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Doctor Faustus (Norton Critical Editions) Paperback – February 11, 2005
Renaissance England’s great tragedy of intellectual overreaching is as relevant and unsettling today as it was when first performed at the end of the sixteenth century.
This edition provides newly edited texts of both the 1604 (A-Text) and 1616 (B-Text) versions of the play, each with detailed explanatory annotations. "Sources and Contexts" includes a generous selection from Marlowe’s main source, The Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Dr. John Faustus, along with contemporary writings on magic and religion (including texts by Agrippa, Calvin, and Perkins) that establish the play’s intellectual background. This volume also reprints early documents relating to the writing and publication of the play and to its first performances, along with contemporary comments on Marlowe’s scandalous reputation. Twenty-five carefully chosen interpretations―written from the eighteenth century to the present―allow students to enrich their critical understanding of the play. These diverse critical essays include classic analyses by Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and A. C. Swinburne, among others, and recent criticism from, among others, Michael Neill, Katharine Eisaman Maus, Alison Findlay, Stephen Orgel, and David Bevington. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included.- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
- Publication dateFebruary 11, 2005
- Dimensions5.1 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100393977544
- ISBN-13978-0393977547
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Product details
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; New Ed edition (February 11, 2005)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0393977544
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393977547
- Item Weight : 13 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.1 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #465,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #497 in British & Irish Dramas & Plays
- #25,171 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020I bought this book for a class, and I’m sure that this play can be found online, but I really loved the inclusion of the A and B text as well as the inclusion of supplemental reads. 10/10 worth it.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2013It's amazing how much I can have forgotten of the Classics after 40+ years! I re-read this as the backdrop to several, much lighter novels...Deborah Harkness, author, 'Shadow of Night' among others. Deborah Harkness is an author that has inspired me to more historical reads than I would have ever imagined! As is always the case, to re-read any classic with aged eyes is enlightening to the soul and the journey...point of view having matured.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2013I purchased the book to add to my book collection of Doctor Faustus play
The intrepretations presented in the Norton Editions are stimulating but
some are a little dated. I find the book informative and will add it to
my book collection. The book arrived on time and in good condition.
Charles
- Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2016Great book! THe classic story of a man selling his soul to satan, but whos the real villian? satan, who buys the soul, or faustus who forsakes his fate?
- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2013I purchased this book in order to be able to follow a Globe Theater production of Marlowe's play, and I paid special attention to the fact that this volume had both the longer and the shorter versions of Marlowe's texts, so I would be sure to have one which matched the filmed play.
As it turned out, the filmed play was a bit different from both versions in this volume, and it was not immediately clear why that was. I was hoping that the two versions of the play would have been printed on facing pages, so if any dialogue was borrowed from the other version, I could see that. But no luck.
It seems that even between the two main versions, there are new variations in place, and the Globe players, probably in the interests of historical accuracy, were using the text of the longer version, printed after Marlowe's death. So, my plan to be able to follow the rapid fire Elizabethan delivery of dialogue was thwarted.
I ordered a 2nd hand copy, which was in "very good" condition; however, it was comb bound, instead of the usual trade paperback binding in signatures, and glue. That was a momentary surprise, but not critical. If you are fussy about that, don't order a second hand copy.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2013Excellent edition of Faustus, including both 1604 and 1610 printings, and a large selection of critical studies--a near-definitive volume ofMarlowe's play. An extensive bibliography is also included, for further study.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2014GOOD
- Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2013This edition of this 16th Century play is well done. It usefully includes some alternative versions in sections where scholars have not agreed upon which is authoritative.
Top reviews from other countries
- L. PerezReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for my son's A level
As described and arrive earlier that estimate time A+++ seller
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Claus/Peter NeumannReviewed in Spain on October 5, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Una estupenda edición
Contiene las dos versiones de la obra además de un aparato crítico muy completo. La mejor opción para esta obra de Marlowe.
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Annachiara MaddaloniReviewed in Italy on August 26, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Norton, una garanzia
Consegna veloce, i libri della Norton sono una garanzia
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elizabethReviewed in Mexico on September 28, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars excelente
es muy bueno el libro, la información esta muy completa, este libro lo ocupo para la escuela y se me hace muy practico
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in India on January 8, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars as always is amazing.
A perfectly new book in pristine condition. Norton, as always is amazing.