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"[W]ould benefit undergraduate and high school
library collections"
Against the Grain (print)
One of Shakespeare's most delightful plays, A Midsummer Night's
Dream enchants audiences and readers with its celebration of magic, dreams,
and love. This sourcebook begins by establishing the dramatic and
literary concerns of the play. Four historical context chapters consider
attitudes toward gender relations, social distinctions, popular culture,
and imagination in Shakespeare's time, revealing contemporary issues
and debates reflected in the comedy.
Each unit is supported by primary historical documents, including
pamphlets and proclamations. A discussion of performance and interpretation
focuses on how the play's popularity and perspectives have evolved
over the centuries, and thematic connections to modern influences
like sitcoms and Freudian dream analysis show how the play is pertinent
to young readers. Numerous ideas for written assignments and oral
discussions are offered, along with further suggested readings.
In addition, the online sourcebook provides the user access to:
- E-texts of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth,
Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and Richard II, Metamorphoses, Canterbury
Tales,
A Godly Form of Household Government, The Book Named The Governor, The
Anatomy of Melancholy, The Discovery of Witchcraft and more
- Biographical profiles of Shakespeare, Ovid, Chaucer, Petrarch, Elizabeth
I, Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, Edward VI, Plutarch, Sir Thomas Elyot, John Stow,
Philip Stubbes, Thomas Nashe, John Aubrey, Oliver Cromwell, Harley Granville
Barker, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and others
- Audio and video clips of Elijah Moshinsky’s BBC production of A
Midsummer Night’s Dream and Max Reinhardt’s MGM production
- Virtual tour of the new Globe Theatre, London
- Glossary of cultural references and historical idioms from Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Web-based study questions
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