William Shakespeare

Masefield, John, 1878-1967Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 285K words
Chapters: 29

Summary

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.William Shakespeare by John MasefieldAuthor: Masefield, John, 1878-1967,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 15, 2008

Editor's review

This is a critical biography of Shakespeare by the English poet and novelist John Masefield, a typical specimen of early twentieth-century men of letters writing on Shakespeare. It does not aim at a documentary reconstruction of the life but discusses the language, characters, and stage effects of Shakespeare's plays through the eyes of a fellow poet; the prose carries a clear literary relish and personal judgment, reading more like a long essay than a scholarly monograph. For readers familiar with Shakespeare's plays, its feel for verse rhythm and dramatic tension is worth consulting; for beginners, it offers a warm introductory path, though some views bear the marks of their time and should be set against modern Shakespeare scholarship. This is an English-language eBook released by Project Gutenberg, in the public domain, suitable as ancillary reading alongside Shakespeare's plays rather than as an authoritative biography or scholarly source.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature lovers who have read several Shakespeare plays and want a poet's perspective
General readers who wish to approach Shakespeare through essays
Literature students studying early twentieth-century British Shakespeare criticism

Not a good fit for

Rigorous researchers needing the latest scholarly evidence and biographical facts
Complete beginners to Shakespeare who need a systematic introduction
Readers who only want the plays themselves and care nothing for criticism

Reading tips

Read representative plays such as Hamlet and King Lear first, then the relevant chapters, to grasp the author's specific judgments more easily.
Treat the views as one person's opinion; where they diverge from contemporary research, check other sources.
Use it as companion reading: turn to the corresponding part after finishing each play, rather than reading it straight through.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project 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.

FAQ

Is this book a biography of Shakespeare?

It is closer to a literary-critical biography than a strict biography. The author, as a poet, discusses the artistic features and creative character of Shakespeare's plays; biographical facts are not the book's focus.

Are its views still reliable today?

As early twentieth-century Shakespeare criticism, it has value for its literary sensibility, but some judgments carry the limitations of their time; read it against modern scholarship rather than citing it as settled fact.

What background do I need before reading?

Ideally you have read several major Shakespeare plays and have basic English reading ability. If Shakespeare is entirely new to you, start with an introductory guide or a performance before taking up this book.

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About the author

Masefield, John, 1878-1967 Author

John Masefield (1878–1967) was a British poet and writer, and this library holds fourteen of his works. His range is broad: poems set against the sea and the countryside, such as Salt-Water Ballads, Dauber and Reynard the Fox; adventure stories for young readers like Jim Davis and Martin Hyde, the Duke's Messenger; documentary works drawn from his wartime experience, including Gallipoli and The Old Front Line; and narratives of voyaging and exploration such as On the Spanish Main. His verse is brisk in rhythm and vivid in imagery, often centred on ordinary sailors and country people, with a strong narrative drive; his prose and fiction prize plot momentum and scene-setting, making them highly readable. The library files his work under inspirational coming-of-age writing, reflecting Chinese readers' interest in his themes of adventure and growth. Public information is limited, so this sketch rests on the works held here.