It is a commonplace of Shakespeare criticism that he invented few of the plots of his plays and the sources he drew upon have been often and rewardingly studied. The emphasis of this book, however, is not on sources but on what may be called Shakespeare's story-telling technique especially as seen in the articulation and pacing of events. Ranging widely through the canon, the book identifies characteristic problems and achievements which occur in the course of Shakespeare's handling of his story material. Different aspects of Shakespeare's treatment of, and attitude to, story are studied with reference groups of plays and, in two final chapters, essays on Hamlet and King Lear apply and extend the findings of the preceding discussions. The point of view adopted serves, above all, to bring out the vitality and resourcefulness of Shakespeare's creative imagination, recognition of which must underpin all commentary but may easily be lost to sight in the increasing sophistication of criticism and scholarship.

The work of Fulke Greville (1554-1628) is a distinctive blend of poetic sensibility, intellectual power and the experience of men and affairs gained in a long career as courtier and statesman. He was also deeply influenced by his close friendship in youth with Sir Philip Sidney. This volume gives examples of all kinds of his writing, drawing from the sonnet sequence, Caelica, the verse treatises, the prose Life of Sidney and the two surviving plays, of which one, Mustapha, is printed in full. The texts have been freshly collated (spelling has been modernized) and the volume includes an introduction, notes and commentary.

In its response to a distinct revival of interest in Pre-Raphaelite painting, much biographical attention has been focused on members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and on Dante Gabriel Rossetti in particular. Rossetti's poetry, however, received comparatively scant attention, and that often far from sympathetic. This 1981 book aims to provide the basis for a better understanding and a juster appreciation of his poetic achievement. The main emphasis of the book is on Rossetti's distinctive imaginative world and the body of imagery which creates it; throughout there are close analyses of the major poems. Dante is seen as a vital influence on the form and significance which Rossetti's experience took in his own mind, and a final chapter includes comparative readings of William Morris and Christina Roessetti in a discussion of the nature of the self-expressive impulses that are so dominant an element in the creation of Pre-Raphaelite poetry.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1971.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1971.