About the Book
A beautifully illustrated reference that provides a deeper understanding of Shakespeare and his time.
Some four centuries after they were written, William Shakespeare's plays and poems still delight audiences and readers worldwide, and together form one of our cultural touchstones. The profound themes and beautiful language speak to us across time and place, and the story of how a boy from rural England became the "soul of the age" continues to intrigue.
The Shakespeare Encyclopedia is an authoritative, visually exciting, and entertaining guide to all things Shakespeare, explaining the themes, plots, and contexts of his works, their literary and cultural significance, and uncovering some of the mystery of the man himself.
- Sumptuously presented reference to all of Shakespeare's plays and poems.
- Covers both the life and the writings of Shakespeare.
- Contains plot summaries and character lists for each play.
- Examines every history, comedy, tragedy, and romance in the Shakespeare canon, including the "lost plays."
- Explores Shakespeare's poems and sonnets, and the themes, allusions, and imagery he used.
- Written by an international team of Shakespearean scholars.
- Illustrated with more than 250 full-color photographs, artworks, illustrations, charts, and diagrams.
- Includes a comprehensive reference section.
In his many plays, poems, and sonnets, William Shakespeare crafted perhaps the most accurate and enduring depictions of relationships, politics, and the human condition written in the English language. His works are read and seen by millions around the world, and the rich language, vividly drawn characters, sparkling poetry, and perceptive insights into human truths continue to have a profound influence on writers, artists, and filmmakers. The Shakespeare Encyclopedia is a stimulating and accessible guide to all of Shakespeare's known works, as well as to the man himself.
Part One focuses on Shakespeare's life, placing him firmly in his time, a period of rapid religious, cultural, and economic change, and reveals why his works are so universally appealing.
Part Two looks at each of his 38 plays-every history, comedy, tragedy, and romance, from the well known (Hamlet, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream) to the obscure (King John, Pericles, Cymbeline).
Part Three examines Shakespeare's poetry, both the long narrative poems and the sonnets-some of the best-loved verse in the English language.
Throughout this volume, text, diagrams, and images combine to enrich our understanding of Shakespeare's timeless literary creations. Each work's themes, imagery, language, and historical context are examined and discussed in accessible language, while sidebars give at-a-glance information on plots, characters, sources, settings, and famous quotations. In addition, detailed diagrams, charts, and tables throw light on the plays' characters and their interrelationships, and illustrate the true history behind the plots. Finally, carefully selected images of stage and film productions, from different cultures and historical periods, convey the drama, pathos, and humor that suffuse Shakespeare's works.
About the Author :
A.D. Cousins, a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and a member of the Order of Australia, has been a visiting adjunct professor at the Renaissance Studies Center at the University of Massachussetts, a visiting scholar at Princeton and at Penn State, and a library fellow at the library of the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where he was also an honorary fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities. He has published eight books, including monographs on Shakespeare's non-dramatic verse.
Review :
Shakespeare's themes transcend time and place; though they do not dwell in our age...these characters and their plights continue to speak to our own hopes, desires, and experiences... This text is rich with historical context, as well as analyses of the English language and the social and literary worlds in which Shakespeare dwelled. This text is a must-have for any school library; accessible for students, librarians, and teachers alike, it provides far more than a simple overview of the writer and his work. In fact, it provides detailed histories and summaries of his major works and poems, including lists of characters, depictions of family trees, and analyses of dominant imagery, motifs, themes, and related quotes... Further, the entire text is beautifully constructed with thick, glossy pages and numerous illustrations, classical artwork, photographs, and stills from film adaptations and plays. The encyclopedia is both intellectually and aesthetically pleasing.-- (12/01/2010)
Single-volume guides to Shakespeare will never go out of style...but they are not all created equal... The large-format The Shakespeare Encyclopedia is the most visually impressive, with full-color photographs from a variety of productions and sections devoted to Shakespeare himself, the plays, the poems, and reference tools... Entries on each play are not padded with extensive plot summaries, instead offering a condensed description with a longer interpretive essay by a Shakespearean scholar. The clearly written essays are designed for nonspecialists but touch on topics of current critical interest and are often supplemented with charts of character relationships and the length of speaking roles. This book should prove helpful for those coming to Shakespeare for the first time or for those who know him already and seek an attractive summary of contemporary ideas about the plays.-- (01/01/2009)
This large book is loaded with pictures, tables, and all sorts of good extras. It begins with a brief history of Shakespeare's time and a brief biography. The rest of the book is devoted to his works, the plays, and the poetry. It belongs in the library collection because high school students need a book that relates the politics of the time to the literature they are studying. This book gives enough history to relate to the plays, but not so much as to overwhelm students. Each summary gives information so students can see the relationship between two plays. There are also references to modern variations of several plays. Overall, this will be a helpful book in the high school library. Teachers will love it because it presents information from several fields in one concise reference and students will love it because it has the information they need with lavish illustrations. Recommended.-- (05/01/2010)
Thoughtfully conceived and attractively produced to appeal to a broad general audience, this abundantly illustrated book results from a collaborative effort of Shakespeare scholars under the leadership of A.D. Cousins.... The first 40 pages or so are devoted to Shakespeare's context and legacy, and the final section contains reference material--a timeline, further reading, glossary, and index. Within this structure the material is organized according to type of work: the plays (comedies, tragedies, romances), and the poetry (poems and sonnets). Individual works are treated in two to ten pages, with photos and other graphics, a plot summary, a listing of "dramatis personae," discussion of themes and context, a few quotes, and discussion of performance and adaptation. The sonnets are treated in a generalized discussion.-- (02/01/2010)
