All of Shakespeare [Paperback]

Maurice Charney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1993

In All of Shakespeare, Maurice Charney, former president of the Shakespeare Association of America, provides a play by play, poem by poem guide to all of Shakespeare's works. In succinct and lucid chapters, Charney brings to life every play, from The Comedy of Errors to The Tempest, in addition to the long poems and the Sonnets.

The book is divided into sections according to genre: comedies, histories, tragedies, romances, and poems. Charney also considers works that may be only partly by Shakespeare: The Two Noble Kinsmen, Pericles, and A Lover's Complaint.

Charney's account is accessibly written and infused with the belief that Shakespeare's works are intelligible and relevant to modern readers and audiences. The result is a volume that will be cherished and celebrated by readers who are just beginning to read Shakespeare and see his plays as well as those who are reacquainting themselves with his many delights.

(Richard Levin, State University of New York, Stony Brook )

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-An interesting study of Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies, romances, and poems for readers with a good understanding of the Bard's work. Each play is given a brief, insightful analysis, which provides a fresh look at familiar characters and themes. For example, Charney explores the problematic definition of "tragedy" as it applies to Romeo and Juliet, and the effect of the play's climax on the teens. The poetry section does not laboriously debate the identities of the Dark Lady and the Friend in the sonnets, but emphasizes recurring images and dramatic devices. An excellent resource for serious students.
Pat McSwain, R.E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

This commentary on all of Shakespeare's plays and poems, arranged according to genre, is "designed as a series of minilectures" for the undergraduate student and general reader. Concerned mostly with Shakespeare as a poet and dramatist rather than as a Renaissance thinker, Charney (Rutgers Univ.) aims for accessibility, avoiding footnotes and bibliographies. He does not discuss all relevant topics but pursues a few of them thoroughly, which makes his book a useful supplement to the standard introductions available in most editions of the plays. One of the book's most pleasing aspects is the way Charney makes fresh and unexpected connections between the different plays, often by highlighting some less well known passages. This adds weight to his belief that Shakespeare's works "really do constitute a single comprehensive imaginative unit."-- Bryan Aubrey, Fairfield, Ia.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231068638
• ISBN-13: 978-0231068635
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,853,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not All of Shakespeare!, July 25, 2006

By 

Sylviastel - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All of Shakespeare (Paperback)

Besides Dr. Harold Bloom who I consider a mad literary genius there is Dr. Maurice Charney who is quite the expert on William Shakespeare and has written numerous books about him as well. This book does help break down the plays, characters and plots without overburdening the reader with too much information. If you need to know more about Shakespeare or the Bard as he is called, Dr. Charney is a great alternative to Bloom.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Again and Again and Again, November 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: All of Shakespeare (Paperback)

I think it was a great book. It really brings the real Shakespeare to life. It is one of the few books I can read again and again.