"The history of Shakespeare in America," writes James Shapiro in
his introduction to this groundbreaking anthology, "is also the
history of America itself." Shakespeare was a central, inescapable
part of America's literary inheritance, and a prism through which
crucial American issues--revolution, slavery, war, social
justice--were refracted and understood. In tracing the many
surprising forms this influence took, Shapiro draws on many
genres--poetry, fiction, essays, plays, memoirs, songs, speeches,
letters, movie reviews, comedy routines--and on a remarkable range
of American writers from Emerson, Melville, Lincoln, and Mark Twain
to James Agee, John Berryman, Pauline Kael, and Cynthia Ozick.
Americans of the revolutionary era ponder the question "to sign or
not to sign;" Othello becomes the focal point of debates on race;
the Astor Place riots, set off by a production of Macbeth, attest
to the violent energies aroused by theatrical controversies; Jane
Addams finds in King Lear a metaphor for American struggles between
capital and labor. Orson Welles revolutionizes approaches to
Shakespeare with his legendary productions of Macbeth and Julius
Caesar; American actors from Charlotte Cushman and Ira Aldridge to
John Barrymore, Paul Robeson, and Marlon Brando reimagine
Shakespeare for each new era. The rich and tangled story of how
Americans made Shakespeare their own is a literary and historical
revelation. As a special feature, the book includes a foreword by
Bill Clinton, among the latest in a long line of American
presidents, including John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham
Lincoln, who, as the collection demonstrates, have turned to
Shakespeare's plays for inspiration.
"There are discoveries and surprises along the way, like Lord
Buckley's beat-era 'Hipsters, Flipsters and Finger-Poppin' Daddies,
' an extended riff on Shakespeare's most famous speeches ('I came
here to lay Caesar out, Not to hip you to him'), and 'Shakespeares
of 1922, ' a vaudeville sketch by Lorenz Hart and Morrie Ryskind.
But for many readers the real eye opener will be the heated love
affair, richly documented by Professor Shapiro, between ordinary
Americans and the most exalted writer in the English language."
--William Grimes, "The New York Times"
""Shakespeare in America: An Anthology From the Revolution to Now"
. . . is a fascinating survey of the writer's importance to our
culture and his influence on literature, politics, entertainment
and more." --"Tampa Bay Times"
"Shakespeare's imprint on our culture and literature remains, as
this anthology so amply demonstrates. A review of it can only
answer one question: Does it accurately reflect the value that
Shakespeare's plays have held in the hearts and minds of Americans
throughout our history? Yes, it does. We have treasured them always
and everywhere. They're truly a part of America." --Bryan Woolley,
"Dallas Morning News"
""Shakespeare in America" is an entertaining, thought-provoking
miscellany, one that speaks as much to the American spirit of
reinvention and assimilation as it does to the influence of one
Elizabethan playwright and poet on the way we think and act and
speak." --James D. Watts, Jr., "Tulsa World"
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
