{"product_id":"1586638513-sparknotes_twelfth_night","title":"Sparknotes Twelfth Night","description":"\n\n\u003cp\u003eNo Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of \u003ci\u003eTwelfth Night\u003c\/i\u003e on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach No Fear Shakespeare contains\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003cb\u003ecomplete text\u003c\/b\u003e of the original play\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA \u003cb\u003eline-by-line translation\u003c\/b\u003e that puts Shakespeare into everyday language\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA complete list of \u003cb\u003echaracters\u003c\/b\u003e with descriptions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlenty of \u003cb\u003ehelpful commentary\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\nSchool Library Journal\n\u003cp\u003eGr 3-5-These series titles aim to make the Bard's words accessible via free-prose adaptations. The formulaic retellings convey the plot lines of two popular comedies, but all evidence of his poetic genius is missing. Instead, modern slang expressions and\/or cliches, such as Toby Belch's complaining of Olivia's \"mooching around gloomy rooms\" and Andrew's dancing \"like a drunken flamingo,\" replace Shakespeare's more fluid language, trivializing his words. The characters are all included, introduced through pictures at the beginning of each volume, but all but the two main ones remain completely two-dimensional, and the relationships among them are unclear. This is particularly true in Much Ado, a complicated story with incidental characters whose purpose in the play is difficult to discern. For instance, Conrad and Borachio suddenly appear, but there is little sense as to why they are part of the plot against Claudio. The cartoon watercolor renderings, alternating between black-and-white and color, vary from quarter- to half-page in size and suggest the style used by animators. Thus, while they do reinforce the stories, there is a sameness among them, adding to the lack of character development. In fact the characters' images could be interchanged, even between plays, without much confusion. These books are no substitute either for the originals or even for Marchette Chute's classic Stories from Shakespeare (World, 1956; o.p.).-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eCategories:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTeen \u0026amp; Young Adult\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEducation \u0026amp; Reference\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy Aids\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eBook Notes\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n","brand":"SparkNotes","offers":[{"title":"Used - Acceptable","offer_id":46723399811262,"sku":"1586638513-5","price":14.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0640\/9689\/5166\/files\/61aHCi6Cp4L_4ab22592-5436-4758-a9e9-0343e5c593ef.jpg?v=1778048527","url":"https:\/\/shop.sustainablebooks.com\/products\/1586638513-sparknotes_twelfth_night","provider":"Sustainable Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}