Stanley Wells (1) (1930–)
Author of The Shakespeare Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
For other authors named Stanley Wells, see the disambiguation page.
Stanley Wells (1) has been aliased into Stanley W. Wells.
Works by Stanley Wells
Works have been aliased into Stanley W. Wells.
Shakespeare and Co.: Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Dekker, Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher and the Other… (2007) 283 copies
Shakespeare Survey 40: Current Approaches to Shakespeare through Language, Text and Theatre (1987) 10 copies
Re-editing Shakespeare for the Modern Reader: Based on Lectures Given at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington,… (1984) 5 copies
The first annual Shakespeare Globe lecture: Staging Shakespeare's apparitions and dream visions 2 copies
King Lear 1 copy
History of King Lear 1 copy
THE STRATFORD-UPON-AVON LIBRARY 1: THOMAS NASHE: PIERCE PENNILESS HIS SUPPLICATION TO THE DEVIL; SUMMER'S LAST… (1964) 1 copy
'"O Rare Ben Jonson"' in NYRB 59/7, 26 April 2012 [review of Donaldson's 'Ben Jonson: a life'] 1 copy
Associated Works
Works have been aliased into Stanley W. Wells.
Lovers made men : a masque presented in the house of the Right Honourable the Lord Hay by divers of noble quality, his… — Editor, some editions — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Wells, Stanley William
- Birthdate
- 1930-05-21
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Hull, Yorkshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, UK
- Education
- University College London
Kingston High School, Kingston-upon-Hull, England, UK - Occupations
- Shakespeare scholar
Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham
Chairman, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust - Relationships
- Hill, Susan (wife)
Ruston, Jessica (daughter) - Awards and honors
- Sam Wanamaker Award (2010)
Honorary DLitt, University of Warwick (2008)
CBE
Knighthood (2016)
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 60
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 2,223
- Popularity
- #11,534
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 33
- ISBNs
- 158
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 2
This is, for my money, the most readable, approachable, intelligent introduction to Shakespeare studies that I've yet found. Each of the book's 45 chapters is written by a different scholar, and edited by Stanley Wells and Lena Cowen Orlin. Over the course of this 45 chapters, readers are given a detailed but comprehensive introduction to the headline topics. This includes Shakespeare's life from birth to death; the theatres and culture of his time; how plays were written, performed, and printed; Shakespeare's genres; close readings of several of the plays; performance practice through the ages; some of the main branches of Shakespearean criticism, ranging from post-colonial and feminist to new historicism; Shakespeare on film and in translation; and Shakespeare online. While the last of those categories is hopelessly outdated, the rest remains invaluable.
What the editors get right is that each chapter is written with a scholarly air, rather than presenting "Shakespeare for Dummies!". At the same time, I wish that some of my Penguin or Arden editions chose to include a few of these morsels. The plain-speaking explanation of the difference between iambs, trochees and spondees will be of much use to someone approaching Shakespeare with trepidation. Each chapter also includes a bibliography for suggested reading, which should be able to direct the keen reader to a wealth of knowledge.
Of course, at the end of the day, most chapters are roughly 10 pages long. This is an overview, and a ground-level one at that. But, after all, the joy of Shakespeare is in the discovery. I recommend this book to all - even if you're fairly well-read - as you'll find many avenues to explore in the future.… (more)