William Empson: Essays on Shakespeare - Softcover

Empson, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521311500 ISBN 13: 9780521311502

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1986

Synopsis

At the time of his death in 1984, the poet and critic William Empson was preparing and revising a collection of his essays on Shakespeare. This collection edited by David Pirie, is a book which the literary world has wanted for over half a century. Here, in a single volume, are major readings of Hamlet and Macbeth; a witty and sometimes impassioned defence of Falstaff, and a new piece on the architecture of the Globe theatre and other Renaissance playhouses, in which Empson explores the problems that the design of contemporary stages posed for a working playwright; there are also essays on the narrative poems, A Midsummer Night's Dream and the last plays. The essays demonstrate the subtlety and agility of Empson's mind, as well as his remarkable breadth of knowledge, while the almost racy wit of his informal prose style argues for a literary criticism which should never become solemn if it is to be truly serious.

About this title

Book Description:

Featuring major analyses of Hamlet and Macbeth, this collection of the late critic's works encompasses recent advances in Shakespearian scholarship; a witty and passionate defense of Falstaff; and an original essay on Renaissance playhouse architecture.

From the Back Cover:

At the time of his death in 1984, William Empson was preparing and revising a collection of his essays on Shakespeare. The resulting volume, edited by David Pirie, provides a book which the literary world has wanted for over half a century.

Here, in a single volume, are major readings of "Hamlet" and "Macbeth," a witty and sometimes impassioned defence of Falstaff, and a new piece on the architecture of the Globe theatre and other Renaissance playhouses, in which Empson explores the problems that the design of contemporary stages posed for a working playwright; there are also essays on the narrative poems, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and the last plays.

The essays demonstrate the subtlety and agility of Empson's mind, as well as his remarkable breadth of knowledge, while the almost racy wit of his informal prose-style argues for a literary criticism which should never become solemn if it is to be truly serious.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0521311500
• ISBN 13: 9780521311502
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 260
• Editor: Pirie David