Pamela Bickley

Jenny Stevens

Where does Shakespeare fit into the drama of his day? Getting to know the work of Shakespeare's contemporaries offers an insight into Elizabethan and Jacobean preoccupations and the theatrical climate of the early modern period. This book provides an essential overview of some major dramatic works from their stage origins to today's screen productions. Each chapter includes: · a detailed analysis of a play by Shakespeare considered alongside a key work by one other significant playwright of the day (including The Merchant of Venice, Volpone, The Spanish Tragedy, Titus Andronicus, Othello, The Changeling, Romeo and Juliet, The Duchess of Malfi, Measure for Measure, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tragedy of Mariam, Doctor Faustus and Hamlet) · close reading of the text · discussion of early modern theatrical practices · a focus on one ground-breaking example of early modern drama on screen · suggestions for links with other early modern texts and further reading This book provides a route map to the very latest developments in early modern drama studies, fostering confident and independent thinking, making it an ideal introduction for students of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Text and Performance

Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama

An introductory critical study for first year undergraduates which bridges the gap between A Level and university study. The book offers an accessible overview of key critical perspectives, early modern contexts, and methods of close reading, as well as screen and stage performances spanning several decades. Organised around the discussion of fourteen major plays, it introduces readers to the diverse theoretical approaches typical of today's English studies. This is a go-to resource that can be consulted thematically or by individual play or genre. Critical approaches can overwhelm students who are daunted by the quantity and complexity of current scholarship; Bickley and Stevens are experienced teachers at both A and university level and are thus uniquely qualified to show how a mix of critical ideas can be used to inform ways of thinking about a play.

The Arden Guide to Text and Interpretation

Essential Shakespeare

Critical introductions to a range of literary topics and genres. Following a period when the decline of the novel was widely discussed, fiction has emerged as a vibrant and innovative genre, exploring the diversity of the contemporary world and, frequently, experimenting with form and language. Contemporary Fiction introduces students to the major and recurrent preoccupations of the post-1990 novel; it identifies some of the chief characteristics of the genre, and offers ways in which contemporary writing can be analysed and discussed. Texts are placed in their cultural contexts and are often discussed in the light of related works.

Pamela Bickley

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