Shakespearersquo;s works occupy a prismatic and complex position in world culture: they straddle both the high and the low; the national and the foreign; literature and theatre. The Second World War presents a fascinating case study of this phenomenon: most; if not all; of its combatants have laid claim to Shakespeare and have called upon his work to convey their societyrsquo;s self-image.In wartime; such claims frequently brought to the fore a crisis of cultural identity and of competing ownership of this lsquo;universalrsquo; author. Despite this; the role of Shakespeare during the Second World War has not yet been examined or documented in any depth. Shakespeare and the Second World War provides the first sustained international; collaborative incursion into this terrain. The essays demonstrate how the wide variety of ways in which Shakespeare has been recycled; reviewed; and reinterpreted from 1939ndash;1945 are both illuminated by and continue to illuminate the War today.
#2950935 in eBooks 2012-09-18 2013-08-08File Name: B00A7G3NWY
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. How Palladio worked.By Bertram C. FreyRybczynski is a down-to-earth writer about his experiences. It is especially informative to get an architects perspective about how things worked.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Masterful JourneyBy Darlene MarwitzRenting a car in the Veneto and following Rybczynskis footsteps to see numerous Palladian villas; first hand---is the perfect way to devour this book. Enjoyed every word and kilometer of the journey when I did it!3 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Ever Thoughtful and LucidBy A CustomerWitold Rybczynski is the best contemporary writer on architecture as a mundane philosophy; and the genius of this quiet book is to merge travelogue and andecdotal memoir with the more monumental history of art and place in which studies of Palladio usually traffic. Rybczynskis dilatory and patient; witty and earthy prose is; in my view; the writerly equivalent of the best buildings architecture has to offer. Like the best buildings; his writing creates a "comfort zone" we as readers would gladly inhabit. I encourage anyone to read this book who has an interest in--but vague suspicion or fear of--architecture as a discipline. Through a subtle yet finally forceful style; Rybczynski demonstrates how the demotic and practical dimension of the architectural "science" always trumps the obscurantist and elitist postures of those who make--as well as those who can actually afford to buy--a designer building.