From The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the early 1590s to The Two Noble
Kinsmen at the end of his career around 1614, Shakespeare wrote at
least eighteen plays that can be called 'comedies': a far higher
number than that for any other genre in which he wrote. So what is a
Shakespearean comedy? We associate these plays with such themes as
mistaken identities, happy marriages, and exuberant cross dressing,
but how representative are these of the oeuvre as a whole? In this
Very Short Introduction, Bart van Es explores the full range of the
playwright's comic writing, from the neat classical plotting of early
works like The Comedy of Errors to the corrupt world of the so-called
problem plays, written in the middle years of Shakespeare's life.
Examining Shakespeare's influences and sources, van Es compares his
plays to those of his rivals, and looks at the history of the plays in
performance, from the biographies of Shakespeare's original actors to
the plays' endless reinvention in modern stage productions and in
films. Identifying the key qualities that make Shakespearean comedy
distinctive, van Es traces the changing nature of Shakespeare's comic
writing over the course of a career that spanned nearly a quarter
century of theatrical change. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short
Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of
titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the
perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors
combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to
make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780191034961
Publisert
2019
Utgiver
Vendor
OUP Oxford
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter