Tragedy: A Student Handbook (EMC Advanced Literature Series) - Softcover

The text is written by Dr Sean McEvoy (whose other books include Shakespeare the Basics and Hamlet: A Sourcebook) , with additional material by Tony Coult (About Friel) and Chris Sandford. All three authors are regular writers for emagazine

Tragedy: A Student Handbook deftly combines synopsis-level comments on a range on individual plays with introduction to sophisticated critical perspectives on them. I would certainly recommend it to first year undergraduates. Professor Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam University A wide-ranging, accessibly written and critically alert survey of tragedy and tragedies from Aeschylus to Edward Bond, particularly suggestive and helpful in its historical, philosophical and above all political contextualising of the genre. This book is certain to be of value to undergraduates encountering for the first time some of the most challenging texts in Western culture. Richard Jacobs, Brighton University With this book Sean McEvoy with Tony Coult and Chris Sandford are offering a great gift to beginning undergraduates - a lucid conspectus and map of the way tragedy has been written and understood throughout its long and troubling history. Their book's also sparky, nicely written and, in spite of its terrific scope, aesthetically engaged with a feast of vivid examples. Go and get your copy right away! Ewan Fernie, Reader in English, Royal Holloway Tragedy: A Student Handbook is an excellent resource. It gives students a comprehensive introduction to theories of tragedy from Aristotle to the present, and surveys a wide range of examples of tragic drama. Students are encouraged to think about competing interpretations of tragedy and to consider the ways in which dramatists pose questions about society, religion and the individual will. The book manages to be both accessible and challenging, an essential balance to be struck when writing for students at this level. Its breadth of coverage will offer teachers a number of suggestions for extending the range of tragedies studied in class. Carol Atherton, Bourne Grammar School and author of Defining Literary Criticism An invaluable A Level resource; accessible and informative for all students with lots of references to direct wider reading. Aisha Begum, Seven Kings High School, Redbridge