William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations)

Considered the world's cheif authority on Shakespeare, Harold Bloom is now in his 46th year of teaching at Yale University. His latest book How to Read and Why joins a prodigious literary output which includes the editorship of this flagship study guide series.

Grade 9 Up -This solid entry in the series begins with a brief biography of Shakespeare, a discussion of the play's sources, and a list of characters. The body of the book consists of a fairly lengthy summary and analysis written by Bloom and 10 critical essays, reprinted from other scholarly sources, analyzing various aspects of the play. A number of these essays address popular research topics such as Shakespeare and adolescence; the characters of Friar Lawrence, Mercutio, and the Nurse; and the Capulets' role in their daughter's death. There is a good annotated bibliography, although most of the sources listed would only be available in academic libraries. Because this play is so frequently taught at the high school level, this guide would be a useful addition to most collections.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.