The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

Name: The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
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ISBN: 9780199549849

The Old Arcadia

Sir Philip Sidney, Katherine Duncan-Jones

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English

Oxford University Press
10 July 2008

Poetry; Prose: non-fiction; Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800; Literary studies: poetry & poets; Classic fiction (pre c 1945)

Series: Oxford World's Classics

Philip Sidney was in his early twenties when he wrote his `Old' Arcadia for the amusement of his younger sister, the Countess of Pembroke.

The book, which he called 'a trifle, and that triflingly handled', reflects their youthful vitality.

The `Old' Arcadia tells a romantic story in a manner comparable to that of Shakespeare's early comedies.

It is divided into five `Acts', and abounds in lively speeches, dialogues, and quasi-dramatic tableaux.

Two young princes, Pyrocles and Musidorus, disguise themselves as an Amazon and a shepherd to gain access to the Arcadian Princesses, who have been taken into semi-imprisonment by their father to avoid the dangers foretold by an oracle.

As a vehicle for Sidney's prophetic ideas about English versification, the `Old' Arcadia also includes over seventy poems in a wide variety of metres and genres.

In clarity, symmetry, and coherence the `Old' version is greatly superior both to the ambitious but unfinished `New' Arcadia and the amalgamated, `composite' version, a hybrid monster which Sidney himself never envisaged.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

By: Sir Philip Sidney
Introduction by: Katherine Duncan-Jones
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 128mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 299g
ISBN: 9780199549849
ISBN 10: 0199549842
Series: Oxford World's Classics
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 10 July 2008
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Katherine Duncan-Jones is a Fellow in English at Somerville College, Oxford. She is the author of Sidney: Courtier Poet (1991); and the editor of Oxford Authors Sidney (1989) and Oxford Poetry Library Sidney (1994).

Reviews for The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (The Old Arcadia)

"""Essential reading for the renaissance.""--Susanne Collier, California State University, Northridge""Splendid and affordable, with scholarly glossary and explanatory notes.""--Susanne Collier, California State University, Northridge""The best paperback edition I've seen.""--Dr. Robert Albano, Troy State University, Dothanr"