|
![]() |
|||
|
||||
OverviewShakespeare's plays have attracted continuous critical attention since his death, and editing his plays became a particularly fashionable activity in the eighteenth century. Of those editors, Samuel Johnson is the most famous. Originally proposed in 1745, Johnson's edition of Shakespeare's Plays was abandoned, and only resurfaced after the completion of his monumental Dictionary. The first Johnson edition of Shakespeare's Plays appeared in 8 volumes in 1765. Unlike many previous editors, Johnson was generous in his acknowledgement of collaborators and previous scholarship. In contrast to Pope, he not only expressed approval or disapproval in his notes but also went into detail about his reasons. Boswell spoke of the Johnson Preface ""in which the excellencies and defects of that immortal bard are displayed with a masterly hand"". However, the textual editing in this first edition was considered disappointing. George Steevens, who had a tremendous knowledge of early dramatic literature, successfully rectified this and produced with Johnson a new 10 volume edition in 1773. This edition was greatly praised, and both editions made further revisions and improvements for the 1778 edition reprinted here. This, the last edition to appear in Johnson's lifetime, represents his complete and final commentary on Shakespeare. Of added interest is the two volume supplement by Edmund Malone. This further enhanced the edition by adding sonnets and a selection of attributed plays. Published two years later, it was specifically intended as a companion to this edition. With a wealth of commentators included, this edition is an important document for studying eighteenth century Shakespeare scholarship, and offers an invaluable insight into Johnson both as critic and editor. Full Product DetailsAuthor: William Shakespeare , Samuel Johnson , George Steevens , Nick GroomPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd Imprint: Routledge/Thoemmes Press, an imprint of Taylor & F Edition: New ed of 1778 ed Weight: 0.127kg ISBN: 9780415120708ISBN 10: 0415120705 Pages: 7402 Publication Date: 19 October 1995 Audience: College/higher education , Undergraduate , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Awaiting stock ![]() The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you. Table of ContentsReviewsAuthor InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |