's translation succeeds in rendering both formal elements of the poem in modern English, while faithfully conveying the sense of the original lines. "The most innovative element of Glaser's approach to his translation is his emphasis on the poem's east Cheshire dialect, arguing that its translation "must contain a relatively high portion of chewy Old English or Norse terms" (xliv). "Glaser's audience is not the popular one dazzled by Heaney or by Simon Armitage's recent translation of the same poem. The language of his Preface, as well as of the notes that accompany the text, is arrestingly colloquial and unapologetically didactic. Glaser's audience is one who lacks familiarity with Arthurian legend and the tropes of medieval romance." —Megan Stein, Department of English, University of California, Riverside, in Comitatus

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiane Arnson Svarlien's translation of Euripides' Andromache, Hecuba, and Trojan Women exhibits the same scholarly and poetic standards that have won praise for her Alcestis, Medea, Hippolytus. Ruth Scodel's Introduction examines the cultural and political context in which Euripides wrote, and provides analysis of the themes, structure, and characters of the plays included. Her notes offer expert guidance to readers encountering these works for the first time.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Translator's Preface; Map; Andromache; Hecuba; Trojan Women; Endnotes & Comments on the Text; Suggestions for Further Reading.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Satires of Horace offer a hodgepodge of genres and styles: philosophy and bawdry; fantastic tales and novelistic vignettes; portraits of the poet, his contemporaries, and his predecessors; jibes, dialogue, travelogue, rants, and recipes; and poetic effects in a variety of modes. For all their apparent lightheartedness, however, the poems both illuminate and bear the marks of a momentous event in world history, one in which Horace himself played an active role--the death of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Principate.John Svarlien's lively blank-verse translation reflects the wide range of styles and tones deployed throughout Horace's eighteen sermons or conversations, deftly reproducing their distinctive humor while tracking the poet's changing mannerisms and moods.David Mankin's Introduction offers a brief account of the political upheavals in which Horace participated as well as the social setting in which his Satires were produced, and points up hallmarks of the poet's distinctive brand of satire. His detailed commentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at Roman society and an often between-the-lines examination of a key work of one of Rome's sharpest observers.Trade ReviewThis work will be a welcome addition to course reading lists, as it does justice to Horace's misleadingly simple verse. Svarlien's rhythmic lines go down lightly and easily--as he renders Horace's phrase, he 'writes like people talk,' yet it is a talk that jars and provokes. Mankin's concise and highly readable notes will be as useful to scholars as to new readers of Horace: they are packed with cultural background, stylistic commentary, useful cross-references, and appealing suggestions on interpretation. --Catherine Keane, Department of Classics, Washington University in St. LouisSvarlien's handling of blank verse is supple, vigorous, and melodic. He is able to devise a style of verse that is appropriately conversational and varied. Hard to imagine there will soon be a better translation of the Satires. Mankin's introduction is lucid and extremely informative, and his execution of the end-notes is brilliant. --W. R. Johnson, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, Emeritus, University of ChicagoClear, lively, readable, with fast-paced iambics creating a fluent blank verse. Useful apparatus too. --Rachel Hadas, Department of English, Rutgers University

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Satires of Horace offer a hodgepodge of genres and styles: philosophy and bawdry; fantastic tales and novelistic vignettes; portraits of the poet, his contemporaries, and his predecessors; jibes, dialogue, travelogue, rants, and recipes; and poetic effects in a variety of modes. For all their apparent lightheartedness, however, the poems both illuminate and bear the marks of a momentous event in world history, one in which Horace himself played an active role--the death of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Principate.John Svarlien's lively blank-verse translation reflects the wide range of styles and tones deployed throughout Horace's eighteen sermons or conversations, deftly reproducing their distinctive humor while tracking the poet's changing mannerisms and moods.David Mankin's Introduction offers a brief account of the political upheavals in which Horace participated as well as the social setting in which his Satires were produced, and points up hallmarks of the poet's distinctive brand of satire. His detailed commentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at Roman society and an often between-the-lines examination of a key work of one of Rome's sharpest observers.Trade ReviewThis work will be a welcome addition to course reading lists, as it does justice to Horace's misleadingly simple verse. Svarlien's rhythmic lines go down lightly and easily--as he renders Horace's phrase, he 'writes like people talk,' yet it is a talk that jars and provokes. Mankin's concise and highly readable notes will be as useful to scholars as to new readers of Horace: they are packed with cultural background, stylistic commentary, useful cross-references, and appealing suggestions on interpretation. --Catherine Keane, Department of Classics, Washington University in St. LouisSvarlien's handling of blank verse is supple, vigorous, and melodic. He is able to devise a style of verse that is appropriately conversational and varied. Hard to imagine there will soon be a better translation of the Satires. Mankin's introduction is lucid and extremely informative, and his execution of the end-notes is brilliant. --W. R. Johnson, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, Emeritus, University of ChicagoClear, lively, readable, with fast-paced iambics creating a fluent blank verse. Useful apparatus too. --Rachel Hadas, Department of English, Rutgers University

Read more less

Book SynopsisFeaturing Cecelia Eaton Luschnig's annotated verse translations of Euripides' Electra, Iphigenia among the Tauri, and Orestes, this volume offers an ideal avenue for exploring the playwright's innovative treatment of both traditional and non-traditional stories concerning a central, fascinating member of the famous House of Atreus.

Read more less