Having given the evidence for William Shakespeares Catholicism in two previous books; literary biographer Joseph Pearce turns his attention in this work to the Bards most famous play; Romeo and Juliet."Star-crossed" Romeo and Juliet are Shakespeares most famous lovers and perhaps the most well-known lovers in literary history. Though the young pair has been held up as a romantic ideal; the play is a tragedy; ending in death. What then; asks Pearce; is Shakespeare saying about his protagonists? Are they the hapless victims of fate; or are they partly to blame for their deaths? Is their love the "real thing"; or is it self-indulgent passion? And what about the adults in their lives? Did they give the young people the example and guidance that they needed?The Catholic understanding of sexual desire; and its need to be ruled by reason; is on display in Romeo and Juliet; argues Pearce. The play is not a paean to romance but a cautionary tale about the naiuml;veteacute; and folly of youthful infatuation and the disastrous consequences of poor parenting. The well-known characters and their oft-quoted lines are rich in symbolic meaning that points us in the direction of the age-old wisdom of the Church.Although such a reading of Romeo and Juliet is countercultural in an age that glorifies the heedless and headless heart of young love; Pearce makes his case through a meticulous engagement with Shakespeare and his age and with the text of the play itself.
#585890 in eBooks 2013-04-12 2013-04-12File Name: B00CJJWSSM
Review
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful. Mediocre - Not entirely a waste of money; but close.By CustomerThere are several things to be aware of if ordering this book. 1) first; it is clearly a beginners book and is not really for intermediate players at all. 2) all of the songs are in the same couple of keys; G; C; A; even when those keys are not the best for the tune at hand. They were apparently arranged in these keys because they provide a lot open notes which make the playing easier to finger for beginners at the expense of harmony. They just do not always sound very good. The two exceptions; in my opinion; are Moon River and Yesterday. These tunes lay very nicely in the key of G and both sound pretty good when played in first position with lots of open strings. Unfortunately I cant say this is true for the other tunes in this portfolio. 3) Not all the tunes included are true standards. Cant Help Falling in Love; I just Called to Say I Love You; The Way We Were; Unchained Melody and You Are So Beautiful are nice enough as pop songs; but they are not true standards. They should probably be in a different collection; perhaps Fingerpicking Love Songs; and appear to be included here only as "filler"; probably to get the song count up. This collection might be OK for an absolute beginner who just wants to learn a specific melody or two; but will not satisfy an intermediate player who wants solid; correctly harmonized arrangements of 17 true standards.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What I needBy ButchActually still checking it out. Ive just started to learn fingerpicking and this book is a good start for me.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Three StarsBy DennisOk; but wouldnt buy it again.