William Shakespeare's King Lear : A Routledge Study Guide and Sourcebook

ISBN-13: 9780415234719 / Angielski / Twarda / 2003 / 208 str.

Grace Ioppolo;Grace Ioppolo

Opis

Since 1606, King Lear has shocked and delighted audiences and given rise to heated critical debate. This Routledge Literary Sourcebook offers a starting point for those wishing to study Shakespeare's intriguing play in depth. The first secton of the book, Contexts, provides background information, including a chronology of the playwright. It also examines the sources of King Lear, from Holinshed to Spenser. This is followed by a section on Interpretations, covering both critical readings and notable performances of the play. Grace Ioppolo ranges from early critical responses and performances through to contemporary stage and screen interpretations of Lear. In both these sections, clear introductions and annotation are balanced with reprinted extracts from a range of crucial texts. The third section of the book analyses and reprints key passages from the play, highlighting the most important critical issues and suggesting useful connections with the earlier sections of the book. Annotation offers a guide to Shakespeare's language. Finally, suggestions for further reading allow readers to pursue the issues which interest them most.

This sourcebook clearly introduces the many critical issues surrounding this complex and haunting play. Ioppolo examines sources from Holinshed to Spenser, and in the Interpretations section looks at critical readings and notable performances of the play. These range from early critical responses and performances to recent stage and screen interpretations. Edited key passages connect the play to its contexts and criticism, providing both a guide to and a new perspective on King Lear. Careful annotation explains Shakespeare's language. This is the ideal introduction for undergraduates, providing orientation in the play, its reception history and the critical material that surrounds it.

Spis treści

General Introduction  1. Contexts  2. Interpretations  Part 1: Critical History  Part 2: King Lear in Performance  3. Key Passages  4. Further Reading.  Further References.  Index

O autorze

Grace Ioppolo is based at the University of Reading, and has previously taught at UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, American University (Washington DC) and The Shakespeare Institute. She is the author of Revising Shakespeare, editor of Shaespeare Performed: Essays in HOnour of R. A. Foakes and the editor of plays by Shakespeare and Middleton.