| Much ADO about Nothing: Third Series Revised Edition Contributor(s): Shakespeare, William (Author), McEachern, Claire (Editor), Thompson, Ann (Editor) |
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ISBN: 1903436826 ISBN-13: 9781903436820 Publisher: Arden Shakespeare OUR PRICE: $114.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2005 Annotation: Much Ado About Nothing boasts one of Shakespeare's most delightful heroines, most dancing wordplay, and the endearing spectacle of intellectual and social self-importance bested by the desire to love and be loved in return. It offers both the dancing wit of the "merry war" between the sexes, and a sobering vision of the costs of that combat for both men and women. Shakespeare dramatizes a social world in all of its vibrant particulars, in which characters are shaped by the relations between social convention and individual choice. This edition of the play offers in its introduction and commentary an extensive discussion of the materials that informed Shakespeare's compositional choices, both those conventional sources and other contexts, from cuckold jokes to conduct books, which inform the ideas and identities of this play. Particular attention is devoted to Renaissance understandings of gender identity and social rank, as well as to the social valences of Shakespeare's stylistic choices. A treatment of staging possibilities offers illustrations drawn from the earliest and recent theatrical practices, and a critical history examines the fate of the play in the changing trends of academic scholarship. "The text is superb... the critical introduction is predictably smart and engaging, exactly the sort of essay one would recommend to students." Eric Rasmussen, Shakespeare Survey |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Collections - Drama | Shakespeare - Literary Criticism | Shakespeare |
| Dewey: 822.33 |
| Series: Arden Shakespeare |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 5.17" W x 8.1" (1.08 lbs) 368 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Much Ado About Nothing boasts one of Shakespeare's most delightful heroines, most dancing wordplay, and the endearing spectacle of intellectual and social self-importance bested by the desire to love and be loved in return. It offers both the dancing wit of the merry war between the sexes, and a sobering vision of the costs of that combat for both men and women. Shakespeare dramatizes a social world in all of its vibrant particulars, in which characters are shaped by the relations between social convention and individual choice.This edition of the play offers in its introduction and commentary an extensive discussion of the materials that informed Shakespeare's compositional choices, both those conventional sources and other contexts, from cuckold jokes to conduct books, which inform the ideas and identities of this play. Particular attention is devoted to Renaissance understandings of gender identity and social rank, as well as to the social valences of Shakespeare's stylistic choices. A treatment of staging possibilities offers illustrations drawn from the earliest and recent theatrical practices, and a critical history examines the fate of the play in the changing trends of academic scholarship. The text is superb... the critical introduction is predictably smart and engaging, exactly the sort of essay one would recommend to students.Eric Rasmussen, Shakespeare Survey |
Contributor Bio(s): Shakespeare, William: - William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English dramatist, poet, and actor, generally regarded as the greatest playwright of all time.Thompson, Ann: - ANN THOMPSON is Professor of English and Director of the London Shakespeare Centre and King's College LondonKastan, David Scott: - David Scott Kastan is the George M. Bodman Professor of English at Yale University, USA.Proudfoot, Richard: - Professor Richard Proudfoot served as Senior General Editor of the Arden Shakespeare for 35 years, until his retirement from King's in 1999. In 2001 The Arden Shakespeare published Proudfoot's Shakespeare: Text, Stage and Canon a critical overview of the scholarly achievements made in the field of Shakespeare studies by the end of the twentieth century. |