Adrian Poole is Professor of English Literature, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has written and lectured on Greek and Shakespearean tragedy, on literary translation and on nineteenth-century English literature. His publications include Gissing in Context (1975), Tragedy: Shakespeare and the Greek Example (1987), Shakespeare and the Victorians (2003), The Oxford Book of Classical Verse in Translation (1995, co-edited with Jeremy Maule), and editions of novels by Dickens, James and R. L. Stevenson. He is working on a project about witnessing tragedy developed out of his 1999 British Academy Shakespeare Lecture, 'Macbeth and the Third Person'.

'Oxford's always stimulating Very Short Introductions series.'

• 1. Who needs it? ; 2. Once upon a time ; 3. The living dead ; 4. Who's to blame? ; 5. Big ideas ; 6. No laughing matter ; 7. Words, words, words ; 8. Good timing ; 9. Pain and gain

Adrian Poole is Professor of English Literature, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has written and lectured on Greek and Shakespearean tragedy, on literary translation and on nineteenth-century English literature. His publications include Gissing in Context (1975), Tragedy: Shakespeare and the Greek Example (1987), Shakespeare and the Victorians (2003), The Oxford Book of Classical Verse in Translation (1995, co-edited with Jeremy Maule), and editions of novels by Dickens, James and R. L. Stevenson. He is working on a project about witnessing tragedy developed out of his 1999 British Academy Shakespeare Lecture, 'Macbeth and the Third Person'.

'Oxford's always stimulating Very Short Introductions series.'

• 1. Who needs it? ; 2. Once upon a time ; 3. The living dead ; 4. Who's to blame? ; 5. Big ideas ; 6. No laughing matter ; 7. Words, words, words ; 8. Good timing ; 9. Pain and gain

Adrian Poole is Professor of English Literature, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has written and lectured on Greek and Shakespearean tragedy, on literary translation and on nineteenth-century English literature. His publications include Gissing in Context (1975), Tragedy: Shakespeare and the Greek Example (1987), Shakespeare and the Victorians (2003), The Oxford Book of Classical Verse in Translation (1995, co-edited with Jeremy Maule), and editions of novels by Dickens, James and R. L. Stevenson. He is working on a project about witnessing tragedy developed out of his 1999 British Academy Shakespeare Lecture, 'Macbeth and the Third Person'.

'Oxford's always stimulating Very Short Introductions series.'

• 1. Who needs it? ; 2. Once upon a time ; 3. The living dead ; 4. Who's to blame? ; 5. Big ideas ; 6. No laughing matter ; 7. Words, words, words ; 8. Good timing ; 9. Pain and gain