Teaching 'Tales From Shakespeare'

Written by Charles and Mary Lamb in 1807, 'Tales from Shakespeare' is a collection of prose retellings of twenty Shakespeare plays. The book is designed to make Shakespeare's works more accessible to young readers while retaining the original language and essence of the plays. Mary Lamb retold the comedies and romances, while Charles Lamb handled the tragedies. The book has been illustrated by various artists over the years, including Arthur Rackham and Louis Monziès, and has never been out of print since its initial publication.

The novel follows William Stoner, born on a small farm in Missouri in 1891, who is sent to the University of Missouri to study agriculture. However, he discovers a passion for literature and decides to pursue a career in English. The book delves into Stoner's undistinguished career, his marriage to Edith, his affair with Katherine Driscoll, and his complex relationships with his daughter Grace and his colleagues. It explores themes of work, passion, love, and the social and sexual reawakening of the protagonist, all set against the backdrop of his quiet yet rich and vibrant life as an academic.

The novel follows Robinson Crusoe, a young and impulsive Englishman, who ignores his parents' advice and sets out to sea. After a series of misadventures, including being captured by pirates and sold into slavery, he is eventually shipwrecked on a deserted island near the coast of Venezuela. There, he spends 28 years surviving against incredible odds, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers. The story is influenced by real-life castaways such as Alexander Selkirk and blends elements of Puritan spiritual autobiography, travel literature, and adventure stories. It is considered one of the first modern novels in the English language and explores themes of ambition, self-reliance, civilization, and power.