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The Age of Shakespeare

The Age of Shakespeare

by Sir Frank Kermode (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2004

    $3.26
Synopsis

Shakespeare made his unique contribution to British and world culture in the midst of Elizabeth's great reign. Here, the circumstances of each play's composition are acutely described, and set within a masterful portrait of Shakespeare's England - its early capitalism, its court, its bursting population, and its epidemics, as well as its arts - including, of course, its theatre. An important, lasting, and concise companion to Shakespeare's time.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 208
 Publisher: Orion
Published: 24 Jun 2004
ISBN 10: 029784881X
ISBN 13: 9780297848813
Book Overview: Shakespeare is one of the greatest Britons, arguably the greatest writer ever, known to everyone and enduringly popular. When Frank Kermode writes about Shakespeare brilliant reviews follow. His most recent book received the highest praise from leading literary figures: 'The best book on Shakespeare that I have ever read' (Melvyn Bragg) and 'Bearing the happy mark of Professor Kermode's accessible style' (Muriel Spark), 'I can think of no better guide' (Richard Eyre), 'A magnificent book ... what a pleasure it is to read' (James Wood), 'An inspiring work' (Tom Paulin), 'Blazing with insight and erudition' (Elizabeth Buchan), 'It made me wish I had sat at the feet of its author' (Joan Bakewell) A new book (rather than articles) from Frank Kermode is very rare. This is the crowning glory of his brilliant career and a lifelong love of Shakespeare.

Media Reviews
'Frank Kermode's THE AGE OF SHAKESPEARE is an astonishing achievement... No comments are less than telling; most are highly original... Such acute close readings are smoothly integrated into a larger narrative which contextualises Shakespeare within his age... Clarity of exposition and common sense mark every page... Kermode is unfailingly perceptive...' THE SPECTATOR '.. the most surprising thing about Kermode's survey - one that is full of delightful surprises - is just how much he manages to squeeze in. The brief but authoritative attention given to each play produces elegant one-liners that, like the plays themselves, expand the mind... [Kermode] writes with an unruffled calm that does nothing to disguise the energy and sharpness of his thinking.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Besides being expert, eye-opening and short, Kermode's book has personal touches that freshen its approach... As always he writes as if he really loves literature. A rare thing.' SUNDAY TIMES '...Kermode can pack more illumination into a sentence than most people can pack into a paragraph. He is a master at opening a sentence with a remark that makes you think nothing especially important is being said, then turning your expectations upside down by adding a pointed reflection... For such a small book, The Age of Shakespeare is packed with information... this is an excellent book, a distillation of a lifetime's critical reflection into a few pages.' NEW STATESMAN 'Under [Kermode's] sensitive scrutiny, every phrase, every paragraph, comes alive vividly and dangerously, organically imagined... scintillating insights, entirely characteristic of this friendly, slim volume. Reading it is like spending a delightful evening in the company of Kermode himself, clearly a man of profound intelligence, great wit and immense learning... it is constantly and wittily stimulating, and warmly recommended to anyone who cares about Shakespeare.' THE GUARDIAN 'Kermode is incisive on changes in Shakespeare's verse style and techniques of exposition over time, and on the way the choice of rhetorical devices within a play mirrors its overall thematic construction.' THE OBSERVER 'Kermode is... very good on on the larger politics of the moment... Kermode is possissed by a vast quantity of common sense - a commodity not noticeably evident in many literary scholars... He is good, too, on the confusing theatrical politics of the period with various companies, theatres, players and writers bying for mastery... Frank Kermode has written a fine introduction to this complex and capricious subject.' THE TIMES 'What distinguishes Frank Kermode from the professors andpundits of the Shakespeare industry is his tone: gentle eleegant, comonsensical. He writes with very human excitement about the texts before him...' THE TABLET '... unpatronising, relaxed and readable...' IRISH TIMES
Author Bio
Sir Frank Kermode has been a prominent figure in the world of literary criticism since the 1960s. He has been King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at Cambridge and Professor of Poetry at Harvard. He was knighted in 1991.