Nothing Like the Sun (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Anthony Burgess
- First Published: 1964
- Type of Work: Pseudo-biographical fiction
- Time of Work: The Elizabethan period
- Setting: Stratford and London
- Principal Characters: William Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway, The Earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley, Fatimah, Mistress Lucy, The Dark Lady
- Genres: Long fiction, Biographical fiction
- Subjects: Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Art or artists, Marriage, Poetry or poets, Writing, Obsession, England or English people, London, Sixteenth century, Drama or dramatists
- Locales: England, London, England, Stratford-upon-Avon, England
The Novel
Anthony Burgess’ novel provides a rich, deeply imaginative picture of the inner world of William Shakespeare. From the subtitle, “A Story of Shakespeare’s Love-Life,” one anticipates an attempt to resolve those various Shakespearean mysteries—Who was the narcissistic “young man” of the sonnets? Who was the Dark Lady? What was the relationship between the three?—and from Burgess’ dedication of his “farewell lecture” (this novel) to those students “who complained that Shakespeare had nothing to give to the East,” one finds even richer...
[The entire page is 2080 words long]
