Review by Choice Review
In this fascinating study of how both Shakespeare and his culture viewed the land, Scott carefully investigates how Shakespeare engaged with the complex and developing ideas of nature, cultivation, and husbandry. Covering topics ranging from metaphors of cultivation in the sonnets to the way in which the island in The Tempest is figured as both a barren wasteland and a fertile paradise ripe for inhabiting, the author dives deep into Shakespeare's language. She is equally adept at engaging historical sources, offering an impressive array of non-literary texts including Acts of Parliament and various 16th- and 17th-century works on husbandry. Throughout Scott links beliefs about cultivation of land to ideas of social welfare, spirituality, and capitalism. If there is any flaw in the book, it is the absence of any other literary works. Scott mentions in the conclusion that Shakespeare had a more sustained interest in nature and cultivation as a metaphor than any other playwright, but her arguments about the cultural importance of land--literally and symbolically--make it hard to imagine other playwrights and poets did not also engage with these ideas; a comparison would have provided valuable context. Summing Up: Recommended. With the above caveat. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers and faculty. A. Castaldo Widener University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
