Preface to Shakespeare (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Samuel Johnson
- First Published: 1765
- Type of Work: Literary criticism
- Genres: Criticism, Nonfiction
- Subjects: Authors or writers, Literature, Poetry or poets, Eighteenth century, Drama or dramatists, Shakespeare, William, or Shakespearean plays
Critical Evaluation:
Samuel Johnson’s preface to The Plays of William Shakespeare has long been considered a classic document of English literary criticism. In it Johnson sets forth his editorial principles and gives an appreciative analysis of the “excellences” and “defects” of the work of the great Elizabethan dramatist. Many of his points have become fundamental tenets of modern criticism; others give greater insight into Johnson’s prejudice than into Shakespeare’s genius. The resonant prose of the preface adds authority to the views of its author.
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