Kate Emery Pogue
ISBN:
0-275-99510-0
ISBN-13:
978-0-275-99510-2
232 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication:
6/30/2008
Availability:
In Stock
Media Type:
Hardcover
Trim Size:
6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Reviews:
-
"A skeptical reader might turn away from such a work, but in fact the book has value. Few studies more candidly illustrate the "vertiginous expanse" between the "sublimity" of the literary oeuvre and the "mundane inconsequence" (to borrow Samuel Schoenbaum's apt phraseology) of the documentary life of the alleged author...Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty."
—CHOICE
2/1/2009
-
"Absorbing and informative, this is one of those unusual books that has a place either on your office bookshelf or on your coffee table at home."
—Studies in English Literature
Spring 2009
Description:
While many things about Shakespeare's life are unknown, certainly, like everyone else, he had a family. This book gathers into a single source as much information as possible concerning Shakespeare's immediate family, from his grandfathers on the maternal and paternal sides to his granddaughter, the last member of his direct family line. But readers may ask, to what extent did the relationships in the plays reflect the actual familial structures of Shakespeare's day? To what extent did Shakespeare experience personally the familial dynamics about which he wrote so eloquently? And to what extent were Shakespeare's own family experiences typical or atypical of other Elizabethan or Jacobean families? These questions can be addressed because more is known of Shakespeare's family than of the families of any of his fellow writers and actors. For several generations members of Shakespeare's family were important local figures in and around Stratford-upon-Avon, and, fortunately, from the Middle Ages until the present day, Stratford-upon-Avon has been one of the best-documented towns in England.
While many things about Shakespeare's life are unknown, certainly, like everyone else, he had a family. This book gathers into a single source as much information as possible concerning Shakespeare's immediate family, from his grandfathers on the maternal and paternal sides to his granddaughter, the last member of his direct family line. But readers may ask, to what extent did the relationships in the plays reflect the actual familial structures of Shakespeare's day? To what extent did Shakespeare experience personally the familial dynamics about which he wrote so eloquently? And to what extent were Shakespeare's own family experiences typical or atypical of other Elizabethan or Jacobean families? These questions can be addressed because more is known of Shakespeare's family than of the families of any of his fellow writers and actors. For several generations, members of Shakespeare's family were important local figures in and around Stratford-upon-Avon, and, fortunately, from the Middle Ages until the present day Stratford-upon-Avon has been one of the best-documented towns in England.
In vivid detail, Pogue provides an overview of the various members of Shakespeare's family and, where possible, draws conclusions concerning Shakespeare's relationships with his various family members. Further, the author notes to what extent Shakespeare's family experiences were typical or atypical of the time, and includes at the end of each chapter a discussion of scenes from Shakespeare's plays presenting the relevant familial relationship, juxtaposing the relational scenes he wrote with what we know of his own experience. Such a comparison impresses us once again not just with his skill at holding the mirror up to the nature of his time, but with the imaginative insight into humanity that lay at the heart of his dramatic genius.
Table of Contents:
-
Dedication and Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction: The Shakespeares and Elizabethan Family Life
Chapter One Shakespeares Grandfathers
Chapter Two Shakespeares Father
Chapter Three Shakespeares Uncle
Chapter Four Shakespeares Mother
Chapter Five Shakespeares Brothers
Chapter Six Shakespeares Sisters
Chapter Seven Shakespeares Wife
Chapter Eight Shakespeares Children
Chapter Nine Shakespeares Sons-in-Law
Chapter Ten Shakespeares Grandchildren
Chapter Eleven Shakespeares Aunts
Chapter Twelve Shakespeares Cousins
Chapter Thirteen Shakespeares In-Laws
Chapter Fourteen Shakespeares Nephews and Niece
Chapter Fifteen Conclusion
Chapter Sixteen Family Relationships in Shakespeares Plays
Appendices
:Appendix A: Family Relationships in Shakespeares Plays, a Complete List
Appendix B: Plays and Players in Stratford: Did Shakespeares Family Ever See His Plays?
Appendix C: Katherine and Petruchio, Journey to a Happy Marriage
Index
Selected Bibliography
About the Author:
Kate Emery Pogue is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Drama, University of Houston- Downtown. She is a playwright, Shakespearean actress, teacher, producer, and director. For ten years she was the Artistic Director of the Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival. In addition to the 14 productions she directed for that company, she has directed for the Houston Shakespeare Festival, Summer Shakespeare at Notre Dame, Bucknell University, Houston Community College, and the University of Houston-Downtown. She founded and for 20 years was head of the Drama Department at Houston Community College Central College, and on a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she was one of 18 teachers selected nationwide to participate in the Folger Shakespeare Library's Teaching Shakespeare through Performance project. She is the author of Shakespeare's Friends (Praeger, 2006).
www.greenwood.com/catalog/C9510.aspx
