One of his lesser known works, Shakespeare's Trojan play is also one of his most intriguing. Not quite a burlesque, 'Troilus and Cressida''s lurches in tone, from farce to historical drama to romance to tragedy, and its blurring of these modes, explains why generations of critics and audiences have found it so unsatisfying, and why today it can seem so modern. Its disenchanted tone, its interest in the baser human instincts underlying (classical) heroism look forward to such 20th century works as Giraudoux's 'The Trojan War Will Not Take Place' or Terry Jones' 'Chaucer's Knight'; the aristocratic ideals of Love and War, inextricably linked in this play, are debased by the merchant-class language of exchange, trade, food, possesion - the passionate affair at its centre is organised by the man who gave his name to pimps, Pandarus, and is more concerned with immediate sexual gratification than anything transcendental. The Siege of Troy sequences are full of the elaborately formal rhetoric we expect from Shakespeare's history plays, but well-wrought diplomacy masks ignoble trickery; the great heroes Ajax and Achilles are petulant egotists, the latter preferring the company of his catamite to combat; the actual war sequences, when they finally come, are a breathless farce of exits and entrances. There are a lot of words in this play, but very few deeds.

Paris, Prince of Troy, has abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. Led by the latter's brother Agamemnon, and his Machiavellian advisors Ulysses and Nestor, the Greeks besiege Troy, demanding the return of Helen. However, Achilles' dissatisfaction at the generals' endless politicking has spread discontent in the ranks. Within Troy, war takes a distinct second place to matters of the heart. While Paris wallows in luxury with his prize, his youngest brother Troilus uses Pandarus as a go-between to arrange a night of love with his niece, Cressida. When one of the Trojan leaders is taken prisoner by the Greeks, the ransom price is Cressida.

There is only one character in 'Troilus' who can be said to be at all noble and not self-interested, the eldest Trojan prince Hector, who, despite his odd interpreation of the quality 'honour', detests a meaningless war, and tries to spare as many of his enemies' lives as he can. He is clearly an anachronism, however, and his ignoble slaughter at the hands of a brutal gang suggests what price chivalry. Perhaps the most recognisable character is Thirsitis, the most savagely cynical of his great Fools. Imagine Falstaff without the redeeming lovability - he divests heroes and events of their false values, satirises motivations, abuses his dim-witted 'betters' and tries to preserve his life at any cost. Written in between 'Hamlet' and 'All's Well That Ends Well', 'Troilus' bears all the marks of Shakespeare's mid-period: the contrapuntal structure, the dense figures, the audacious neologisms, and the intitially deferred, accelerated action. If some of the diplomacy scenes are too efective in their parodic pastiche of classical rhetoric, and slow things down, Act 5 is an amazing dramatic rush, crowning the play's disenchantment with love (with an extraordinarily creepy three-way spaying of an infidelity) and war.

The New Penguin Shakespeare is the most accessible and user-friendly edition for students and the general reader (although it does need updating). Unlike the Oxford or Arden series, which offer unwieldy introductions (yawning with irrelevant conjecture about dates and sources) and unusable notes (clotted with tedious pedantry more concerned with fighting previous commentators than elucidating Shakespeare), the Penguin's format offers a clear Introduction dealing with the play and its contexts, an appendix 'An Account of the Text', and functional endnotes that gloss unfamiliar words and difficult passages. The Introduction is untainted by fashions in Critical Theory, but is particularly good at explaining the role of Time ('When time is old and hath forgot itself...And blind oblivion swallowed cities up'), the shifting structure, the multiple viewpoints in presenting characters, and Shakespeare's use of different literary and linguistic registers.

Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespear`s many romances, and, like most of his romances, is a tragedy. Since time immemorial, Shakespears` works have been used as plays, literature and (least often) just casual reading. While Troilus and Cressida is one of the less known plays, it is no less a good one. It is based in Troy(as the name might imply)during the much renowned Trojan War. The valiant Troilus, son of the Trojan king is enamoured of Cressida, also of Troy. Meanwhile, the Greek hosts have laid siege to the city, and the warrior Achilles refuses to fight, encouraging further interaction between the two sides. Cressida, however, is the daughter of a Greek sympathizer(if that is the correct word)and may not be able to honour her commitment to the Trojan prince...

I think this is one os Shakespeare's most underrated plays, probably because of all the uncouth characters. Based on Chaucer's rendition of the story, T and C are Trojan lovers, and she is then traded to the Greeks in exchange for captive soldiers. Aside from this, the women of Troy are wanton and lustful, and the men are prowess driven. If you can deal with this, you will really enjoy Shakespeare's ability to wrap this into all kinds of twists and turns. It delivers a mixture of satire, comedy, romance, tragedy, and a semi-historical (in that people at the time probably believed the Trojan War really happened). Interestingly, this mixture of laughs and tragedy is reminiscent of war novels I have read about Vietnam. The romantic dimensions give this play its edge, and somehow WS manages to make it plausible in spite of all the killing and deceit going on at the same time.

A classic, been out there for as long as our teachers can remember or more, why? cause it gives u the most important points in nearly every thing, it picks a flower from every different flowerbed. it wont expand much on the types of coils used for cerebral aneurysms for example, but will tell you what u need to know about the main title, how to diagnose and general principles of management. it is not for seniors who will most certainly find it deficient. It is a good choice for medical students and surgical residents in there very beginnings but not beyond. This edition has been printed in style, if u have ever passed over the previous ones u could realize the differences.
still though it needs more on managing trauma, and more details regarding laparoscopy. And probably a larger chapter on operative techniques in general. The images are generally good although some of them date back to really old editions.
It really depends on what u want from a book, thats all.

This book is very useful for both medical students and basic surgical residents alike. While the older editions tend to be tedious and frustrating due to the inconsistency in font size and style as well as formatting, newer editions are better. The pictures and illustrations are what made this a classic basic surgical textbook. It explains the fundamentals of basic surgery. It is a good launch pad to cover all aspects of surgery at a core level and allows the reader to head off and search for more specialized text in inspired topics.

This book attempts to be the one stop shop. It goes through from anatomy/physiology -> pathology -> diagnosis -> operative techniques -> postop management.

That is both it's good and bad point.

Good as it succeeds. Bad as it is not big enough to really finish off the job.

However, as a busy medical student looking for concise yet comprehensive treatment of ALL fields of surgery.....this is the book to get. Sabiston and the rest are all too big....unless of course you don't go out much and read it all night.

This is my third Williams-Sonoma cookbook. All the recipes are easy to follow with simple ingredients, nothing too exotic. The glossary is also very helpful. The book is not too full as to be overwhelming, but just the right amount with carefully selected dishes. Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photo, so you have an idea of how your dish should look like...sort of. I just love all the recipes! I made the coffee cake, and it came out deeeelicious!

I've made quite a few of the dishes in the book. The authors were able to put together a great combination of dishes that are festive, elegant and definitely tasty. Yet, the recipies don't take much time and aren't complicated. For a novice cook like myself, I found this a perfect way to have fun in the kitchen and have friends over.

As a first year law student, and with finals quickly approaching, I was desperate for a book that would help me make sense of it all. I found this book to be pretty helpful. It made me take a step back from what I was studying to get a good look at the overall picture, which is really important. Finals are still about two weeks away, but I'm feeling more confident now. Don't get me wrong... this book is in now way a substitute for test preparation, but it does help you understand why somethings are the way they are.

This book has helped lawyers from other countries to understand in a better and general way the American legal system. It has an overview of areas such as criminal law, torts, contracts, commercial law, immigration, labor, among others. I recommend this book as an introduction to the legal system for non lawyers or for foreign lawyers.

The Arkangel series' has only one rival set but a formidable one. that one is put out by Harper Collins and stars Keith Michell, Vanessa Redgrave and co-stars an appropriately dry-voiced Max Adrian as Jacques and a lively-voiced Stanley Holloway as Touchstone. In general, and this is true of most of this new series, the Arkangel actors seem a lot younger (the Jacques of Gerard Murphy perhaps too much so) and give a more modern (i.e., less lyrical) reading to the text.

I think the Arkangel might appeal more to younger listeners, but both sets are quite good and it would be difficult to choose between them. Niamh Cusack is a quite believable Rosalind, while Stephen Mangan (Orlando)does what he can with a rather silly role, although he does miss a good moment in his blandly delivered retort to the Wrestler about mocking him too soon. I could wish Clarence Smith's Touchstone had a bit more "character" in his voice. Victoria Hamilton is quite charming as Celia. I was quite taken with the almost Ronald Coleman voice of Philip Voss as Duke Senior.

The music, neither Elizabethan nor modern but more like American western, is nevertheless appropriate. The singers on the older recordings, however, have far superior voices. An annoying feature is the tendency to overdo the sound effects. Once we establish a woodland or a garden by a few bird tweets, it is really unnecessary to continue them over the dialogue as is done here.

Since the director's choice in these recordings is to have no narrator to supply stage directions, the listener without a text can get quite lost during all the references to "you" and "you" in the denouements of the last scene. Perhaps they can take a hint from the Branagh recordings on Bantam and simply have the character call the addressee by name. Here we do get some non-verbal sounds from the other actors by way of identification, but they are of minimal use. Of course, since this series is near completion, it is too late to suggest a change in policy. But please take note, future directors.

Any medievalist will undoubtedly find William of Malmesbury's Gesta cited throughout the footnotes of other studies. This volume provides a comprehensive commentary and analysis of the Malmesbury manuscripts, equal in every respect to the high standard expected from Oxford Medieval Texts.
Be forwarned, however, that this volume contains only the commentary. Those interested in reading the excellent full-text English translation, or making their own interpretation from the Latin will require the companion Volume I, which for some reason, Amazon does not include in its catalogue listings.

Mr. Buckley is an excellent writer and a spiritual man with a conservative point of view. In this book he takes several of his writer-colleagues to task for alleged anti-Semitic sentiments expressed in anti-Israeli discourse. In doing so, he attempts to delineate a careful distinction between being critical to another country's policies (namely Israel's) and using such legitimate criticism as a means of promoting bigoted ideas. This is an important subject burdened by a lot of emotion, and Buckley makes every effort to be fair.

Yet through his careful editing, the book is drained of the passion the subject deserves. Expect your mind to be challenged but your heart unmoved by this book.

At last the "King" series on the Arkangel Shakespeare sets are complete ("Henry VIII" does not count) with the appearance of . The only competitive set is available from Harper Collins and stars a somewhat miscast Robert Stephens in the title role. When I say "miscast," I mean that his reading lacks the charm and the humor that Olivier was able to infuse into the villainy. Here on Arkangel, David Troughton fares somewhat better. But.

Perhaps after all the recent psychopathic Richards we have had, from Ian Holm in 1963 through a long line of Richards on crutches and bald, Frankenstein-lookalike Richards, Troughton's reading is something of a relief. But of course we have only the voice to go by. The play opens with a laugh of glee before the opening words; but for the rest of the first three acts that element of fun is simply not there. Richard is not enjoying himself enough for me. He does, however, come up with some original readings of his "My kingdom for a horse" utterances.

The Queen Elizabeth of Sonia Ritta is poorly done indeed. For a queen "well struck in years" and "a beauty waning and distressed widow," she sounds far too young and too modern in her defiance of Richard early in the play and her yielding to him (if that is how you interpret the second wooing scene) later on. Perhaps some more oiliness on the part of Philip Voss's Buckingham would have helped to distinguish him from the others in the cast.

The pacing of the scene with the messengers is far too slow and ends with the same adagio chamber music used more effectively earlier in the recording. This is, I believe, the only Arkangel set that plays music during a soliloquy and it works well here. The sound of horses at every opportunity grows wearisome--especially after the three Henry VI plays--and is not necessary in several instances.

Still, "Richard III" is one of Shakespeare's earliest successes that still attracts actors and audiences to this day; and this set is well worth the having and hearing.

Readable, articulate and superbly well-researched, this biography was obviously written with the whole self of the author put into the task. Yeats's development as a poet in particular is charted discerningly and in its full context; my only criticism is that occasionally exegesis of the poetry is over-simple. This aside, Jeffares evokes Yeats as both man and poet knowingly and with finesse; the book has the type of breadth that makes for the standard biography. Any reader of Yeats could not help but be illuminated by this work.

This book is ostensibly about crime. Specifically the amelioration of crime by a policy of zero tolerance of minor and petty crimes which became famous for the dramatic fall in crime in New York City.

This book has a slightly different focus. Rather than concentrating on what Zero Tolerance is and does, it seeks to place the crime figures and approaches to crime reduction in a broader context of community. The concept of community developed both in these pages and within a wider research agenda supposedly concerned with the development of a civil society in which the state plays a smaller and smaller role has a particular slant to it.

Zero Tolerance is the latest in a line of books from the Institute of Economic Affairs Health and Welfare Unit, now a free standing institute of it's own, CIVITAS, which postulate a decline in morals and behavious which result from a growing tendency in our society to becoming more individualsitic. The model of decency and good behaviour upon which this view is based is a rather idyllic view of the English working class family as portrayed by Norman Dennis in some of the earlier books of this series. Here it's scope is widened to incorporate views on how to tackle crime which involve the wider civil society. Policing in this view is both external and internal and the police forces themselves are seen as a legitimate part of the community, reinforcing the internal rules and moralities forged in the furnace of home and family. Headed preferably, of course, by working father, stay at home mother etc.

You will not find in this book any arguments about drugs save for the superior tone about how the use of drugs has grown in our society and is therefore bad. This cannot go unchallenged. In a passage devoted to the emphasis on education and development of working men's clubs and institutes the book praises them for their contribution to improving the moral fibre of those who participated. These clubs were segregated against women drinking in the public bar and fought hard to retain that position against equality laws and became more well known for the strong and cheap beers that they sold than for moral improvement. Their innate conservatism was a major contributor to why their customers deserted them and caused the closure of many in the North East of England. While the consumption of this legal drug is condoned, other recreational drugs are the cause of much petty crime. The book ignores the setting of the laws and blithley makes assertions about theft while ignoring the basic point that laws against drugs make them more attractive to the purchasers, more profitable to the suppliers and lead many who consume them to do things out of character in order to get their drugs. I could go on but this would be a book of it's own.

Zero Tolerance is a one sided book. It excludes any consideration of the diminishing role of the church in society as one of a number of relevant institutions, and it excludes any treatment of what changing structures in our society mean for those individuals who have previously been imprisoned by those structures, in particular, for women. The supposed golden age of the working class family is a modern myth, a sociological urban legend, which did not exist for many.

Ultimately, this is yet another attack on growing individualism in our society which begrudges any positive changes and which harkens back to an age which never really existed. The causes of crime run deeper than one parent families and tower blocks. The harsh reality today is that women are valued more by society than they were which is the real reason why female wage rates are increasing while male wages rates decline overall.

Perhaps we should be looking forward and not backward to see how a healthy individualist society might develop.