Shakespeare's Late Tragedies: A Collection of Critical Essays [Paperback]

Susanne L. Wofford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 013807819X | ISBN-13: 978-0138078195 | Publication Date: November 18, 1995 | Edition: 1

A truly useful collection of literary criticism on a widely studied author, this collection of essays, selected and introduced by a distinguished scholar, makes the most informative and provocative critical work easily available to the general public. KEY TOPICS: Offers volumes of the same excellence for the contemporary moment. Captures and makes accessible the most stimulating critical writing of our time on a crucial literary figure of the past. Also included is an introduction to the author's life and work, a chronology of important dates, and a selected bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A generation ago Prentice Hall's Twentieth Century Views series set the standard for truly useful collections of literary criticism on widely studied authors. These collections of essays, selected and introduced by distinguished scholars, made the most informative and provocative critical work on each writer easily available to students, scholars, and the general public. Now the New Century Views series, co-edited by Richard Brodhead and Maynard Mack, offers volumes of the same excellence for the contemporary moment. Each volume captures and makes accessible the most stimulating critical writing of our time on crucial literary figures of the past and present. Also included in each is an introduction to the author's life and work, a chronology of important dates, and a selected bibliography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (November 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 013807819X
• ISBN-13: 978-0138078195
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,400,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Only for English majors who like constructionism..., August 8, 2002

By 

Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shakespeare's Late Tragedies: A Collection of Critical Essays (Paperback)

This is a college/university text of 15 essays on Macbeth, all written by college/university English lecturers and professors. For college/university English majors who dote on constructionism, or who have to suffer through it, this is a 5 star book.

For others, however, this book is a terrible disappointment. It is filled with post-modern criticism and headings like "On the Fringe of Patriarchal Discourse," and a chapter on Macbeth as a male Medusa.

I hate giving negative reviews on Amazon, since readers tend to say that negative reviews are not helpful. Oh, well. Here are some other resources that will help you get good hands on Macbeth, which I used in setting a unit for 7th through 11th graders who were about to see Macbeth:

Peggy O'Brien, Shakespeare Set Free. Great activities and thoughtful things that youngsters can do. O'Brien is a great writer, too.

A.C. Bradley, Shakespearean Tragedy. This is an old book, originally published in 1904, long before post-modernism, and it went through 26 printings. Bradley gives the best description of what Shakespeare meant by tragedy. Bradley does not have activities for youngsters, however. Just a powerful way of thinking about Macbeth.

Greenhaven Press Literary Companion, Readings on Macbeth. The Literary Companion series addresses Macbeth in 16 very informative chapters. Topics include the historical context of Macbeth, dramatic allusions, witches, the poetry of evil, and so forth. Very good essays, but not immediately translatable into activities for 7th thru 11th graders.

There! I hope this was helpful. If you purchase Wofford's book, you'll get an essay on male fear of maternal dominance, object relations theory applied to Macbeth. Bon chance.