A review by jasonfurman
The Age of Shakespeare by Frank Kermode

4.0

An excellent short book on Shakespeare and his world by noted critic Frank Kermode (who died earlier this week). It provides background on Shakespeare's life, the theater in Shakespeare's time, and a brief overview of many of his plays -- fit into the context of his artistic development and external circumstances. As could be expected from the author of a book called "Shakespeare's language," it is strong on the language in the plays, how it varies from character to character, the difficulty of differentiating voices in the Roman plays, and the varieties of verse that Shakespeare employed.