Shakespeare Up Close - by Nicholas D Nace & Russ McDonald & Travis D Williams (Paperback)

About the Book

This landmark collection of newly commissioned essays by leading international scholars, offers expert close reading of Shakespeare and other early modern authors.

Book Synopsis

This landmark collection of newly-commissioned essays by leading international scholars, offers expert close readings of Shakespeare and other early modern authors. The book is an intervention into current critical methodology as well as an invaluable tool for all students of the literature of the period, exemplifying the possibilities of close reading in the hands of a range of gifted practitioners. Chapters cover a range of key texts from Shakespeare and other major writers of the period such as Milton, Donne, Jonson and Sidney.

This is a unique collection as no other book offers such a rich variety of self-contained, short-form close readings. As such it can be used in the undergraduate classroom as well as by scholars and post-graduates and will also appeal to literary readers with an enthusiasm for Shakespeare. Contributors include leading Shakespeareans Stanley Wells, Stanley Fish, Coppelia Kahn and Lukas Erne.

Review Quotes

Shakespeare up Close is a collection of scholarly essays by experts who examine Shakespeare and other early modern texts from a range of perspectives. Spot on, I think, for drama students wanting to gather as much information and as many insights as possible into writing that really does respond to close reading.
The Stage

Shakespeare Up Close: Reading Early Modern Texts warmly convey the authors' faith that close textual readings unlock greater pleasure in his work...Shakespeare Up Close is a more scholarly collection, clearly meant for the classroom use, with the majority of essays by academics engaged in detailed textual analysis. But this sort of analysis can be extremely useful in performing Shakespeare... It's a brilliant example of how close reading can inspire staging that reinforces Shakespeare's themes...A number of these academic essays suggest stimulating possibilities for performance...Highly intellectual.
American Theatre

The quality of the close reading throughout the volume is extremely high...very few people who buy this book will be disappointed.
Around the Globe

About the Author

Russ McDonald is Professor of English Literature at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Nicholas D Nace is Assistant Professor at the State University of New York, Binghamton. Travis D Williams is Assistant Professor of English Literature at the University of Rhode Island.