Reviews: (by author)

Burningham, Hilary, reteller. R&J. The Graphic Shakespeare Series. London: Evans Brothers, 1997. ISBN 0-237-517841.

This b&w illustrated book summarizes plot in prose on one side, severely; for example, the Balcony Scene is boiled down to one page and the dialog between Romeo and Juliet is encapsulated as: "They spoke of their love for each other." On the opposite page, the illustrated (poorly) page, Burningham has selected a famous quote, which appears in a little box at the bottom. What's odd is that the prose version is so serviceable, so dedicatedly just-the-plot, while the quotes often include some of the play's most outdated language-such as the quote selected from The Balcony Scene: "Romeo, doff they name.." How many little kids know the word "doff"? Why simplify on one page and complicate on the other? Not an attractive version.

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