Alice B. reviewed All's Well That Ends Well (Folger Shakespeare Library) on + 3559 more book reviews
Now, there is no doubt that I will teach exclusively from the Folger edition of Shakespeare's plays when I have the good fortune to teach a Shakespeare class, as I did this summer. As I have written in previous reviews of editions of Shakespeare's plays, the Folger Shakespeare Library is the most accessible for students to use and for me to teach from. The Folger "All's Well That Ends Well" went over very well with the class.
Of course, there is the play itself which my students didn't think they would enjoy as much as "Othello" or "Macbeth". I could understand their preconceptions; they knew "To be or not to be" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow". There are no very famous quotes from this play. In any event, they equated Shakespeare with tragedies. They were surprised by "All's Well That Ends Well". They were shocked by the sexual references and the entire "bed-switching" concept. They loved to hate Parolles and laughed with satisfaction when he is undone.
What makes this edition preferable for students are the face-to-face footnoting and explications. Students appreciate not having to flip to the back of the book or have the bottom of the page (and, therefore, the flow of the reading) cut through by footnotes. And finally, there is the price. The Folger Shakespeare Library is always reasonably priced. This is a major factor when you consider what students are already paying for their college education.
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Of course, there is the play itself which my students didn't think they would enjoy as much as "Othello" or "Macbeth". I could understand their preconceptions; they knew "To be or not to be" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow". There are no very famous quotes from this play. In any event, they equated Shakespeare with tragedies. They were surprised by "All's Well That Ends Well". They were shocked by the sexual references and the entire "bed-switching" concept. They loved to hate Parolles and laughed with satisfaction when he is undone.
What makes this edition preferable for students are the face-to-face footnoting and explications. Students appreciate not having to flip to the back of the book or have the bottom of the page (and, therefore, the flow of the reading) cut through by footnotes. And finally, there is the price. The Folger Shakespeare Library is always reasonably priced. This is a major factor when you consider what students are already paying for their college education.
Gift copy!
