Anthropological Criticism on “All the World’s a Stage Fright” by Bob Abelman

Read the novella ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
FRIGHT and write a positive or negative book review grounded in anthropological criticism.
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 the book’s preface and familiarize yourself with what was happening in the world in general and in the world of live theater in particular during the time of this book’s writing. This will provide the basis for your anthropological criticism;
(c) Write a 750-1000 word essay that attempts to explain whether or not and how this piece of storytelling resonates with readers and results in the reaction identified in your lede. The video for this module provides information about this unique form of storytelling and our reading offers important components of novels that you might want to address in your essay; and
(d) Include a title.
Audience: Readers of The Plain Dealer. Assume that your work appears in the book review section of the newspaper. Write accordingly.
Basic Requirements: This essay must be word-processed with proper spelling, grammar and sentence structure. Include a word count.