Shakespeare and the Arts of Language

by Russ McDonald

Written in a lucid, non-technical style, the book starts with the story of how the English language changed throughout the sixteenth century. Subsequent chapters define Shakespeare's main artistic tools and illustrate their poetic and theatrical contributions: Renaissance rhetoric, imagery and
metaphor, blank verse, prose speech, and wordplay. The conclusion surveys Shakespeare's multiple and often conflicting ideas about language, encompassing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198711719
• ISBN13: 9780198711711
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Absolutely indispensible

This book is one of the few books of Shakespearean scholarship that I have read which I find completely, unequivocably indispensible. If you have ever been interested in just how Will Shakespeare does what he does with language, Prof. McDonald's book is the one to read. Thorough but not overlong, it is actually a speedy read. As for spotchboy, there is absolutely NO evidence for an authorship controversy. This "identity question" was created by bored, insipid people who have a penchant for conspiracy theories. Prof. McDonald ignores that question because there is no issue to discuss, and the book deals with the arts of language. I wish the self-proclaimed "anti-Stratfordians" would realize the arts of scholarship. But it is refreshing to see that even they can realize how great a piece of scholarship this is.

excellent but one glaring ommision

It's no surprise that Prof. McDonald has written such an interesting, informative book. Way back when he was my favorite professor. His enthusiam and understanding got me hooked on the Bard. The one major drawback is his complete disregard of the current authorship scholarship that pretty much settles the identity question, proving for all intents that the Shakespeare canon was written by the Edward deVere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. (For those wishing to learn more, a good place to start in this area is Joseph Sobran's "Alias Shakespeare".) Like most scholars in the academy, McDonald chooses to remain in deep denial about this. So much for disinterested free inquiry. Such a pity.