Midsummer Night's Dream: Language and Writing

Arden Student Skills: Language and Writing volumes provide a new study aid that combines critical insight with practical guidance on writing skills to engage fully with Shakespeare's texts. The focus is on language, understanding, and enjoying Shakespeare's complex dramatic language, and expanding critical vocabulary. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a perfect play for exploring Shakespeare's diverse uses of language to reveal character and themes. The guide offers a detailed examination and analysis of the play, focusing on its literary, technical, and historical intricacies, and its critical reception. Each chapter includes a writing matters section that links the analysis of Shakespeare's language to your own writing strategies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 10 December 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Arden Student Skills: Language and Writing volumes present a groundbreaking study aid that seamlessly blends vibrant critical analysis with practical guidance on the writing skills required to fully engage with Shakespeare's profound texts. At the heart of this comprehensive series lies a profound focus on language, encompassing both a deep understanding and genuine appreciation of Shakespeare's intricate dramatic language and the expansion of one's critical vocabulary as one responds to his plays. Each guide within the series empowers readers to confidently read and write about Shakespeare, fostering a greater enthusiasm for his works.

A Midsummer Night's Dream serves as an ideal play for delving into Shakespeare's diverse linguistic techniques, which he employs to unveil the characters and themes within the play. From the formal iambics and rhyming couplets of courtiers and lovers to the whimsical "warbling notes and nursery rhythms" of fairies, and even the stout prose of the artisan players, including Bottom's comedic malapropisms, Shakespeare showcases a wide range of linguistic styles. An introductory chapter delves into the historical context of the play's composition, exploring when and how it was written. It also addresses the language that Shakespeare employed to create A Midsummer Night's Dream, as well as the generic, literary, and theatrical conventions at his disposal. The chapter then proceeds to conduct a detailed examination and analysis of the play, focusing on its literary, technical, and historical intricacies. Additionally, it explores the critical reception of the play, providing an account of its film adaptations.

To enhance the learning experience, each chapter includes a dedicated "Writing Matters" section, which effectively connects the analysis of Shakespeare's language to one's own writing strategies in coursework and examinations. This seamless linkage ensures that readers can apply the insights gained from studying Shakespeare's language language to their own writing endeavors, fostering a deeper understanding and mastery of the craft.

By embracing the Arden Student Skills: Language and Writing volumes, readers embark on a transformative journey into the world of Shakespearean literature. These comprehensive guides, combining critical insight with practical guidance.

Weight: 426g
Dimension: 223 x 146 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350103887