An Oxford Anthology of SHAKESPEARE

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An Oxford Anthology of SHAKESPEARE

• SELECTED AND INTRODUCED BY
  Stanley Wells
• Arlene Anderson
• LIBR 150 800s
• Winter 2005

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Call number/Bibliographic citation

• Shakespeare, William 1564-1616.
• An Oxford Anthology of Shakespeare / selected
  and introduced by Stanley Wells.
• Oxford Oxford shire Camden
• Press New York Oxford University Press,
  1987.
• xx, 396 p. 21 cm.
• Call number R822.33HL15o

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Arrangement/Indexing

• The contents are arranged by
• subject matter alphabetically A-Z preceded by
  a Note on the Text and an Introduction, a
  Selected Glossary and Play-
• by-Play Index arranged alphabetic A-Z followed
  by the main body of text.

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Scope

• Here one can experience Shakespeares
  extraordinary capacity to communicate in words
  the minds, hearts, and imaginations of kings and
  peasants, fools and wise men, warriors and page
  boys, statesman and common thieves and hear the
  perfect examples of admiration and insult,
  villainy and virtue, grief, joy and despair.

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Scope (contd)

• Organized under 13 concise headnotes which place
  the selections in context the passages can
  supplement a study of Shakespeare or can be used
  for private readings. This volume is based on
  the text of the Complete Oxford Shakespeare and
  includes an introduction by Stanley Wells no
  supplement is necessary.

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Scope (contd)

• Shakespearean scholar, Stanley Wells, has chosen
  from Shakespeares plays and sonnets those that
  are most attractive on their own and that suffer
  least from being read out of context.

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Scope (contd)

• It is unlikely that a selection from the work of
  any other writer could represent so wide a range
  of human experience.

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Currency

• Shakespeare has a reputation as the greatest of
  all writers in the English Language. He wrote
  his works between 1588 and 1613. His prolific
  writings are magnified further by the fact that
  he lived only 52 years.

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Currency (contd)

• Today his work still influences the English-
  speaking world as is demonstrated by the
  widespread use of quotations from Shakespearean
  plays, the titles of works based on Shakespearean
  phrases, and the many adaptations of his plays.

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Currency (contd)

• Other signs of his continuing influence include
  his appearance in the top ten of the 100
  Greatest Britons poll sponsored by the BBC, the
  frequent productions based on his work, such as
  the BBC Television Shakespeare, and the success
  of the fictional account of his life in the 1998
  film Shakespeare in Love.

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Intended purpose/additional purposes

• Passages from the text could supplement a study
  of Shakespeare it could also be used for private
  readings as a source of literary enjoyment.

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Physical format

• Book form only.
• At this time this volume is out of print or is
  an unavailable edition of this title.

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Review opinion

• Shakespearean scholar Stanley Wells has gleaned
  from Shakespeares 43 plays and 14 sonnets a
  collection of poems and passages that stand well
  on their own merits. It is an excellent source
  because truly readable pieces have been chosen.
• Library Journal Review

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Review opinion (contd)
This review opinion is based on William
Shakespeare, the complete works (1986) from which
this anthology was taken - After eight years
work by the worlds finest Shakespeare scholars,
here are the plays as they were acted by
Shakespeares company. It must be the most
interesting edition of Shakespeare since the
First Folio, and costs a lot less John Carey,
Sunday Times

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Review opinion (contd)

• This review opinion is also based on William
  Shakespeare, the complete works (1986) from which
  this anthology was taken -
• The general introduction is a challenge as
  well as a revelation.
• Roy Hattersley, Guardian

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Personal impression

• I find this period of history, the English
  Renaissance also called the age of Shakespeare,
  extremely interesting. The reading is a challenge
  to understand. I am impressed with this anthology.

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Reference questions best suited for

• This anthology is best suited to assist English
  literature students, Shakespearean researchers or
  readers looking for a particular quotation. This
  edition is based on the text of William
  Shakespeare, the complete works (1986) it
  contains a play-by-play index and a select
  glossary.

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Web search

• In web browsing I did not find anything similar
  to or better than this work, but I did find an
  interesting site on Britannica that has audio
  excerpts from various plays.
• http//search.eb.com/shakespeare/index2.html

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• A great while ago the world begun,
• With hey ho, the wind and the rain,
• But thats all one, our play is done,
• And well strive to please you every day.
• Twelfth Night, act V, scene i