New Releases by Stephen Greenblatt

Stephen Greenblatt’s early masterwork on Sir Walter Ralegh’s life as art. Exposing the tensions and contradictions of Renaissance England, Stephen Greenblatt presents Sir Walter Ralegh as a symbol of his age—focusing on his lifelong attempt to fashion his own identity as a work of art. At moments of crisis, Ralegh was always acting out a role, and the interplay between life and art animated both his actions and his writing. Greenblatt approaches Ralegh’s execution, poetry, and paradoxical attempt to write his History of the World to explore the Renaissance man and his many roles. Moving from the grim Tower of London to the swamps of Guiana, from the aging Elizabeth’s court back to the Tower, Greenblatt follows Ralegh’s turbulent career from his 1592 disgrace to his 1603 conviction for treason. Blending historical, literary, and psychological insight, he brings vital dimension to a figure long shrouded in myth—one of the most compelling characters in his own recent Dark Renaissance.

A New York Times Book Review Editors'' Choice • A Kirkus Reviews, The Economist, The New Yorker, Library Journal, BookPage, Christian Science Monitor, and Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2025 • One of the Washington Post''s "Notable Works of Nonfiction" of 2025 • One of NPR''s "Books We Love" of 2025 • One of Bookbub''s Best Nonfiction of 2025 • Featured in the Wall Street Journal Guide to Holiday Gift Books Poor boy. Spy. Transgressor. Genius. In repressive Elizabethan England, artists are frightened into dull conventionality; foreigners are suspect; popular entertainment largely consists of coarse spectacles, animal fights, and hangings. Into this crude world of government censorship and religious authoritarianism comes an ambitious cobbler’s son from Canterbury with a daring desire to be known—and an uncanny ear for Latin poetry. A torment for most schoolboys, yet for a few, like Christopher Marlowe, a secret portal to beauty, visionary imagination, transgressive desire, and dangerous skepticism. What Marlowe seizes in his rare opportunity for a classical education, and what he does with it, brings about a spectacular explosion of English literature, language, and culture. His astonishing literary success will, in turn, nourish the talent of a collaborator and rival, William Shakespeare. Dark Renaissance illuminates both Marlowe’s times and the origins and significance of his work—from his erotic translations of Ovid to his portrayal of unfettered ambition in a triumphant Tamburlaine to Doctor Faustus, his unforgettable masterpiece about making a pact with the devil in exchange for knowledge. Introducing us to Marlowe’s transgressive genius in the form of a thrilling page-turner, Stephen Greenblatt brings a penetrating understanding of the literary work to reveal the inner world of the author, bringing to life a homosexual atheist who was tormented by his own compromises, who refused to toe the party line, and who was murdered just when he had found love. Meanwhile, he explores how the people Marlowe knew, and the transformations they wrought, gave birth to the economic, scientific, and cultural power of the modern world including Faustian bargains with which we reckon still.

For almost twenty years, new historicism has been a highly controversial and influential force in literary and cultural studies. In Practicing the New Historicism, two of its most distinguished practitioners reflect on its surprisingly disparate sources and far-reaching effects. In lucid and jargon-free prose, Catherine Gallagher and Stephen Greenblatt focus on five central aspects of new historicism: recurrent use of anecdotes, preoccupation with the nature of representations, fascination with the history of the body, sharp focus on neglected details, and skeptical analysis of ideology. Arguing that new historicism has always been more a passionately engaged practice of questioning and analysis than an abstract theory, Gallagher and Greenblatt demonstrate this practice in a series of characteristically dazzling readings of works ranging from paintings by Joos van Gent and Paolo Uccello to Hamlet and Great Expectations. By juxtaposing analyses of Renaissance and nineteenth-century topics, the authors uncover a number of unexpected contrasts and connections between the two periods. Are aspects of the dispute over the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist detectable in British political economists'' hostility to the potato? How does Pip''s isolation in Great Expectations shed light on Hamlet''s doubt? Offering not only an insider''s view of new historicism, but also a lively dialogue between a Renaissance scholar and a Victorianist, Practicing the New Historicism is an illuminating and unpredictable performance by two of America''s most respected literary scholars. "Gallagher and Greenblatt offer a brilliant introduction to new historicism. In their hands, difficult ideas become coherent and accessible."—Choice "A tour de force of new literary criticism. . . . Gallagher and Greenblatt''s virtuoso readings of paintings, potatoes (yes, spuds), religious ritual, and novels—all ''texts''—as well as essays on criticism and the significance of anecdotes, are likely to take their place as model examples of the qualities of the new critical school that they lead. . . . A zesty work for those already initiated into the incestuous world of contemporary literary criticism-and for those who might like to see what all the fuss is about."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Endlessly illuminating and a sheer pleasure to read.” —Jack Miles, author of God: A Biography Daring to take the great biblical account of human origins seriously, but without credulity. The most influential story in Western cultural history, the biblical account of Adam and Eve is now treated either as the sacred possession of the faithful or as the butt of secular jokes. Here, acclaimed scholar Stephen Greenblatt explores it with profound appreciation for its cultural and psychological power as literature. From the birth of the Hebrew Bible to the awe-inspiring contributions of Augustine, Dürer, and Milton in bringing Adam and Eve to vivid life, Greenblatt unpacks the story’s many interpretations and consequences over time. Rich allegory, vicious misogyny, deep moral insight, narrow literalism, and some of the greatest triumphs of art and literature: all can be counted as children of our “first” parents.

"Brilliant, beautifully organized, exceedingly readable." —Philip Roth World-renowned Shakespeare scholar Stephen Greenblatt explores the playwright’s insight into bad (and often mad) rulers. Examining the psyche—and psychoses—of the likes of Richard III, Macbeth, Lear, and Coriolanus, Greenblatt illuminates the ways in which William Shakespeare delved into the lust for absolute power and the disasters visited upon the societies over which these characters rule. Tyrant shows that Shakespeare’s work remains vitally relevant today, not least in its probing of the unquenchable, narcissistic appetites of demagogues and the self-destructive willingness of collaborators who indulge their appetites.

O que seria da humanidade sem as histórias? Poucas delas têm o poder de atravessar gerações e nos influenciar de maneira tão espantosa. Vencedor do National Book Award e do prêmio Pulitzer, o professor Stephen Greenblatt se debruça sobre o mito que está no cerne de nossa formação. Em meio a tantos mitos que se perdem com o tempo, o que a história de Adão e Eva — que ocupa um lugar privilegiado na criação das religiões, mas também da filosofia, da arte e da psicologia — tem a nos dizer sobre a maneira como somos e nos relacionamos hoje? Com ousadia, erudição e clareza lapidar, o professor Stephen Greenblatt mostra o poder dessa alegoria, que, apesar de caber em menos de duas páginas da Bíblia, continua sendo exaustivamente analisada. Para o autor, nossa insistência em recontar essa história extraordinária talvez se explique por um motivo: o gesto de rebeldia, ilustrado com a decisão de comer o fruto proibido, é capaz de nos fazer questionar os significados do amor, do sexo, da perda, da morte e do livre-arbítrio. "As teorias mais modernas da civilização humana tratam, fundamentalmente, da necessidade de lidar com a mortalidade. O novo e eletrizante livro de Stephen Greenblatt, no entanto, ao abordar as peregrinações da história de Adão e Eva — a mais influente tentativa de capturar o infinito retorno à criação —, mostra como a questão das origens humanas para as concepções pré-científicas da humanidade é central". — Tim Whitmarsh, The Guardian

Bestsellerautor Stephen Greenblatt uber die groSSte Erzahlung der Menschheit Warum fasziniert uns die Geschichte von Adam und Eva noch heute? Unsere Vorstellungen vom Paradies, von Scham und Sunde, unsere Ideen von Gut und Bose und unser Frauenbild - wie sehr wurden sie von dieser Urerzahlung gepragt? Bestsellerautor und Pulitzer-Preistrager Stephen Greenblatt widmet sich diesem machtigsten aller Menschheitsmythen, der unsere abendlandische Kultur beeinflusst hat wie keine zweite Erzahlung. IN vielen Geschichten schildert er nicht nur das Erbe von Adam und Eva in der christlichen Kultur seit Augustinus und Durer. ER zeigt uns auch, dass dieser Mythos eine existenzielle Frage beruhrt, die auch die moderne Wissenschaft nicht beantworten kann - was es namlich heiSSt, ein Mensch zu sein.

"A marvelous book . . . a compelling and a powerful one. Nothing so original has ever been written on European responses to ''the wonder of the New World.''" —Anthony Pagden, Times Literary Supplement Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author A masterwork of history and cultural studies, Marvelous Possessions is a brilliant meditation on the interconnected ways in which Europeans of the Age of Discovery represented non-European peoples and took possession of their lands, particularly in the New World. In a series of innovative readings of travel narratives, judicial documents, and official reports, Stephen Greenblatt shows that the experience of the marvelous, central to both art and philosophy, was manipulated by Columbus and others in the service of colonial appropriation. Much more than simply a collection of the odd and exotic, Marvelous Possessions is both a highly original extension of Greenblatt''s thinking on a subject that has permeated his career and a thrilling tale of wandering, kidnapping, and go-betweens—of daring improvisation, betrayal, and violence. Reaching back to the ancient Greeks, forward to the present, and, in his new preface, even to fantastical meetings between humans and aliens in movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Greenblatt would have us ask: How is it possible, in a time of disorientation, hatred of the other, and possessiveness, to keep the capacity for wonder—for tolerant recognition of cultural difference—from being poisoned? "Greenblatt writes with sophistication, wit, and considerable grace. I was intrigued throughout by the many flavors of his erudition, intelligence, and style." —Ronald Wright, The Globe and Mail "For the most engaging and illuminating perspective of all, read Marvelous Possessions ." —Laura Shapiro, Newsweek

Stephen Greenblatt argued in these celebrated essays that the art of the Renaissance could only be understood in the context of the society from which it sprang. His approach - ''New Historicism'' - drew from history, anthropology, Marxist theory, post-structuralism, and psychoanalysis and in the process, blew apart the academic boundaries insul

This print pack contains Norton Anthology of English Literature 9th Edition Volume E + Volume F + Hard Times 3rd Edition + Tolstoy''s Short Fiction Norton Cricial Edition 2ED+Middlemarch 2nd Edition Norton Anthology of English Literature 9th Edition Volume E + Volume F + Hard Times 3rd Edition + Tolstoy''s Short Fiction Norton Cricial Edition 2ED+Middlemarch 2nd Edition

Setting out to explain his longtime fascination with the ghost of Hamlet''s father, Stephen Greenblatt provides an account of the rise and fall of purgatory as both a belief and a lucrative institution - as well as a new reading of the power of Hamlet.

Traditional Chinese edition of Will in the World: How Shakespeare became Shakespeare, a biography of Shakepeare by Stephen Greenblatt whose book "The Swerve" won Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction and the National Book Award. In Traditional Chinese. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

Ausgezeichnet mit dem Pulitzerpreis und dem National Book Award Bestsellerautor Stephen Greenblatt führt uns in seinem neuen Buch an die Zeitenwende zwischen dem Ende des Mittelalters und dem Beginn der Renaissance. Er folgt dabei den Spuren von Lukrez'' „De rerum natura” – einem antiken Text, der zu Beginn des 15. Jahrhunderts wiederentdeckt wurde, das Denken der Menschen radikal veränderte und die Welt in die Moderne führte. An einem kalten Januartag des Jahres 1417 fällt dem Humanisten Poggio Bracciolini in einem deutschen Kloster ein altes Manuskript in die Hände. Damit rettet er das letzte vorhandene Exemplar von Lukrez’ antikem Meisterwerk „De rerum natura” vor dem Vergessen, nicht ahnend, dass dieses Buch die damalige Welt in ihren Grundfesten erschüttern wird. Denn der antike Text mit seinen unerhörten Gedanken über die Natur der Dinge eröffnet den Menschen des ausgehenden Mittelalters neue Horizonte, befeuert die beginnende Renaissance und bildet die Basis unserer modernen Weltsicht. Farbenfroh und spannend beschreibt Stephen Greenblatt, wie die Verbreitung des Buches die Renaissance beeinflusste und bedeutende Künstler wie Botticelli und Shakespeare, aber auch Denker wie Giordano Bruno und Galileo Galilei prägte. Greenblatt bietet einen neuen Blick auf die Geburtsstunde der Renaissance, der zugleich zeigt, wie ein einzelnes Buch dem Lauf der Geschichte eine neue Richtung geben kann.

Renaissance Self-Fashioning is a study of sixteenth-century life and literature that spawned a new era of scholarly inquiry. Stephen Greenblatt examines the structure of selfhood as evidenced in major literary figures of the English Renaissance—More, Tyndale, Wyatt, Spenser, Marlowe, and Shakespeare—and finds that in the early modern period new questions surrounding the nature of identity heavily influenced the literature of the era. Now a classic text in literary studies, Renaissance Self-Fashioning continues to be of interest to students of the Renaissance, English literature, and the new historicist tradition, and this new edition includes a preface by the author on the book''s creation and influence. "No one who has read [Greenblatt''s] accounts of More, Tyndale, Wyatt, and others can fail to be moved, as well as enlightened, by an interpretive mode which is as humane and sympathetic as it is analytical. These portraits are poignantly, subtly, and minutely rendered in a beautifully lucid prose alive in every sentence to the ambivalences and complexities of its subjects."—Harry Berger Jr., University of California, Santa Cruz

This print pack containsThis print pack contains This print pack contains Norton Anthology of English Literature 9E Volume F 20th Century + Age of Innocence NCE + Lord Jim 2E NCE.

With the elegance and verve for which he is well known, Greenblatt, author of the bestselling "Will in the World," shows that Shakespeare was strikingly averse to such absolutes as scripture, monarch, and God, and constantly probed the possibility of freedom from them.

Cultural Mobility is a blueprint and a model for understanding the patterns of meaning that human societies create. Drawn from a wide range of disciplines, the essays collected here under the distinguished editorial guidance of Stephen Greenblatt share the conviction that cultures, even traditional cultures, are rarely stable or fixed. Radical mobility is not a phenomenon of the twenty-first century alone, but is a key constituent element of human life in virtually all periods. Yet academic accounts of culture tend to operate on exactly the opposite assumption and to celebrate what they imagine to be rooted or whole or undamaged. To grasp the shaping power of colonization, exile, emigration, wandering, contamination, and unexpected, random events, along with the fierce compulsions of greed, longing, and restlessness, cultural analysis needs to operate with a new set of principles. An international group of authors spells out these principles and puts them into practice.

Read by millions of students over seven editions, The Norton Anthology of English Literature remains the most trusted undergraduate survey of English literature available and one of the most successful college texts ever published.

Stephen Greenblatt is one of the most influential practitioners of new historicism. This Reader makes available in one volume Greenblatt''s most important writings on culture, Renaissance studies, and Shakespeare. It also features occasional pieces on subjects as diverse as story-telling and miracles, demonstrating the range of his cultural interests. Taken together, the texts collected here dispel the idea that new historicism is antithetical to literary and aesthetic value.