156543
9780691102573
"[T]his highly instructive investigation of the role of spirits from the other world in Shakespeare is in several respects Stephen Greenblatt's finest work since his early RENAISSANCE SELF-FASHIONING....Turning at last to HAMLET, Greenblatt shows the compelling relevance to the play of the imagery and the spiritual regimen of purgatory. His writing here is poised, precise and, when the occasion requires, eloquent, and he is consistently deft -- and to my mind convincing...HAMLET IN PURGATORY is an exemplary work of historically informed literary interpretation. It patiently deciphers for modern readers elements of a forgotten language of theology that gives color and force to certain literary works of the age, and such cultural archaeology is surely one of the principal justifications for the academic study of literature created in earlier times."Greenblatt, Stephen is the author of 'Hamlet in Purgatory', published 2002 under ISBN 9780691102573 and ISBN 0691102570.
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