A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Sexual Puns and Their Significance
A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Sexual Puns and Their Significance by Frankie Rubinstein
English | Dec. 11, 1989 | ISBN: 0333488660 | 394 Pages | PDF | 50. MB
English | Dec. 11, 1989 | ISBN: 0333488660 | 394 Pages | PDF | 50. MB
'…Rubinstein is far from innocent and comes to our aid with a lot of learning…and is quite right to urge that not to appreciate the sexiness of Shakespeare's language impoverishes our own understanding of him. For one thing, it was a strong element in his appeal to Elizabethans, who were much less woolly-mouthed and smooth-tongued than we are. For another, it has constituted a salty preservative for his work, among those who can appreciate it…an enlightening book.' A.L.Rowse, The Standard. This dictionary examines previously unnoted puns on the erotic attitudes and practices of the heterosexual and homosexual, the sexual deviant, and the impotent. It includes scatological puns in their usually bawdy contexts and ethnic puns, as sexually snide then as now. It stresses the need to read and hear Shakespeare word by word, giving full weight to each one and asking why the line is so and not otherwise. It heightens our awareness of Shakespeare's words, their Elizabethan connotations and their contemporary validity. For today's non-specialist audiences, the sexual puns are invitations to the fun of Shakespeare.