For twenty-plus years on a small Midwestern campus, Dr Lewis has directed The Shakespeare Project, a seminar scrutinizing four-six plays per semester with a cadre of accompanying sonnets. Master a method of reading the Bard through focus on a small set vis-à-vis scattershot survey, his syllabi promise, and one not only could, but would want to read Shakespeare – “not for an age, but for all time” (Ben Jonson ) – all one’s life. The Bard’s idiom, though complex, proves eminently comprehensible, as have observed such scholars as Kermode, Vendler, Bloom, Garber, Greenblatt, Nuttall, Booth, Eliot, Auden, and others. This book, the harvest of Lewis’ endeavor, consists of three parts: the seminar essay-syllabi; a collection of close readings of Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, Henry VIII, Timon, and The Sonnets; and a series of footnotes intended as mini-master essays on minutiae. The Project is grounded on the originary definition of scholarship as studying in school, and offers a revisionary reading of three “minor” characters in Shakespeare’s tragedies (Emilia, Albany, Siward), in the process of contending for a sensible coalescence of ‘old-fashioned’ character criticism with New Critical and Poststructural perspectives. The text also formulates criteria for responsible reading via triple vision – perceiving the work as at once reality, poem, and play – a method forwarded through addressing ethical matters in the works: faith in Hamlet; conscience in Henry VIII; stewardship in Timon of Athens. The Shakespeare Project models reinfusing Shakespeare as terrain for critical thinking that affects everyday life.

A literary critic aspires to eloquence, though makes no pretense to mirror the sublimity of the monuments inspiring his endeavors. Poets express their wonder through works of art. Critics articulate their homage via analysis of art’s workings. Hence, these essays and lectures, addressed to the quizzical, though not of necessity scholarly, reader, explore Shakespeare and noted re-envisioners of the Bard; four modern novels that interrogate identity; and underappreciated works and writers. They conclude with a series of pensees (thinkings) that, in the course of glossing nuances, reflect upon the interpretative craft itself.

This series of critical pieces is variously structured, with conventional essays, extended meditations, and short analytic notes appealing to differing tastes. Indeed, the diverse format constitutes a secondary thesis: like the artists about whom they write, literary critics are obliged to discover (and execute, of course) the form best suited to convey the content. The material in this case consists of meticulous close readings of authors almost spanning the alphabetical spectrum: from Akhmatova to Yeats; from Blake and Borges to Williams and Wittgenstein – and likewise, ranging over centuries: the sixteenth through the twentieth. Shakespeare and the Modernists largely figure in these musings, which illuminate, entertain, and genuinely engage. As T.S. Eliot remarked, “Our talking about poetry is an extension of our experience of it; and as a good deal of thinking has gone to the making of poetry, so a good deal may go to the study of it.”

First published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Write Winning Essays and Dissertations is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to improve their assessed written work. Whether you are in desperate need of help or just want advice on improving your writing style, this book will prove useful throughout your academic career and beyond. It will show you how to plan your work so that your argument is expressed clearly, how to use language to best effect and how to get the most out of your sources. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of psychology. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

This volume gathers and annotates all of the Shakespeare criticism, including previously unpublished notes and lectures, by the maverick American intellectual Kenneth Burke (1897–1993). Burke’s interpretations of Shakespeare have had an impressive influence on important lines of contemporary scholarship; playwrights and directors have been stirred by his dramaturgical investigations; and many readers outside academia have enjoyed his ingenious dissections of what makes a play function. Burke’s intellectual project continually engaged with Shakespeare’s works, and Burke’s writings on Shakespeare, in turn, have had an immense impact on generations of readers. Carefully edited and annotated, with helpful cross-references, Burke’s fascinating interpretations of Shakespeare remain challenging, provocative, and accessible. Read together, these pieces form an evolving argument about the nature of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Included are thirteen analyses of individual plays and poems, an introductory lecture explaining his approach to reading Shakespeare, and a substantial appendix of hundreds of Burke’s other references to Shakespeare. Scott L. Newstok also provides a historical introduction and an account of Burke’s legacy. Burke’s enduring familiarity with Shakespeare likely helped shape his own theory of dramatism, an ambitious elaboration of the teatrum mundi conceit. Burke is renowned for his landmark 1951 essay on Othello, which wrestles with concerns still relevant to scholars more than a half century later; his ingenious ventriloquism of Mark Antony’s address over Caesar’s body has likewise found a number of appreciative readers, as have (albeit less frequently) his many other essays on the playwright. Burke’s first and final pieces of literary criticism both examine Shakespearean plays, thereby bookending an impressive, career-long contribution to the field of Shakespeare studies. Among the many major Shakespearean critics who have gratefully acknowledged Burke’s influence are Paul Alpers, Harold Bloom, Stanley Cavell, René Girard, Stephen Greenblatt, and Patricia Parker.

Applied Shakespeare is attracting growing interest from practitioners and academics alike, all keen to understand the ways in which performing his works can offer opportunities for reflection, transformation, dialogue regarding social justice, and challenging of perceived limitations. This book adds a new dimension to the field by taking an interdisciplinary approach to topics which have traditionally been studied individually, examining the communication opportunities Shakespeare's work can offer for a range of marginalized people. It draws on a diverse range of projects from across the globe, many of which the author has facilitated or been directly involved with, including those with incarcerated people, people with mental health issues, learning disabilities and who have experienced homelessness. As this book evidences, Shakespeare can be used to alter the spatial constraints of people who feel imprisoned, whether literally or metaphorically, enabling them to speak and to be heard in ways which may previously have been elusive or unattainable. The book examines the use of trauma-informed principles to explore the ways in which consistency, longevity, trust and collaboration enable the development of resilience, positive autonomy and communication skills. It explores this phenomenon of creating space for people to find their own way of expressing themselves in a way that mainstream society can understand, whilst also challenging society to 'see better' and to hear better. This is not a process of social homogenisation but of encouraging positive interactions and removing the stigma of marginalization.

"This volume, containing a representative, yet somewhat diffused gathering of Israeli Shakespearean criticism, attests to the cultural pluralism constituting the elusive construct of modern Israeli culture, still struggling for self-definition."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved