{"product_id":"shakespearean-melancholy-j-f-bernard-9781474462716","title":"Shakespearean Melancholy: Philosophy, Form and the Transformation of Comedy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArgues that Shakespeare transforms philosophies of comedy and melancholy by revising them concomitantly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIconic as \u003cem\u003eHamlet\u003c\/em\u003e is, Shakespearean comedy showcases an extraordinary reliance on melancholy that ultimately reminds us of the porous demarcation between laughter and sorrow. This richly contextualized study of Shakespeare's comic engagement with sadness contends that the playwright rethinks melancholy through comic theatre and conversely, re-theorizes comedy through melancholy. In fashioning his own comic interpretation of the humour, Shakespeare distils an impressive array of philosophical discourses on the matter, from Aristotle to Robert Burton and as a result, transforms the theoretical afterlife of both notions. The book suggests that the deceptively potent sorrow at the core of plays such as \u003cem\u003eThe Comedy of Errors\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTwelfth Night\u003c\/em\u003e, or \u003cem\u003eThe Winter's Tale\u003c\/em\u003e influences modern accounts of melancholia elaborated by Sigmund Freud, Judith Butler, and others. What's so funny about melancholy in Shakespearean comedy? It might just be its reminder that, behind roaring laughter, one inevitably finds the subtle pangs of melancholy. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eOffers new readings of nine Shakespearean comedies centred on their extensive, interconnected treatments of melancholy\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eUnderscores Shakespeare's significant revisions of philosophical discourses on melancholy, both classical and early modern, while tailoring the concept to specific comic purposes\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eArgues that the particular sense of melancholy that Shakespeare develops throughout his comic canon informs later theorizations of melancholia and related concepts in psychoanalysis, performance studies and affect theory\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eContributes to the ongoing interdisciplinary critical effort to deepen our understanding of the nature, history and impact of melancholy on Western culture by drawing particular attention to its conflation of emotional and artistic overtones\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e J. F. Bernard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1474462715\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781474462716\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Edinburgh University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/04\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.70d","brand":"J. F. Bernard","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43941761384703,"sku":"9781474462716","price":37.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_955dc1cc-f3de-49b0-9b3b-fe5421ab48ae.jpg?v=1681454814","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/shakespearean-melancholy-j-f-bernard-9781474462716","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}