Shakespeare and the Rhetoricians

This is a critical study of a Renaissance view of language and of the ways in which such a view changes our sense of Shakespeare's plays. Using school texts, commonplace books, and other manuscript materials, Trousdale argues that Shakespeare saw words as separate from things and fictions as artifices consciously structured to give pleasure through rich ornamentation while it instructed. She also presents an analysis of the philosophical relationships between humanist and modern language theory. Originally published in 1982. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.