Anthropological Criticism of All the World’s a Stage Fright

Read the novella ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE FRIGHT and write a 1-3 sentence lede that offers a positive or negative reaction (whether or not the book resonates with the reader) and sets up an essay that will explain that reaction, using anthropological criticism as its focus.
Anthropological Criticism
• addresses the real-world context in which a work was conceived and created;
• assumes that the work is a reflection of the human condition, our cultural values, the social significant events that transpired in our time, and cultural values and social norms of the time of its creation; and
• uses artistic expression as an anthropological barometer – a reflection of who and what is important as well as who and what isn’t.
In short, your task is to state in your lede whether or not this story and this form of storytelling resonates with the reader – that is, when you read the book, was it relevant, engaging, and entertaining in light of the world in which we live. Your essay will attempt to explain why
In order to do this, you need to think about the world in which we live/the time this book was written (for example, the impact of the pandemic, the global recession, the impeachment of then-President Trump, the Black Lives Matter protests, the world at war… on our mood, our well-being, our concerns, our priorities). And you need to attempt to explain whether or not a book with this story (about a person facing his worse fears, taking place in the world of theatre) and this form of storytelling (a novella filled humor and Shakespeare stuff) hits home. As with all our previous essays, there is no right or wrong in your critical conclusions. What matters is your making a claim, supporting it with quality thought, and presenting it with elegant writing in your own critical voice.
Methodology:
(a) Purchase ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE FRIGHT ($14.95) at the CSU bookstore or through a book retail outlet like amazon.com;
(b) Read this brief book (128 pages). Make sure to read and use the book’s preface as the basis for your anthropological criticism; and
(c) Write lede that offers a positive or negative reaction to this book and sets up an essay that will explain whether, how and why this piece of autofiction resonates with readers.
Audience: Readers of The Plain Dealer. Assume that your work appears in the book review section of the newspaper. Write accordingly.