The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

Book Overview

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies offers a comprehensive introduction to the study of Shakespeare in a series of essays specially written by an international team of eminent scholars.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521318416
• Release Date: December 1986
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A valuable overview or starting point

It's a shame this nice single volume is out of print, although readers may actually prefer the topic-specific newer books that Cambridge is putting out. For an overview, or a starting point and guide to further research, it's excellent.It's not an encyclopedic format, but a collection of essays by a variety of writers, on various study topics, each ending with a list of recommended further reading. Chapters are (I'll use "S" instead of writing out the word "Shakespeare" 17 times!):The Life of S ... S and the Thought of His Age ... S the Non-Dramatic Poet ... S and the Arts of Language ... Playhouses and Players in the Time of S ... S and the Theatrical Conventions of His Time ... S and the Traditions of Comedy ... S and the Traditions of Tragedy ... S's use of History ... The Transmission of S's Text ... S on the Stage from 1660 to 1900 ... Critical Approaches to S from 1660-1904 ... Twentieth Century Shakespeare Criticism (This is broken down into 3 separate essays, one each on comedies, tragedies, and histories) ... S on the Twentieth Century Stage ... S on Film and Television ... S and new Critical Approaches ... Shakespeare Reference Books.There is clearly a lot of material on performance, but plenty on other topics, as well. However, if you expect a discussion of authorship controversies you'll be largely disappointed. The various writers pretty much assume that the "Shakespeare canon" is by Shakespeare, but some disputed plays are discussed in the text-transmission chapter. And it has a very basic but good introduction to publication and ownership of plays in Elizabethan times. The book is 328 pages total, well-indexed, and has some - but not a lot of - illustrations, mostly in the "performance" chapters. Definitely worth getting, for high school-to-college students, with the understanding that for most students, it will be a starting point.

Good bedtime read

Shakespeare is to be taken as seriously as possible and this book does. It can really help those studing Shakespeare at school. An ace way to get a headstart!