This volume explores the relationship between the emphasis on performance in Elizabethan humanist education and the flourishing of literary brilliance around the turn of the sixteenth century. This study asks us what lessons we can learn today from Shakespeare's Latin grammar school. What were the cognitive benefits of an education so deeply rooted in what Demosthenes and Quintilian called "actio"-acting? Because of the vast difference between educational practice then and now, we have not often followed one essential thread: the focus on performance. This study examines the connections relevant to the education offered in schools today. This book will be of great interest to teachers, scholars, and administrators in performing arts and education.

A profound version of the theme of self discovery, this novel explores the thoughts and experiences of a Ghanaian girl on her travels in Europe.

This edition of Romeo and Juliet is especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes, allowing students to master Shakespeare's work.
About the Series:
Newly redesigned and easier to read, each play in the Oxford School Shakespeare series includes the complete and unabridged text, detailed and clear explanations of difficult words and passages, a synopsis of the plot, summaries of individual scenes, and notes on the main characters. Also included is a wide range of questions and activities for work in class, together with the historical background to Shakespeare's England, a brief biography of Shakespeare, and a complete list of his plays.

Little Women, by Louisa M Alcott, was published in 1868 and was the first children's book in America to become a classic. It tells the story of March girls - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, describing the ups and downs of one eventful year in their family life. Essential Classics is a wonderful new series that offers a quick way into a range of exciting stories. Fast-moving and accessible, each story is a shortened, dramatically illustrated version of the classic novel, which loses none of the strength and flavour of the original. Includes glossary and a reading quiz.

The Lost World was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912 and was his first work of science fiction. It tells the story of Professor Challenger, who leads a scientific expedition to the Amazonian rainforest. The professor and his team stumble upon a lost world and get trapped there. As they struggle to escape they encounter great danger from wild animals, ape-men and even dinosaurs! This title is part of a wonderful new series that offers a quick way into a range of exciting stories. Fast-moving and accessible, each story is a shortened, dramatically illustrated version of the classic novel, which loses none of the strength and flavour of the original.

First published in 1971, Poison, Play and Duel explores the dominant symbols of the language and action of Hamlet. The Ghost first reveals that Claudius murdered his brother by poison, and this act of poisoning is then dramatically presented before the King. The ultimate consequence of the 'poison in jest' performed by the actors is the poisoned 'play' with rapiers between Laertes and Hamlet. This representation of violence, and the vengeful response to violence, creates the moral and the psychological problems of Hamlet. Critics naturally question, and disagree about, the way that Hamlet plays his role in this play because the role of Hamlet is a theatrical device designed to bring all human actions into debate and question. It is hardly surprising that audiences have seen mirrored in Hamlet their own most fundamental and inescapable problems. Nigel Alexander shows how Shakespeare, like Raphael, Titian and other Renaissance artists, developed and adapted the imagery inherited from the Christian and classical past. The battle within the soul, the choice of life, the hunt of passion, the triple face of prudence and the dance of the graces are given dramatic habitation in Hamlet's soliloquies, in the inner-play and in the savage contrast of sexuality between Gertrude and Ophelia. This book will be of interest to students of literature, drama, psychology and philosophy.

Apple cider, applesauce, apple muffins, cakes, and pies Annie is a very busy apple farmer. She bakes yummy treats with the apples she picks and saves her best apples to sell at the market. Follow Annie through her apple-filled day of picking, counting, sorting, baking, and selling, and then try making some of her simple apple recipes.

A Christmas Carol - The Complete Text contains the full text of the novel, with helpful annotations to explain characters, themes, context and more! Plus, we've included Knowledge Organiser pages, where all the key info is laid out in one handy place. And there are discussion questions to help students dig deeper into the novel. The CGP range for English Literature also includes a matching Text Guide (9781782943099), which contains all the notes and practice you need to really master A Christmas Carol!

First published in 1991, Peter Brook and the Mahabharata is a collection of essays which contextualizes the production of Peter Brook's The Mahabharata. Written by both scholars and collaborators on Brook's production, these essays seek not only to discuss such issues as the politics of theatre interculturalism, but to describe the nature of the working process, and detail the technical problems engendered by touring a production of this size and complexity. Furnished with a new preface by the editor, the book continues to be crucial research work devoted to unravelling the mesmerising as well as the polarising enigma known as Peter Brook's The Mahabharata. Thoroughly heterogenous and controversially irreverent, this book will be of interest to students of theatre, performance art, literature, South Asian studies and media studies.

This classic edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is perfect for all ages: it comes complete with the novel, plus an introduction providing context and a glossary explaining key terms. Fantastic value for Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes book Easy to read font in an accessible format Also available in Collins Classroom Classics The Sign of Four A new introduction provides context Bespoke glossary explains key terms

A Tale of Two Cities is Dickens' tale of London and Paris leading up to, and during, the dramatic upheavals of the French Revolution. After being released from Bastille prison, Doctor Manette is reunited with his daughter, Lucie, in London. When Lucie falls in love with and marries a French emigre, terrors return to haunt the family as France suffers the convulsions of revolution. Essential Classics is a wonderful new series that offers a quick way into a range of exciting stories. Fast-moving and accessible, each story is a shortened, dramatically illustrated version of the classic novel, which loses none of the strength and flavour of the original.

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is Sue Townsend's wry and witty diary of the adolescent Adrian Mole.

Through a close re-examination of Eugene O'Neill's oeuvre, from minor plays to his Pulitzer-winning works, this study proposes that O'Neill's vision of tragedy privileges a particular emotional response over a more "rational" one among his audience members. In addition to offering a new paradigm through which to interpret O'Neill's work, this book argues that O'Neill's theory of tragedy is a robust account of the value of difficult theatre as a whole, with more explanatory scope and power than its cognitivist counterparts. This paradigm reshapes our understanding of live theatrical tragedy's impact and significance for our lives. The book enters the discussion of tragic value by way of the plays of Eugene O'Neill, and through this study, Killian makes the case that O'Neill has refused to allow Plato to define the terms of tragedy's merit, as the cognitivists have. He argues that O'Neill's theory of tragedy is non-cognitive and locates the value of a play in its ability to trigger certain emotional responses from the audience. This would be of great interest to students and scholars of performance studies, literature and philosophy.

Jan and Alpha share a common history: missing fathers, Cape Flats poverty and the consolations of gang life and drugs. But their paths are about to diverge. Jan wants to break free of gang life and has enrolled at university. But his gangster friends do not want to leave him alone and he also finds himself taking care of a very young abandoned baby...

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is Jack Shaefer's famous cowboy story which was made into an outstanding film. The tale is told by the boy into whose family corral a mysterious stranger rode in the summer of 1889.

First published in 1974, Investigating Drama offers a holistic understanding of drama. An understanding of drama requires far more thana study, however thorough, of plays and playwright, stagecraft and techniques, for drama must always be seen in the context of the theatre at work. A descriptive coverage of the basic elements of drama is accordingly only half the purpose of this book, and the authors hope that their plea in the title for an 'investigation' will be taken literally. To allow maximum flexibility the book is divided into independent 'units', which can be followed through as a complete drama course, or taken individually by those wishing to concentrate on selective areas. All aspects of theatre are covered and there is ample opportunity for practical work in improvisation. This book will be of interest to students of literature and drama.

Staging Detection reveals how the new figure of the stage detective emerged in nineteenth-century Britain. The first book to explore the productive intersections between detection and performance across a range of Victorian plays, Staging Detection foregrounds the role of the stage detective in shaping important theatrical modes of the period, from popular melodrama to society comedy. Beginning in 1863 with Tom Taylor's blockbuster play, The Ticket-of-Leave Man, the book criss-crosses London following the earliest performances of stage detectives. Centring the work of playwrights, novelists, critics and actors, from Sarah Lane and Horace Wigan to Wilkie Collins and Oscar Wilde, Staging Detection sheds new light on Victorian acting styles, furthers our understanding of melodrama, and resituates the famous Wildean dandy as a successor to the stage detective. Drawing on histories of masculinity and gender performance as well as developing scientific theory and nineteenth-century visual culture, Staging Detection shows how the earliest stage portrayals of the detective shaped broader Victorian debates concerning fraud, omniscience and earned authority. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of theatre history, Victorian literature and popular culture - as well as anyone with an interest in the figure of the detective.

"'Stanza! Stanza! Stanza!' the fans in the packed Soccer City Stadium chanted as their hero led his six-a-side team onto the pitch. The Sjwetla Dynamos were on their way to making history as the curtain-raiser for the Fifa 2010 World Soccer Tournament in Mzansi..." We meet our hero as he daydreams about making his debut at the 2010 Soccer World Cup. But Stanza has to manage difficult players and a corrupt businessman, all the while fighting to keep both his Diski Mini-League and his delivery job on track. On top of it all, his brother's band, Afromyx, feels that he is letting them down. With all of this going on around him, Stanza despairs of ever getting the pretty kiosk operator, Bontle, to pay him attention. Will his team make it? Will he outfox Don Pedro's schemes? And will he finally get Bontle to notice how much he's grown up? This gripping, fast-paced third title in the exciting Stanza series, by the award-winning writer and film maker, Zachariah Rapola, will grab the attention of even the most reluctant readers and get learners motivated about studying literature. The notes and activities meet the requirements of the new curriculum for novel study.

A selection of stories to support the teaching of English literary heritage and the influence, appeal and characteristics of myths and legends. The text also encourages pupils to read a wide range of styles and genres. Stories include: Persephone in Hell, Garfield and Blishen; The Fight with Grendel, Serraillier; The Princess in the Suit of Leather, Carter; The Invisible One, Leland; What are Friends For?, Dandapa; the Wicked King and His God Son, Jaffery; Whose Footprints?, McGaughrean; Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden, Long; John Barlecorn, Burns; How Coyote Stole Fire, Sherwood, Haurland; Under Ben Bulben, Paul' Poor Man's Reward, Gratti; Balder, Sherwood; The Death of Gelert, Francis; Anansi and the Mid of god, McGaughrean; Pandora's Box Horowitz; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Morpurgo; What Icarus Saw, Francis

This edition of Twelfth Night is especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes, allowing students to master Shakespeare's work.
About the Series:
Newly redesigned and easier to read, each play in the Oxford School Shakespeare series includes the complete and unabridged text, detailed and clear explanations of difficult words and passages, a synopsis of the plot, summaries of individual scenes, and notes on the main characters. Also included is a wide range of questions and activities for work in class, together with the historical background to Shakespeare's England, a brief biography of Shakespeare, and a complete list of his plays.

This book compares the theatrical cultures of early modern England and Spain and explores the causes and consequences not just of the remarkable similarities but also of the visible differences between them. An exercise in multi-focal theatre history research, it deploys a wide range of perspectives and evidence with which to recreate the theatrical landscapes of these two countries and thus better understand how the specific conditions of performance actively contributed to the development of each country's dramatic literature. This monograph develops an innovative comparative framework within which to explore the numerous similarities, as well as the notable differences, between early modern Europe's two most prominent commercial theatre cultures. By highlighting the nuances and intricacies that make each theatrical culture unique while never losing sight of the fact that the two belong to the same broader cultural ecosystem, its dual focus should appeal to scholars and students of English and Spanish literature alike, as well as those interested in the broader history of European theatre. Learning from what one 'playground' - that is, the environment and circumstances out of which a dramatic tradition originates - reveals about the other will help solve not only the questions posed above but also others that still await examination. This investigation will be of great interest to students and scholars in theatre history, comparative drama, early modern drama, and performance culture.

For success in the Grade 9-1 GCSE English Literature exams, look no further than this phenomenal CGP Workbook for Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. It's packed with questions on the plot, characters, context, themes and the writer's techniques - with answers at the back. We've also included a section of exercises to help students practise the skills they'll need for the exam, exam-style questions and there's even a cartoon that summarises the whole plot. This Workbook is matched to CGP's Frankenstein Text Guide (9781782943129).

"Nhlanhla?" he thought. "Lucky?" His own name seemed to taunt him. A person was supposed to grow up into his birth name and bring good things to his family. What a laugh! He was nothing but a loser. It is 1995, and schools in Durban that previously accepted only white children have recently opened their doors to all races. Lucky, who lives in the township, has the opportunity to attend Brookhaven High. But there seem to be so many obstacles standing in his way: he doubts whether he is clever enough, his father is angry and doesn't want him to go, and there is factional violence where he lives. How can Lucky start to believe in himself and take a bold step into his future? This dramatic new novel, from the award-winning writer, Jenny Seed, charts the heart-warming story of a brave teenager, growing up in the exciting, changing times of the new, democratic South Africa.