Love's Labours Lost: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare (The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare Series) - Hardcover

Shakespeare, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521075424 ISBN 13: 9780521075428

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1969

Synopsis

John Dover Wilson's New Shakespeare, published between 1921 and 1966, became the classic Cambridge edition of Shakespeare's plays and poems until the 1980s. The series, long since out-of-print, is now reissued. Each work is available both individually and as a set, and each contains a lengthy and lively introduction, main text, and substantial notes and glossary printed at the back. The edition, which began with The Tempest and ended with The Sonnets, put into practice the techniques and theories that had evolved under the 'New Bibliography'. Remarkably by today's standards, although it took the best part of half a century to produce, the New Shakespeare involved only a small band of editors besides Dover Wilson himself. As the volumes took shape, many of Dover Wilson's textual methods acquired general acceptance and became an established part of later editorial practice, for example in the Arden and New Cambridge Shakespeares.

About this title

Review:

Another example of Shakespeare's comic fascination with the battle between and misunderstanding of the sexes, Love's Labour's Lost is a difficult play to read, but one which is extremely effective on stage. The Play opens with King Ferdinand of Navarre and his courtiers taking a vow of study and sexual abstinence for a period of three years. However, their vows are soon placed under strain with the arrival of the Princess of France and her ladies in waiting. The inevitable happens, and the different couples attempt to surreptitiously communicate, causing much hilarious confusion and embarrassment in the process. Shakespeare deploys every farcical element in the book, including impersonation, wrongly delivered letters, outrageous puns and word play, fights, drunkenness and masquerades, as Ferdinand's entourage soon learn that rather than running from women to books, it is in fact the opposite sex that "are the books, the arts, the academes/That show, contain, and nourish all the world". However, one of the most interesting aspects of the play is that it does not end with everyone marrying and living happily ever after. The women give as good as they get from the men, and in the end turn the tables in extremely interesting ways. One of Shakespeare's most linguistically challenging, but also intelligent comedies. --Jerry Brotton

Review:

"With the publication of Woudhuysen's Arden 3 edition, the magisterial study of the play that will energize a new generation of readers and directors has now arrived." --"Eric Rasmussen, University of Nevada at Reno, Shakespeare Survey"

With the publication of Woudhuysen's Arden 3 edition, the magisterial study of the play that will energize a new generation of readers and directors has now arrived. Eric Rasmussen, University of Nevada at Reno, Shakespeare Survey"

"With the publication of Woudhuysen's Arden 3 edition, the magisterial study of the play that will energize a new generation of readers and directors has now arrived." --Eric Rasmussen, University of Nevada at Reno, Shakespeare Survey

-With the publication of Woudhuysen's Arden 3 edition, the magisterial study of the play that will energize a new generation of readers and directors has now arrived.- --Eric Rasmussen, University of Nevada at Reno, Shakespeare Survey

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1969
• ISBN 10: 0521075424
• ISBN 13: 9780521075428
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 276
• Editor: Dover Wilson John