The Age of Shakespeare

I became interested in putting together a "listmania" list on Shakespeare and so I subsequently bought a few new books or some that I had not yet read. One was the older 1970 biography "Shakespeare" by the prolific author Anthony Burgess where - with some fiction based on partial records but mostly fact - he creates something akin to what we are used to in reading a modern biography. The present book was recently written by the Cambridge scholar and world Shakespeare expert Frank Kermode. Here the author uses a more conservative and a more scholarly approach, in some ways similar to Burgess, but with essentially no small fictional embellishments and with a lot more emphasis on explaining the various plays of Shakespeare in detail - albeit briefly - and adding comments on various usually at least one passage from each play. The present book is about 200 pages long with a very brief 4 page bibliographical note at the back. It is part of a series called Modern Library Chronicles that appear to have over 40 titles on various subjects, the Kermode book being one. The book consists of basically three parts - my division not the authors i.e.: the Reformation and England of Elizabeth (about 30 pages of background historical details), the early Shakespeare (70 pages) with many social comments, and then Shakespeare at the Globe and Blackfriars (the last 100 pages and Shakespeare's most fruitful period). In each of these broad segments the author weaves the current political climate, problems faced by the theaters, censorship, actors, rivals, other writers, owners, finances, descriptions of theater construction, etc. As the author makes his way through the last two parts, he comments on the importance of each play, what others think are the merits, important passages, references for more reading, how it relates to prior or future plays by Shakespeare, etc. - again all very briefly but he does provide some historical and literary perspectives. The book is rich with details, comments, quotes, and insights and it is a delightful but slow read to absorb the facts. It is an excellent but small book 5 stars. It does not replace the Burgess book, it is just different and seems more accurate. Subsequent to this being published, the new book "Will In The World" by Greenblatt has been published. It is by far the best book on Shakespeare's life and work.

As other reviewers have observed, Kermode manages to pack a tremendous amount of information about Shakespeare and his times into 200 pages. Never does it seem rushed or superficial. The introductory section is especially useful, and in it Kermode addresses the increasingly discussed question of Shakespeare's "Catholicity." Although he states the evidence doesn't prove the matter decisively, Kermode recognizes it as an important part of the conversation. Likewise, he reviews the current state of research into the English reception of the so-called "Elizabethan Settlement" that definitively protestantized England and Wales. Fans of the Whig interpretation of history, which postulates that a break with Catholicism was an inevitable phase of English history, won't find much comfort here. Kermode summarizes the myth-shattering work of Eamon Duffy, whose "Stripping of the Altars" demonstrated a dozen years ago that English Catholicism was healthy and robust until the Tudors took their hammers to it. If you napped through your high school English lit classes, this book also serves as a remedial tonic. Kermode summarizes Shakespeare's plays and places them in their social and cultural context. After an evening or two with this book, you'll be better equipped to tackle "Hamlet," "Romeo & Juliet," and the rest of the Bard's canon.

In this nifty little book, author and historian Frank Kermode gives us a new insight into the life and works of William Shakespeare. Beginning with a quick introduction to Elizabethan England, the author then goes on to trace Shakespeare's life, putting each of the plays into context, relative to what was happening in his life and in England at the time. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining and highly informative read. In particular I enjoyed the many insights that the author gave me into how Elizabeth drama worked and how it operated. I really loved this book, and highly recommend it to you!

The Modern Library Chronicles series has distinguished itself with stand alone historical perspectives written by experts who have a gift for clarity. What could be so many volumes of Cliffs Notes for significant historical passages or eras are instead a variety of deft studies rendered in strong, attractive voices matched. The latest edition, Sir Frank Kermode's THE AGE OF SHAKESPEARE, raises the bar even higher. It is nothing short of marvelous.Shakespeare means a variety of things to different people. Kermode manages to gather up all the threads, looking at the impact of the man on his age and the age, commonly known as the Elizabethan Age, on the man. It was a time of remarkable cultural strides. Against the backdrop of the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism, dramatic arts moved from morality plays and oratory to the magnificent Shakespearean canon, from stagings that were out of trunks, to theaters that sat 2,000 - 3,000. Theater wasn't just art, it became a thriving commerce. Kermode moves through time, looking at Shakespeare's poetry, then his plays as they reflected the Elizabethan zeitgeist (and we think of them as being so universal!). He looks at the community of poets and playwrights who were not exactly comradely drinking pals, in fact sometimes they would argue to the point of murder, but who did find a way to work together. He provides readings of the plays and their sources, as well as an overview of critical readings in the 4 centuries since their debut. He sorts out what matters and does so in graceful prose, under 200 pages. When I reached the last page, I did something I have not done with a book in a long, long time: I turned back to the first page and began anew.It's that good.

The Modern Library Chronicles series has found a perfect fit with Frank Kermode and Shakespeare in their newest addition, The Age of Shakespeare. In a very short volume, the author manages to touch on many relevant and interesting points of Shakespeare's life, all of his plays, the history of theatre in his time, and, briefly, even politics and religion in Elizabethean and Jacobean England. It is a delightfully written and entertaining volume that does what all the best volumes in this series manage to do. It makes the reader what to learn more, both about Shakespeare and his plays. The author's insights into the language and styles of the various plays is illuminating, particularly as he gives a historical and literary context for his ideas. This is a quick, bright, marvelous read.