September 2023 MBR The Literary Studies Shelf

The Literary Studies Shelf

The Tragedy of the Sack of Cabrieres
Charles-Louis Morand-Metivier
ACMRS Press
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
https://acmrspress.com
9780866986441, $70.02, HC, 262pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Cabri%C3%A8res-Medieval-Renaissance-Studies/dp/0866986448

Synopsis: April 1542 saw a massacre of epic proportions in the Luberon, in southeastern France, of its Waldensian population, who had been peacefully living there after they settled in a few centuries before. This massacre foreshadowed the wars of religion, which tore apart the kingdom for almost forty years.

The Tragedie du Sac de Cabrieres is the only play devoted to these events. This is a critical edition and English translation of the French play. Three critical editions of the play have been published in 1927, 1928, and 1998, and this new edition complements the previous works. This is the first English translation of the play and makes it available to an international audience of scholars and students of the early modern period.

This edition "translates" the moment of the play's creation, the representation of the event, and its importance in the narrative of religious persecutions in sixteenth-century France. It explains how history is dramatized through the creation of the scenic story and scenic play of Cabrieres. and how the specific retelling of the events of Cabrieres makes this a tool of historical narration, thus allowing the audience to participate in the unfolding of history before their eyes. Therefore, they become part of history, because it is played before their eyes so that they can not only witness it but also propagate the glory of the martyrs for future generations.

This is not only a translation and a work of literary scholarship, it is an analysis of the literary, political, and religious production of this period, and a multidisciplinary analysis of Waldensianism in southeastern France.

Critique: A seminal work of impressively meticulous scholarship and fluency, this newly translated edition of "The Tragedy of the Sack of Cabrieres" into English from the original French by Professor Charles-Louis Morand-Metivier (who also provides an informative Introduction), is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, college, and university library Medieval/Renaissance Literary Studies and supplemental curriculum lists.

Editorial Note: Charles-Louis Morand-Metivier is an associate professor of French at the University of Vermont.

Appreciating Shakespeare
Gideon Rappaport
Independently Published
c/o D.G. Wills Books
http://www.dgwillsbooks.com
9798218127107, $22.99, PB, 532pp

https://www.amazon.com/Appreciating-Shakespeare-Gideon-Rappaport/dp/B0BSMW72G2

Synopsis: With the publication of "Appreciating Shakespeare", Gideon Rappaport makes easily available the essential literary tools for understanding and enjoying Shakespeare's plays and poems -- which means experiencing the deep and thrilling meanings of his works.

"Appreciating Shakespeare" is divided into two major sections.

Part 1 offers the background knowledge (about Shakespeare's life, language, poetic and dramatic techniques, theatrical context, and historical and cultural background) that help you to appreciate Shakespeare's works.

Part 2 offers short essays on twenty-two plays, pointing readers to the universally meaningful heart of each and illuminating themes often hidden or misrepresented in many stage and screen productions and critical writings.

There is also a chapter dedicated to analysis of a selection of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Critique: A brilliantly presented introduction to the literary excellence of Shakespeare in a format that will appeal to both students, academia, and non-specialist general readers alike, "Appreciating Shakespeare" by Professor Gideon Rappaport is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, highschool, college, and university library Shakespeare collections and supplemental Drama/Poetry Literary Criticism curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Gideon Rappaport has an honors B.A. in English Literature and Art History from Cowell College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and an M.A and Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. He has taught Shakespeare, British Literature, and Humanities at Hamilton College, SUNY Cortland, Concordia University, and the University of New Hampshire, and at The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California. He now teaches English at La Jolla Country Day School. His publications include "Measuring Measure for Measure" in Renascence, "Hamlet: Revenge and Readiness" in The Upstart Crow, Dusk and Dawn: Poems and Prose of Philip Thompson (One Mind Good Press, 2005), and various reviews and articles for the San Diego Union-Tribune and the San Diego Reader.

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