Tony Tanner (1935–1998)
Autor/a de Jane Austen
Sobre l'autor
Obres de Tony Tanner
Scenes of Nature, Signs of Man: Essays on 19th and 20th Century American Literature (1987) 11 exemplars
Moby Dick 6 exemplars
Henry James and the Art of Nonfiction (Jack N. and Addie D. Averitt Lecture, No. 4) (1995) 4 exemplars
Henry James: The Writer and His Work 3 exemplars
The Pleasure Girls [Blu-ray] 1 exemplars
Obres associades
Seny i sentiment (1811) — Introducció, algunes edicions; Editor, algunes edicions — 37,891 exemplars
Granta 2: George Steiner, The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. (1980) — Col·laborador — 36 exemplars
Etiquetat
Coneixement comú
- Nom oficial
- Tanner, Paul Antony
- Data de naixement
- 1935-03-18
- Data de defunció
- 1998-12-05
- Gènere
- male
- Nacionalitat
- UK
- Lloc de naixement
- London, England, UK
- Llocs de residència
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Educació
- University of Cambridge (Jesus College)
Raynes Park County Grammar School - Professions
- English scholar
literary critic - Organitzacions
- University of Cambridge
- Premis i honors
- Harkness Fellowship
Fellow of King's College, Cambridge
Membres
Ressenyes
Llistes
Potser també t'agrada
Autors associats
Estadístiques
- Obres
- 18
- També de
- 10
- Membres
- 378
- Popularitat
- #63,851
- Valoració
- 4.1
- Ressenyes
- 6
- ISBN
- 51
- Llengües
- 1
Tanner was of the old guard, and his work resounds with a respect for the creator's intention while also acknowledging the work as literature, as poetry, as a living, changing mass whose intention and effect will vary with each passing generation and audience. In this, he succeeds. Tanner elucidates the comedies, histories, tragedies, Greek and Roman plays, and finally romances, with a fine toothcomb. He intelligently plucks out lines for multiple meanings and sharp insights, while always acknowledging the basic necessities of analysing older material:
1) Not everything is intentional, no, but often the little moments reveal so much to us;
2) Even when elements are often unintentional, an artist (I can personally attest to this) may make connections unconsciously that later reveal themselves; and
3) Despite our best guesses, we can rarely - if ever - know what Shakespeare was thinking. He died 400 years ago. Let's accept that.
Within this framework, Tanner gives a gloriously old-school introduction to each one of Shakespeare's generally accepted plays.
Like any work, of course, there are elements that could be seen as flaws. Tanner is cannier (or at least, more clear) on some genres - the comedies and romances particularly - than perhaps in the tragedies and the Greek plays, but perhaps this is just because of the elements he has chosen to highlight. There are certain words and phrases he overuses, although these prefaces were not originally - or even, really, now for most readers - intended to be read together. His lack of providing footnotes and references could occasionally leave younger readers confused, as he may reference a literary or classical point without providing context. And - although it's not Tanner's fault - his archaic use of words (particularly verbs) would undoubtedly be perplexing to many readers. To me, that last one is a plus: I love that when Tanner says "of all Shakespeare's tragedies, this is the worst", he doesn't mean "play sux, y'all", he means "is most filled with a sorrow and grief that has no justification".
Fascinating stuff. And, at the end of the day, it's increasingly rare to read intelligent material that treats the reader as equal while discussing this greatest of playwrights. Tanner is an academic almost without bias, writing with fervour and passion for his subject. These prefaces - read in the larger context of Shakespearean scholarship - have a lot to teach us.… (més)