The figure of Hamlet haunts our culture like the ghost haunts Shakespearersquo;s melancholy Dane. Arguably; no literary work is more familiar to us. Everyone knows at least six words from Hamlet; and most people know many more. Yet the playmdash;Shakespearersquo;s longestmdash;is more than ldquo;passing strange;rdquo; and it becomes even more complex when considered closely. Reading Hamlet alongside other writers; philosophers; and psychoanalystsmdash;Carl Schmitt; Walter Benjamin; Freud; Lacan; Nietzsche; Melville; and Joycemdash;Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster go in search of a particularly modern drama that is as much about ourselves as it is a product of Shakespearersquo;s imagination. They also offer a startling interpretation of the action onstage: it is structured around ldquo;nothingrdquo;mdash;or; in the enigmatic words of the player queen; ldquo;it nothing must.rdquo; From the illusion of theater and the spectacle of statecraft to the psychological interplay of inhibition and emotion; Hamlet discloses the modern paradox of our lives: how thought and action seem to pull against each other; the one annulling the possibility of the other. As a counterweight to Hamletrsquo;s melancholy paralysis; Ophelia emerges as the playrsquo;s true hero. In her madness; she lives the love of which Hamlet is incapable. Avoiding the customary clicheacute;s about the timelessness of the Bard; Critchley and Webster show the timely power of Hamlet to cast light on the intractable dilemmas of human existence in a world that is rotten and out of joint.
#3738642 in eBooks 2012-12-28 2012-12-28File Name: B00AUAGFHM
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Better for the coffee-table than a KindleBy DebChaMy father was one of many Boy Scout guides at this 1939/40 Worlds Fair in NYC. I bought him a Kindle for his birthday along with this book. While he thoroughly enjoyed going down memory lane and sharing the many stories in great detail of his personal experiences as a guide; I think he wouldve enjoyed this more as a coffee-table book; (as it may have originally been intended); rather than see the great images on a small format...too much detail is lost in translation.That said; the book was a welcome gift because it took him back to a simpler and happier time in his life.11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. The World of Tomorrow....By Michael ValdivielsoThe New York Worlds fair; in 1939 and 1940; was New Yorks crack at selling itself and the nations industry to the world. 3-D movies; robots; buildings designed to be the homes and business centers of the future fill the photos of this book. The idea of the fair; to give New York a new image was overwhelmed by the imagination and energy put into the fair by the artists; architects; industrial designers; and millions of others. The fair was about science and business and a better tomorrow. The book is almost like a guide to the fair; starting with a very detailed map and than exploring every area of the fair; building by building; exhibit by exhibit. New cars; radios; televisions; phones and the promise of a wonderful future was the theme. The fact that war was just around the corner just makes these dreams seem all the more fragile and lovely; like flowers we know are about to be crushed.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Which is what I love about the booksellersBy robert petricekI had purchased this book when it was first published. Which is what I love about the booksellers; like this one; on . They can help you repurchase books that you have lost for a long time.