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Merchant of Venice: With Contemporary Criticism
The Merchant of Venice is probably the most controversial of all Shakespeare's plays. It is also one of the least understood. Is it a comedy or a tragedy? What is the meaning behind the test of the caskets? Who is the real villain of the trial scene? Is Shylock simply vicious and venomous, or is he more sinned against than sinning? Can the play be described as anti-semitic? What exactly is the quality of mercy? Is Portia one of the great Christian heroines of western literature? And what of the comedy of the rings with which Shakespeare ends the play? These questions and many others are answered in this critical edition of one of the Bard's liveliest plays.The Ignatius Critical Editions represent a tradition-oriented alternative to popular textbook series such as the Norton Critical Editions or Oxford World Classics, and are designed to concentrate on traditional readings of the Classics of world literature. Whereas many modern critical editions have succumbed to the fads of modernism and post-modernism, this series will concentrate on tradition-oriented criticism of these great works. Edited by acclaimed literary biographer, Joseph Pearce, the Ignatius Critical Editions will ensure that traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence, instead of the feminist, or deconstructionist readings that often proliferate in other series of 'critical editions'. As such, they represent a genuine extension of consumer-choice, enabling educators, students and lovers of good literature to buy editions of classic literary works without having to 'buy into' the ideologies of secular fundamentalism. The series is particularly aimed at tradition-minded literature professors offering them an alternative for their students.
Please note that a brief synopsis of many of the books included here are provided in our Library Builders section. Study guides for the same book are often available from several publishers, so we found it more efficient to give a description of the book only once.
Well-organized, user-friendly, and academically challenging, these guides equip students to be active readers through thoughtful and purposeful study. Formatted similarly, each guide includes vocabulary, comprehension and discussion questions, quotations, composition, and literary analysis in increasing depth. Grade Level Packages are available for your convenience and align to the Memoria Press Literature and Poetry books grade level packages. Components are also available separately. For additional literature options from Memoria Press, please see the Alternate Literature or the Classical Literature options.
StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime Treasures incorporate real books, rather than controlled readers, to advance phonics and reading skills, once a student has learned phonics. Student Guides at this level are different compared to the 2nd grade and up Literature Guides. Featuring a horizontal orientation for ease of writing, worksheets focus on vocabulary and comprehension. There's writing involved (7/16" lines with dotted midline) but the top binding makes it easy for either right or left-handed students. The teacher needs to take a quick peek at two pages at the beginning that give the plan for the Word Study, Read, Comprehension, and Language (introductory grammar) segments of each lesson. StoryTime covers four classic children's books in 14 lessons and 2 optional Christmas lessons. More StoryTime provides another 15 lessons and seven children's books. Teacher Guides for StoryTime and More StoryTime include a model lesson plan, overview, daily assignments for each lesson (which highlight phonics and vocabulary activities) and answers to the student pages. Packages are available for StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime Treasures which include both student and teacher guides as well as the literature resources. Packages of literature resources only are also available. Optional Lesson Plans are available.
Beginning in 2nd grade, Literature Guides are organized around the Trivium with activities grouped into Pre-Grammar, Grammar (preparation and presentation); Logic (reasoning with facts, elements, and features) and Rhetoric (expression). Although there is consistency from lesson to lesson, the extra activity provided with each lesson is quite varied. Background information on the author and book is also included.
Student Guides for Grades 2-8 are consumable. Each book/story/poem is approached in much the same way, although with increasing depth. Vocabulary, comprehension/discussion questions, quotations, composition, and literary analysis activities are covered. Beginning in Grade 9, the guides transition to a smaller formatted (6" x 9") non-consumable format. Students are encouraged to create a personal Literature Notebook. Currently, The Divine Comedy Student Guide is the last remaining full-size consumable literature guide available.
Teacher Guides provide valuable teaching information and full-text answer keys at all grade levels. Discussion talking points, reproducible quizzes and final tests (with answers) are included in numerous guides especially at the upper levels. The early grades differ a little bit in content in order to be more suitable for young learners.
Offered as an alternative to the grade level selections, this collection of literature guides (and books) offers family choices to meet individual student or family needs. For each study, the Teacher Guide, Student Guide, and book are required.
A detailed look at 30 planes flown during World War II.
Product Format: | Paperback |
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Brand: | Ignatius Press |
Author: | William Shakespeare |
Grades: | 9-AD |
ISBN: | 9781586173203 |
Length in Inches: | 8 |
Width in Inches: | 5.25 |
Height in Inches: | 0.6875 |
Weight in Pounds: | 0.4625 |