{"product_id":"9780132797771","title":"Sweet Swan of Avon: Did a Woman Write Shakespeare?","description":"\u003ci\u003eIt is long overdue that someone took a closer look at the brilliant  Mary Sidney. I have a suspicion that Mary Sidney’s life, and especially  her dedication to the English language after her brother’s death, may  throw important light on the mysterious authorship of the Shakespeare  plays and poems.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eMark Rylance\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Actor; Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 1996–2006; Chairman of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  For more than two hundred years, a growing number of researchers have  questioned whether the man named William Shakespeare actually wrote the  works attributed to him. There is no paper trail for William  Shakespeare—no record that he was ever paid for writing, nothing in his  handwriting but a few signatures on legal documents, no evidence of his  presence in the royal court except as an actor in his later years, no  confirmation of his involvement in the literary circles of the time.  With so little information about this man—and even less evidence  connecting him to the plays and sonnets—what can and what can’t we  assume about the author of the greatest works of the English language?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e For the first time, \u003cb\u003eRobin P. Williams\u003c\/b\u003e  presents an in-depth inquiry into the possibility that Mary Sidney  Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke, wrote the works attributed to the  man named William Shakespeare. As well educated as Queen Elizabeth I,  this woman was at the forefront of the literary movement in England,  yet not allowed to write for the public stage. But that’s just the  beginning . . .\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The first question I am asked by  curious freshmen in my Shakespeare course is always, “Who wrote these  plays anyway?” Now, because of Robin Williams’ rigorous scholarship and  artful sleuthing, Mary Sidney Herbert will forever have to be mentioned  as a possible author of the Shakespeare canon. Sweet Swan of Avon  doesn’t pretend to put the matter to rest, but simply shows how  completely reasonable the authorship controversy is, and how the idea  of a female playwright surprisingly answers more Shakespearean  conundrums than it creates...\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eCynthia Lee Katona\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Professor of Shakespeare and Women’s Studies, Ohlone College; Author of \u003ci\u003eBook Savvy\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Pearson Education","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47124225556720,"sku":"9780132797771","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780132797771_p0.jpg?v=1763640649","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780132797771","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}