| Appropriating Shakespeare: A Cultural History of Pyramus and Thisbe Contributor(s): Geddes, Louise (Author) |
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ISBN: 1683930444 ISBN-13: 9781683930440 Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press OUR PRICE: $101.97 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: April 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Shakespeare - Drama | European - English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh - Performing Arts | Theater - General |
| Dewey: 822.33 |
| LCCN: 2016059414 |
| Series: The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Shakespeare and the Stage |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6.1" W x 9.1" (0.79 lbs) 154 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Appropriating Shakespeare: A Cultural History of Pyramus and Thisbe argues that the vibrant, transformative history of Shakespeare's play-within-a-play from A Midsummer Night's Dream across four centuries allows us to see the way in which Shakespeare is used to both create and critique emergent cultural trends. Because of its careful distinction between "good" and "bad" art, Pyramus and Thisbe's playful meditation on the foolishness of over-reaching theatrical ambition is repeatedly appropriated by artists seeking to parody contemporary aesthetics, resulting in an ongoing assessment of Shakespeare's value to the time. Beginning with the play's own creation as an appropriation of Ovid, designed to keep the rowdy clown in check, Appropriating Shakespeare is a wide-ranging study that charts Pyramus and Thisbe's own metamorphosis through opera, novel, television, and, of course, theatre. This unique history illustrates Pyramus and Thisbe's ability to attract like-minded, experimental, genre-bending artists who use the text as a means of exploring the value of their own individual craft. Ultimately, what this history reveals is that, in excerpt, Pyramus and Thisbe affirms the place of artist as both consumer and producer of Shakespeare. |