Elton, William R.,  1921-2000, <br/><br/>
King Lear and the Gods 

 - Lexington :  The University Press of Kentucky,  (c)1988. 
 - 1 online resource (386 pages) 
<br/><br/> Wx; y; z. 
<br/><br/>Includes bibliographies and index. 
<br/><br/>Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgments; Note on the Text; Part I; I. The Problem; II. Renaissance Concepts of Providence; III. Sidney's Arcadia: Four Attitudes to Providence; IV. From Leir to Lear; Part II; V. Prisca Theologia: Cordelia and Edgar; VI. Pagan Atheism: Goneril and Regan, Edmund; VII. Pagan Superstition: Gloucester; VIII. Deus Absconditus: Lear; Part III; IX. Double Plot; X. Minor Characters: Kent, Cornwall, Albany, the Fool; XI. Irony as Structure; XII. Conclusion; King Lear Studies: 1967-1987; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V. 
<br/><br/> Many critics hold that Shakespeare's King Lear is primarily a drama of meaningful suffering and redemption within a just universe ruled by providential higher powers. William Elton's King Lear and the Gods challenges the validity of this widespread optimistic view. Testing the prevailing view against the play's acknowledged sources, and analyzing the functions of the double plot, the characters, and the play's implicit ironies, Elton concludes that this standard interpretation constitutes a serious misreading of the tragedy. 
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<br/><br/><label>ISBN: </label>9780813161303 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Religion in literature.<br/>Lear, King of England (Legendary character)--In literature.<br/>King Lear.<br/>Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Genre/Form: </label><br/>Electronic Books.
<br/><br/><label>LC Class. No.: </label>PR2819  / .K564 1988