SHAKESPEARE'S LANGUAGE Keys To Understand It by Stuart Griffiths
Pontcanna Press UK. ISBN 0-9533476-0-5 150 pages.
Children and adults often have difficulty in understanding the way
Shakespeare framed and built his sentences. His language has a strong
Latin base, which can deter people.
This book aims to make Shakespeare's debt to Latin grammar more
accessible to senior pupils at school, university students, the general
reader and theatre-goers. Following an account of the research and
thinking behind the book, the author sets out his system of keys to
understand the structure of Shakespeare's language. The keys and the
background essay, studied carefully, should prove valuable to anyone
who reads or watches a Shakespeare play. The book should also help
young actors embarking on Shakespeare.
THE AUTHOR
Stuart Griffiths is a former senior Script Editor of classic plays for
BBC television. He has also been an editor and director in BBC radio
drama. He was a Fleet Street leader writer and theatre critic. He is a
former President of the Oxford Union.
HOW PLAYS ARE MADE by Stuart Griffiths
A Guide to the Technique of Play Construction and the Basic Principles
of Drama.
Pontcanna Press UK. ISBN 0-9533476-1-3 123 pages.
A standard work on play writing , this book has been steadily in
demand since its first publication in 1982 by Heinemann Educational Books.
It combines sound practical advice for aspiring and practising
playwrights with very illuminating insights on drama already written,
from the Greeks to the present day, including film and television scripts.
Almost every aspect of play construction is covered. The book has indeed
proved useful not only for playwrights but for many who are interested
in the theatre, whether as students, teachers or playgoers.
Taken from the "How Plays Are Made" Foreword:
"This book is an expansion of a set of notes on play construction Stuart Griffiths originally wrote for writers when he joined
BBC Television. For many years he was the senior Script Editor of classic plays, the television equivalent of a theatre
Dramaturg or Literary Manager. He has also been much involved in advising and guiding writers.
Peggy Ramsay, for decades the leading British play agent, read his set of notes in their pamphlet form, was enthusiastic about them,
and was instrumental in bringing about the book's publication by Heinemann Educational Books. Since then the book has been
steadily in demand in Britain, the USA, and other countries around the world."
The layout of How Plays Are Made is very similar to that of the previous edition published by Heinemann Educational Books.