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9780190218652

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Richard McCoy has written an eloquent brief for theatrical faith as the central experience in Shakespeare's theatrical art. This faith is neither divine nor fraudulent; it eschews both metaphysics and cynicism. Instead it embraces what Coleridge famously called a 'willing suspension of disbelief,' a suspension McCoy celebrates as precious human achievement. Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern In this humane and accessible book, Richard McCoy leaves behind unanswerable debates about Shakespeare's own theology to concentrate instead on the plays' strong insistence on the restorative powers of theatrical illusion. With masterful readings of several plays, McCoy eloquently reminds us why we care about Shakespeare. Gail Kern Paster, Director Emerita, the Folger Shakespeare Library Richard C. McCoy's new book on faith in Shakespeare proposes neither the darkness of social criticism nor sectarian religious claims. For McCoy, the mutually dependent labors of Shakespeare's extraordinary writing and the active poetic faith of auditors and readers yields an enduring harvest of healing wonder at not only the huge costs but also the immense worth of 'human love amidst all its painful flaws.' Frank Whigham, author of Seizures of the Will in Early Modern English Drama Richard McCoy wrestles with one of the great mysteries of Shakespeare's art: how do the plays manage to compel belief, even in a skeptical age like our own? The result is a profound and illuminating study, one that will prove invaluable to playgoers, actors, and readers eager to understand how the plays work their magic. James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare Recommended. Choice

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Richard C. McCoy is Professor of English at Queens College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. He is the author of Alterations of State: Sacred Kingship in the English Reformation; The Rites of Knighthood: Literature and Politics of Elizabethan Chivalry; and Sir Philip Sidney: Rebellion in Arcadia.

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