Shakespeare's Christmas Gift to Queen Bess is a graceful historical-literary fantasia that imagines the festive circumstances behind a royal entertainment for Elizabeth I. Drawing on the enduring tradition that the Queen wished to see Falstaff "in love," McMahan evokes the world of Elizabethan Christmas revels, courtly wit, theatrical improvisation, and the bright ceremonial culture surrounding Shakespeare's company. Its prose is polished, pictorial, and gently antiquarian, enriched by illustrations that underscore its pageant-like quality and its place within late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Shakespearean popularization. Anna Benneson McMahan was an American writer and lecturer deeply engaged with literature, art, and cultural history. Her work often sought to make canonical writers vivid through setting, anecdote, and sympathetic reconstruction. That sensibility shapes this volume: rather than offering dry scholarship, she translates her learning into an imaginative tribute to Shakespeare, Elizabethan England, and the social life of drama. This book is recommended to readers who enjoy Shakespearean lore, historical miniatures, and refined literary storytelling. It will especially please those interested in how later generations lovingly reimagined Shakespeare's creative world.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
