Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespear
Rowe, Nicholas, 1674-1718Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 3.8- Word count
- 74K words
- Chapters
- 8
Tags
English Originals Literary Figures Historical ReappraisalPortrait GalleryBiographical LiteratureLiterary GiantsWestern ThoughtAcademic StudyIntellectual CommentarySummary
Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespear (1709) by Nicholas RoweAuthor: Rowe, Nicholas, 1674-1718,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 12, 2005Editor's review
This is one of the earliest biographies of Shakespeare, written by Nicholas Rowe in 1709, and it holds pioneering significance in Shakespearean scholarship. Although some details in its account of Shakespeare's life, work, and times have since been corrected, it laid the basic framework for Shakespeare biography writing for more than two centuries thereafter. Rowe, a playwright and poet, writes in the elegant style of the early eighteenth century, so readers can encounter both early legends about Shakespeare and the shape of biographical writing in the early modern period. The book is short and suitable as introductory source material for Shakespeare studies or as further reading for those interested in English literary history and the history of biography. It is best read alongside later textual scholarship, so that one can appreciate the value of an early biography while also understanding methods of source criticism. The Project Gutenberg edition is easy to search and cite, making it a convenient desk reference.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Professional readers studying Shakespeare's life and the history of Shakespearean scholarship
- Literature enthusiasts interested in eighteenth-century English biographical writing
- Chinese literature students who need early Shakespearean source materials
- Advanced readers who enjoy English classical prose and are willing to read the original text
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking the latest conclusions of Shakespearean textual scholarship
- Beginners in English who would struggle with eighteenth-century English prose
- Readers who only want Shakespeare's plays themselves rather than biography
Reading tips
- Read the preface and table of contents first to understand Rowe's purpose in writing, then read the main text.
- Read alongside a modern Shakespeare biography and mark claims in Rowe's book that later scholars have corrected.
- Excerpt passages on Shakespeare's early years and theatrical career to make source notes.
- For the English original, use an annotated edition or a Chinese translation alongside it to reduce difficulty.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
FAQ
Is this book an authoritative biography of Shakespeare?
Not in the modern sense of an authoritative biography. It is an early biography written by Nicholas Rowe in 1709 and an important document in the history of Shakespearean scholarship, but several details have since been corrected. It is suitable as source material and material for the history of scholarship, not as a final verdict.What level of English is needed to read this book?
The original is early eighteenth-century English, with syntax and vocabulary that differ from modern English. Readers with strong English reading ability are advised to read the original directly; others may use annotations or a Chinese translation alongside it.What is the connection between this book and Project Gutenberg?
This book is a free ebook edition provided by Project Gutenberg, a platform founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and dedicated to producing and distributing free ebooks. This book is the electronic text of Rowe's Shakespeare biography included there.This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Rowe, Nicholas, 1674-1718 Author · British · 1674–1718Nicholas Rowe (1674–1718) was an English playwright and poet who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1715. His career spanned both drama and poetry. His representative play Jane Shore draws on historical figures and displays his skill in portraying human fate and emotion. In addition to his plays, he wrote Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespear, an important early biographical document that provides valuable reference for later generations seeking to understand Shakespeare's life. Rowe's plays are noted for their fluent language and sincere emotion, and he held a certain influence in the early eighteenth-century English literary world. Because public information is limited, the details of his life and the full scope of his work cannot be presented in depth, yet the two works at hand sufficiently demonstrate his contributions to drama and biographical writing.