|
| home | contact info | policies | search | authors | | copyright | email us | college stores | | school stores | online store | International Orders | | Student online Resources | desk/exam copies | Feedback Form | | |||
New Kittredge Shakespeare Series Series editor: James H. Lake | |||
George Lyman Kittredge’s insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments — all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. The plays in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series retain the original Kittredge notes and introductions, changed or augmented only when modernization is necessary. These new editions also include introductory essays by contemporary editors, notes on the plays as they have been performed on stage and film, and additional student materials.
| Books in Series | Description | About the Author | Contents | Introduction | Reviews
The Life of King Henry V Editor: Annalisa Castaldo The Tragedy of Julius Caesar 2008 • 978-1-58510-260-0 • paper • 142 pages • 5½ x 8½ • $8.95 The Tragedy of Macbeth 2008 • 978-1-58510-162-1 • paper • 136 pages •; 5½ x 8½ • $8.95
The Tragedy of Antony & Cleopatra 2008 • 978-1-58510-272-3 • paper • 182 pages • 5½ x 8½ • $8.95 The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet 2008 • 978-1-58510-163-4 • paper • 180 pages • 5½ x 8½ • $8.95 The Merchant of Venice 2008 • 978-1-58510-264-8 • paper • 128 pages • 5½ x 8½ • $8.95
| |||
The original introduction to the Kittredge Edition NEW Introduction to the Focus Edition
NEW Performance notes
NEW How To read the play as Performance Section
NEW Comprehensive Timeline
NEW Topics for Discussion and Further Study Section
NEW Production stills, commentary, pages from the script, etc. Each play will include some or all of the following:
NEW Select Bibliography & Filmography | |||
Annalisa Castaldo is assistant professor of English at Widener University. She received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Temple University. Her scholarly interests are Shakespeare and popular culture, and performance studies. Dr. Sarah Hatchuel lectures in English at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and teaches "Shakespeare on Screen" at the University of Paris VII. She co-organized two conferences on the screen adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays at the University of Rouen; has published several articles on the aesthetics of Shakespeare on screen; and is the author of A Companion to the Shakespearean Films of Kenneth Branagh (2000) and Shakespeare, from Stage to Screen (Cambridge, 2004). Bernice W. Kliman is professor emeritus of English at Nassau Community College, State University of New York. She has authored and edited numerous works on Shakespeare and especially Hamlet. Laury Magnus is Professor of Humanities at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, and has authored numerous books and articles on British and American poetry, Russian literature, and Shakespeare. Kenneth S. Rothwell is professor emeritus of English at The University of Vermont, where he chaired the department and received two awards for excellence in teaching. He co-founded and co-edited (with Bernice W. Kliman) the Shakespeare on Film Newsletter.
| |||
Introduction to the Kittredge Edition Introduction to the Focus Edition The Life of Henry V How to Read Henry V as Performance Timeline Topics for Discussion and Further Study Bibliography Filmography | |||
Henry V is the capstone and pinnacle of the eight-play cycle Shakespeare composed concerning the Wars of the Roses (1422-1485) and the events that led up to those wars (1399-1420). The period, and the plays, begin with the reign of Richard II, who was deposed by his cousin Henry in 1399. This single event–the forcible overthrow of a divinely appointed king–set off a chain reaction that led to more depositions, civil war and eventually the rise of the Tudors, the family who ruled England during most of Shakespeare’s lifetime. Although historically Henry V’s reign falls in the exact center of this period, Shakespeare saved this king for last. Henry V was the only king during this period who both inherited the throne from his father and successfully passed it on to his son. He was also the most successful military leader, conquering all of France. For the Elizabethans, Henry V was a shining symbol, untouched by the scandal of his father, who took the throne by force, and not responsible for the civil war that erupted during his son’s reign. ... In addition to the French translations, I have added notes on some words or ideas Kittredge did not explain, as well as adding more detailed notes drawing the reader’s attention to thematic elements of the play (these added notes are followed by [a.c.] to distinguish them from Kittredge’s work). In the former case, Kittredge often assumed knowledge among his readers of historical, mythic or literary figures that is no longer common and should now be explained. In the latter case, I believe that editors should be willing to offer thematic guidance to readers, introducing points which may be overlooked, but which enrich the experience of the play. While I would never tell a reader that a scene has a particular or singular meaning, I do feel that part of modern editing is more than helping readers to understand definitions of individual words, it is helping readers to understand the play as a whole.
| |||
It is good to have Kittredge's editions--with his notes updated by respected scholars, new introductions, and suggestions on approaching the plays in performance--readily and inexpensively available. ~ James L. Harner, Texas A&M University and Editor, World Shakespeare Bibliography
The New Kittredge Series is both a delight and a steal. Kittredge’s textual authority, updated by eminent scholars sensitive to classroom needs and alert to staging choices, is once again available in these slim, elegant, inexpensive, user-friendly volumes. With lucid notes and incisive introductions geared especially to popular film versions, the series also offers an overview of both stage and film performances of each play. A must for any Shakespeare class. ~ Dr. Laury Magnus
Ken Rothwell does a splendid updating of Kittredge’s Merchant of Venice with considerations of the play in performance. His essay on the play’s stage history is lucid, his additions to Kittredge’s notes are indicative of performance choices, and, as one would expect of the preeminent scholar of Shakespeare on film, his discussion of cinematic adaptations of Merchant is richly informative. This edition should prove useful to all levels of undergraduates. ~ James Bulman, Allegheny College
The Henry V volume is handsome and impressive. ~ Samuel Crowl, Ohio University
Seventy years after their publication, George Lyman Kittredge’s editions of Shakespeare remain exceptional for the combination of learning, acuity, wit, and clarity he brings to his notes on the plays. Annalisa Castaldo makes Kittredge’s Macbeth even more useful for modern readers by skillfully streamlining Kittredge’s annotations and adding helpful analyses of the play and its film productions. There is no better edition of Shakespeare for students, beginning or advanced. ~ Dr. James Wells
This splendid edition [Romeo & Juliet] furnishes readers, students, and theater people alike with a marvelous set of tools for appreciating the many facets of Shakespeare's play: a freshly edited text from the authoritative 1599 quarto, trenchant explanatory notes, and - best of all - insightful performance notes detailing the various ways in which individual passages have been interpreted in important films and stage productions. ~ Eric Rasmussen, University of Nevada - Reno and co-editor of the RSC Shakespeare edition
| |||
|
