Saturday, March 17, 2012

Doing Literature: Dr. Faustus: April 14th!

On Saturday, April 14th, 2012 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, the ongoing "Doing Literature" discussion group will meet at the Hemet Public Library at 300 East Latham Avenue.

This month's book is Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, about an ambitious scholar who sells his soul to the devil and the consequences. The discussion group is free to attend.

Written in Elizabethan English, Doctor Faustus is one of the most enduring of Marlowe's plays, and among the most controversial. It was first published in 1604, eleven years after the author's death and at least twelve years after the first performance of the play.

Before Marlowe, few writers ventured into this subject, especially concerning the demonic. After his play, it opened opportunities for other authors to explore their views on the spiritual world and how a man might rise and fall in their life. The story has since been explored in many genres and forms from comic books to horror films, comedies and even an episode of The Simpsons.

In his lifetime, Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Considered one of the foremost tragedians of his age, he is often studied for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.

On May 12th, the group will be discussing Hamlet, a play by English playwright William Shakespeare. For more information, visit http://hemetliterature.tumblr.com.

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