Shakespeare’s Originality
Shakespeare’s Originality by John Kerrigan, published by Oxford University Press in 2018, explores the nuances of Shakespeare’s originality within a historical framework. This 167-page book delves into how Shakespeare engaged with various sources, including plays, poems, chronicles, and prose romances, to craft his renowned works. By examining a range of case studies from his comedies to tragedies, the book provides insights into the artistry of Shakespeare’s plays and the influences that shaped them.
Readers will find a thorough investigation into the interplay between Shakespeare’s texts and their sources, shedding light on newly identified influences that have been overlooked in recent decades. The discussion encompasses diverse topics such as Elizabethan culture, modern theatre productions, and the broader historical context of the 16th century, including elements like classical tragedy and ecological concerns. This edition is designed to be accessible for general readers while serving as a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in drama, literary criticism, and the Renaissance.
Official synopsis Publisher
How original was Shakespeare and how was Shakespeare original? This lucid, innovative book sets about answering these questions by putting them in historical context and investigating how the dramatist worked with his sources: plays, poems, chronicles and prose romances. Shakespeare’s Originality unlocks its topic with rewarding precision and flair, showing through a series of case studies that range across the output-from the mature comedies to the great tragedies, from Richard III to The Tempest–what can be learned about the artistry of the plays by thinking about these sources (including newly identified ones) after several decades of neglect. Discussion is enriched by such matters as Elizabethan ruffs and feathers, actors’ footwork, chronicle history, modern theatre productions, debts to classical tragedy, scepticism, magic and science, the agricultural revolution, and ecological catastrophe. This is authoritative, lively work by one of the world’s leading Shakespearians, accessible to the general reader as well as indispensable for students.
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