Arcadia: Amazon.ca: Tom Stoppard: Books

Product Description

Book Description

Arcadia is a brilliantly inventive play that moves back and forth between centuries, populated by a varied and vastly entertaining cast of characters who discuss such topics as the nature of truth and time, the difference between the classical and the romantic temperament, and the disruptive influence of sex on our orbits in life-according to the author, "the attraction which Newton left out."

About the Author

Tom Stoppard is the author of more than twenty plays, including, most recently, Rock 'n' Roll. He lives in London.

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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and important dramatic work., Jan 24 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Arcadia (Paperback)

I've been trying to get away from the sort of highbrow self-referential philosophical literature that one thinks of when they hear the name Stoppard, but after reading Arcadia I found that this reputation proved to be only half the story.

Don't get me wrong-- Arcadia is an intellectual work of drama. It can be read and analyzed for symbolism and layering and all the fun that one typically associates with "Great Literature". Stoppard demands elementary knowledge of thermodynamics (entropy), modern mathematics (iterations and chaos theory), gardening history (Classic/Romantic), and literary history (Byron, Romanticism, etc.) There is tons of symbolism and contrast and notions about human nature. But despite all the intellectual games and word play, Arcadia manages to retain a profound sense of humanness.

The characters are vibrant and full of desire. They are not merely facades through which Stoppard can show off his literary prowess. Arcadia is simply a wonderful story. In the end, one cares about the characters and this is what redeems the play from mere intellectual showmanship. The plot moves and weaves and twists and if you can follow it, the play is truly rewarding.

My only misgiving is that I never got to see Arcadia in production. The last scene incorporates two different time periods on the same stage as they couples dance side by side in almost mirror image. I would have loved to see it done on stage and I'm eagerly awaiting an Arcadia revival.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wry commentary on human nature, Mar 24 2003

By

Glen Engel Cox (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Arcadia (Paperback)

One of my classes this semester is a playwriting course, so I turned to Stoppard to give me some inspiration and guidance in the process of creation. I've not seen much Stoppard performed--only Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Rough Crossing--but I liked both of those very much. A classmate recommended this play, and it was in my AlexLit recommendation list as well.

After reading it, I am not surprised. The basic plot is similar in many ways to A.S. Byatt's Possession, which I waxed effusive about way back in Installment 7. In 1809 in a country house in Derbyshire, Septimus Hodge is tutoring a young woman named Thomasina. In the modern day, some of Hodge's letters and effects are being studied by some academics, one of whom is determined that Lord Byron was present and is responsible for two scurrilous reviews in the Picadilly Review. The academic, of course, hopes to make his career on this.

Stoppard and Byatt part ways, though, in the meaning that they attach to the machinations of academics trying to discover the "truth" of the past. Byatt's entire book was a study of the word "possess," and what it meant both for her fictious poets and the modern day literary detectives. Stoppard, however, is exploring a difference in temperament between the times, but how sex is and has always been a disruptive force. It's a wry commentary on human nature.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars magic, Jan 10 2003

By

"myke1979" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arcadia (Paperback)

I just finished reading this book for the third time and every time I read it I love it a little more.

Stoppard is simply a wonderful writer: witty, humorous, stimulating, crafty. His style is superb, and his creativity is amazing. Arcadia is my favorite of his plays, as it incorporates a superb blend of philosophy, science, love, and introspection into the fundamentals of human behavior.

Arcadia is a quick read, I usually can flip through it in about three hours, but it is rich with profound revelations and hysterical quips. As far as good English writing goes, I think this is a must read (and a must re-read!).

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Close, but no cigar
It was an interesting premise as far as the weaving in and out of time was concerned. What interested me the most was the philosophical musings on the nature of the universe as it... Read more

Published on Jun 7 2004 by Carlos Almendarez

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and heartbreakingly beautiful
Arcadia is a masterpiece!

Only Stoppard could weave modern physics, classical literature, piercing wit, sensuous history, astounding absurdities, and sparkling innocence into a... Read more

Published on May 19 2002 by zeldaricdeau

4.0 out of 5 stars the perfect marriage between ideas and high comedy
the perfect marriage between ideas and high comedy and for those who read anything more to say? I really don't think so

Published on April 30 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius with a heart
Some may criticise Stoppard for being 'all brains with no heart', but with Arcadia he has proved his critics wrong. Read more

Published on Oct 5 2001 by Simon Turner

5.0 out of 5 stars HSC student review
i am studying this play for costume design in my final year at school and i am just overwhelmed at the intellegence of tom stoppard to write a play this involved with so many... Read more

Published on Mar 8 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Arcadia; a metaphor for itself
Let's get my bias out of the way: I believe Tom Stoppard to be the greatest writer of our time. He is brilliant in way that most of us cannot even comprehend, let alone begin to... Read more

Published on Feb 8 2001 by Victoria M. Ford

5.0 out of 5 stars Playwriting at its best
A widely-acknowledged master of his craft, Tom Stoppard again displays his genius in "Arcadia". Read more

Published on Oct 15 2000 by C. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Stoppard's Unheralded Masterwork
What can you say about Stoppard that hasn't already been said?