Shakespeare, National Poet-Playwright [Paperback]

An important book which reassesses Shakespeare as a poet and dramatist.Shakespeare, National Poet-Playwright is an important new book which reassesses Shakespeare as a poet and dramatist. Patrick Cheney contests critical preoccupation with Shakespeare as 'a man of the theatre' by recovering his original standing as an early modern author: he is a working dramatist who composes some of the most extraordinary poems in English. Cheney traces the literary origin to Shakespeare's favourite author, Ovid. The book concentrates on Shakespeare's freestanding poems, but makes frequent reference to the plays, and ranges widely through the work of other Renaissance writers.Shakespeare, National Poet-Playwright is an important new book which reassesses Shakespeare as a poet and dramatist. Patrick Cheney contests critical preoccupation with Shakespeare as 'a man of the theatre' by recovering his original standing as an early modern author: he is a working dramatist who composes some of the most extraordinary poems in English. Cheney traces the literary origin to Shakespeare's favourite author, Ovid. The book concentrates on Shakespeare's freestanding poems, but makes frequent reference to the plays, and ranges widely through the work of other Renaissance writers.Reassessing Shakespeare as a poet and dramatist, Patrick Cheney contests critical preoccupation with Shakespeare as a man of the theatre by reclaiming his original standing as an early modern author. Cheney considers him as a working dramatist who composed extraordinary poems and traces Shakespeare's literary origins to his favorite author, Ovid. Although the book concentrates on Shakespeare's poems, it makes frequent reference to the plays, and ranges widely through the work of other Renaissance writers.List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Note on texts; Proem: Shakespeare's 'Plaies and Poems'; Part I. The Imprint of Shakespearean Authorship: Prelude: Shakespeare, Cervantes, Petrarch; 1. The sixteenth-century poetlóÆ