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Shakespeare: The Basics (Paperback)

by Sean McEvoy (Author) "Your first Shakespeare play is the hardest ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £11.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 290 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (28 Jun 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0415362466
  • ISBN-13: 978-0415362467
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 131,042 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #41 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism > Literary Theory & Movements > Renaissance

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  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Product Description
Now in its second edition, this best-selling guide demystifies Shakespeare’s plays and brings critical ideas to within a beginner’s grasp.

From the Back Cover

The second edition of this best-selling guide demystifies Shakespeare’s plays and brings critical ideas within a beginner’s grasp. The text provides a thorough general introduction to the plays, based on the exciting new approaches shaping the field of Shakespeare studies.

Demonstrating how interpretations of Shakespeare are linked to cultural and political contexts, and providing readings of the most frequently studied plays in the light of contemporary critical thought, Shakespeare: The Basics explores:

  • Shakespeare’s language
  • the plays as performance texts
  • the cultural and political contexts of the plays
  • early modern theatre practice
  • new understandings of the major genres.

Fully updated to include discussion of criticism and performance in the last five years, a new chapter on Shakespeare on film, and a broader critical approach, this book is the essential resource for all students of Shakespeare.



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Your first Shakespeare play is the hardest. Read the first page
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good if you already know the basics, 29 Jan 2008
By Mrs. K. A. Wheatley "katywheatley" (Leicester, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This is not an idiot's guide. It will not give you synopses for every play, nor a run down of characters. On the other hand it is a very useful book for those who already have the texts and are looking for a way into understanding them, particularly if you're looking for something a little more challenging than say York Notes.

McEvoy is particularly interested in rooting Shakespeare in his time. He focuses on the fact that the plays are performances rather than dry, analytical texts. He explores the bond between the play, the players and the audiences. He looks at how the plays inform our understanding of the social, political and economic climate of the day and how those issues shape the making of the plays. All of this is incredibly useful.

The first section of the book deals with this rooting of the plays in their contemporary reality, and looks at the language and metre issue. It also looks at what the plays mean to a modern audience with two particularly interesting chapters on Shakespearean productions of the last few years, and a chapter on Shakespeare on film.

The second section deals with the four genres of play, comedies, histories, tragedies and romance. It does not deal with all of them, rather taking two or three per genre as a case study. It does however give questions at the end of each section which refer to some of the other plays, as well as an excellent extended reading list. It also gives varied interpretations of the meaning of the plays, looking at how different groups of critics with different interests would respond to the same play, which is very useful indeed.

All in all this is a well thought out book which offers some interesting and accessible insights to those who want to take their studies a little further than high school. Highly recommended. It lost one star because it didn't mention some of the plays at all, which was a shame.
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