Description
This volume presents a winning selection of the very best essays from the long and distinguished career of Stanley Wells, one of the most well-known and respected Shakespeare scholars in the world. Wells's accomplishments include editing the entire canon of Shakespeare plays for the ground-breaking Oxford Shakespeare, and over his lifetime he has made significant contributions to debates over literary criticism of the works, genre study, textual theory, Shakespeare's afterlife in the theatre, and contemporary performance. The volume is introduced by Peter Holland, and its thirty chapters are divided into themed sections: 'Shakespearian Influences', 'Essays on Particular Works', 'Shakespeare in the Theatre', and 'Shakespeare's Text'. An afterword by Margreta de Grazia concludes the volume.
About the Author
Sir Stanley Wells, CBE, FRSL, described by Roy Hattersley as 'Our greatest authority on Shakespeare's life and work', is Honorary President, Life Trustee, and former Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. He was Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, from 1988-1997, and is now Emeritus Professor. He is an Honorary Emeritus Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has been General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare since 1978 and is General Editor of the Penguin Shakespeare. One of the most distinguished Shakespearian scholars currently working, his publications include Shakespeare For All Time (2002), Shakespeare & Co (2006), Shakespeare, Sex, and Love (2010), Great Shakespeare Actors (2015), William Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction (2015), and Shakespeare's Tragedies: A Very Short Introduction (2017).
Reviews
His breadth and judiciousness are generously on view in an essay "On Being a General Editor," with advice that I have long taken to heart as to whether notes should appear at the foot of the page, how to keep the text as free as possible from algebraic signs, how to persuade individual editors in a series to absorb and act upon the advice they are given, and much more. These are only a few instances of enlightenment afforded by this immensely valuable collection of essays. * David Bevington, Renaissance Quarterly *
Another collection poised at the intersection of theatrical practice and historical scholarship ... The essays in this collection exhibit Well's extraordinary critical range, as well as his characteristic clarity, wisdom, and wit. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *
[An] expansive, insightful essay collection ... [Wells's] engagement with the material is lively enough that [readers will be inspired] to dust off their old editions of the plays from their school days and dive back in. * Publishers Weekly *
At their best (and they are often at their best), these essays display the tough-minded wit that John Donne might have brought to, as well as found in, Shakespeare: wreathed, ingenious, supple, sophisticated - and delivered with a wink. * Times Literary Supplement *
For decades, the dean of British Shakespeare studies and Shakespeare's most sedulous ambassador worldwide, Stanley Wells, has been a critic of astonishing range. Here we see what he brought to and learned from his executive roles with the Shakespeare Institute and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, his editorships of the Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works and Shakespeare Survey, and his engagement with and mentorship of countless scholars. Close reading, contextual reading, textual editing, performance analysis, theatre history, cultural history--all are to be encountered in this astutely curated collection. There are pleasures of discovery and rediscovery: how fresh the work remains, how searching, and how revelatory. * Lena Cowen Orlin, Executive Director, The Shakespeare Association of America. *
Stanley Wells's contribution to Shakespeare studies has been profound. This collection of his finest essays--ranging widely from stagecraft to theatre criticism, and from textual studies to explorations of individual works--confirms why he continues to serve as such an incisive and brilliant guide to the plays and poems. * James Shapiro, author of 1599 and 1606 *
Stanley Wells is the most Shakespearian of Shakespearians. He epitomizes what makes the humanities humane. Great learning lightly worn; hard work disguised as play. A love of beauty and of truth. A deep commitment to the difficult work of understanding the human past. Curiosity, empathy, generosity, modesty. The clarity and passion of all great teachers. A twinkle in the eye, and in the prose. * Gary Taylor, Apprentice; Collaborator; Beneficiary *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198884569
Author Prof Stanley Wells
Format Paperback
Page Count 496
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 602g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 152mm * 36mm
About the Author
Sir Stanley Wells, CBE, FRSL, described by Roy Hattersley as 'Our greatest authority on Shakespeare's life and work', is Honorary President, Life Trustee, and former Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. He was Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, from 1988-1997, and is now Emeritus Professor. He is an Honorary Emeritus Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has been General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare since 1978 and is General Editor of the Penguin Shakespeare. One of the most distinguished Shakespearian scholars currently working, his publications include Shakespeare For All Time (2002), Shakespeare & Co (2006), Shakespeare, Sex, and Love (2010), Great Shakespeare Actors (2015), William Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction (2015), and Shakespeare's Tragedies: A Very Short Introduction (2017).
Reviews
His breadth and judiciousness are generously on view in an essay "On Being a General Editor," with advice that I have long taken to heart as to whether notes should appear at the foot of the page, how to keep the text as free as possible from algebraic signs, how to persuade individual editors in a series to absorb and act upon the advice they are given, and much more. These are only a few instances of enlightenment afforded by this immensely valuable collection of essays. * David Bevington, Renaissance Quarterly *
Another collection poised at the intersection of theatrical practice and historical scholarship ... The essays in this collection exhibit Well's extraordinary critical range, as well as his characteristic clarity, wisdom, and wit. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *
[An] expansive, insightful essay collection ... [Wells's] engagement with the material is lively enough that [readers will be inspired] to dust off their old editions of the plays from their school days and dive back in. * Publishers Weekly *
At their best (and they are often at their best), these essays display the tough-minded wit that John Donne might have brought to, as well as found in, Shakespeare: wreathed, ingenious, supple, sophisticated - and delivered with a wink. * Times Literary Supplement *
For decades, the dean of British Shakespeare studies and Shakespeare's most sedulous ambassador worldwide, Stanley Wells, has been a critic of astonishing range. Here we see what he brought to and learned from his executive roles with the Shakespeare Institute and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, his editorships of the Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works and Shakespeare Survey, and his engagement with and mentorship of countless scholars. Close reading, contextual reading, textual editing, performance analysis, theatre history, cultural history--all are to be encountered in this astutely curated collection. There are pleasures of discovery and rediscovery: how fresh the work remains, how searching, and how revelatory. * Lena Cowen Orlin, Executive Director, The Shakespeare Association of America. *
Stanley Wells's contribution to Shakespeare studies has been profound. This collection of his finest essays--ranging widely from stagecraft to theatre criticism, and from textual studies to explorations of individual works--confirms why he continues to serve as such an incisive and brilliant guide to the plays and poems. * James Shapiro, author of 1599 and 1606 *
Stanley Wells is the most Shakespearian of Shakespearians. He epitomizes what makes the humanities humane. Great learning lightly worn; hard work disguised as play. A love of beauty and of truth. A deep commitment to the difficult work of understanding the human past. Curiosity, empathy, generosity, modesty. The clarity and passion of all great teachers. A twinkle in the eye, and in the prose. * Gary Taylor, Apprentice; Collaborator; Beneficiary *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198884569
Author Prof Stanley Wells
Format Paperback
Page Count 496
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 602g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 152mm * 36mm
