Format:
X, 262 S.
Edition:
1. publ.
ISBN:
0-521-34292-9
Content:
This book focusses on the two plays of Shakespeare that have generally contended for the title of 'greatest' among his works. Hamlet remained a focal point of reference until about 1960, when it was displaced by King Lear, a play which at the same time ceased to be perceived as a play of redemption and became a play of despair. Foakes attempts to explain these shifts by analysing the reception of the plays since about 1800, an analysis which necessarily engages with the politics of the plays and the politics of criticism. Recent critical theorizing has destabilized the texts, has sought to abolish the frontiers of literature, and hence has undermined the notion of 'greatness' or any consideration of the plays as works of art. Foakes takes issue with such theories and reconsiders textual revisions, in order to argue for the integrity of the plays as reading texts and to recover a flexible sense of their artistry in relation to meaning. The book will be of interest to scholars and students of Shakespeare and to theatre-goers.
Language:
English
Subjects:
English Studies
Keywords:
1564-1616 Hamlet Shakespeare, William
;
Rezeption
;
1564-1616 King Lear Shakespeare, William
;
Rezeption
;
1564-1616 Hamlet Shakespeare, William
;
1564-1616 King Lear Shakespeare, William
URL:
http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/cam025/92007333.html
