Pandosto: The Triumph Of Time

by Robert Greene

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Plays, Renaissance, Chivalry, Literary Fiction, Classics, Shakespeare, Fiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1588

About the author

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...

Reviews

[Jonathan Gill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Elizabethan romance was a quaint genre that's become little more than a historical footnote: it lacked the full sense of mythos and grandeur that the medieval romances had, and, while it contains elements of the modern novel, the Elizabethan romance didn't have the realism or psychological depth expected of the later genre.

In the case of Greene, it's not hard to see why the genre remains forgotten: it dabbles in this and that (a bit of moral and social commentary hear, light psychology there, next some plot intrigue) without sustaining any of it long enough to deliver a powerful artistic experience. The result is a long-winded plot whose thematic concerns only rarely surpass the level of Renaissance cliche. It is a story that draws its power from exciting reversals and melodrama in its plot. But this is a rather superficial pleasure: one event leads to the next, lacking the inner coherence that could make the spectacle awe-inspiring. Perhaps one could charge the medieval romances likewise with being "surface-level" in how the plot advances, and yet the best of the medieval romances succeed in the strength of the narrative pattern that they envision, drawing from the incredible mythos of Arthurian lore. Greene's melodrama is comparatively trite in its imaginative scope, and so the plot never becomes a gateway into the critical awe that was the hallmark of medieval romance.

There are good moments--a potentially Oedipal incest towards the end being of some note--and yet the whole piece is dragged down by its frequent diversions into artificial courtly debates (about female chastity, the value of status, the nature of jealousy, etc.). These are incidental digressions that have little cumulative force on how the plot shapes itself: plot and theme are kept completely distinct here.

Pandosto is remembered for being a plot source for Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, and the comparison is unflattering for Greene. Shakespeare's is the masterpiece it is in no small part due to the complex intermingling of themes, narrative, and psychological profundity that Shakespeare exhibits. The comparison with The Winter's Tale reveals how disjointed and unambitious Pandosto is.

[Cosmina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave it one star only because the incest didn't happen.

[Bookshire Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elizabethan soap opera.

[liza mayley]

thank the lord for shakespeare's adaptation with the creations of paulina, antigonus, the brechtian autolycus and the elements of the bear and statue that it's hard to imagine winter's tale without.
so pleased shakespeare also dialled down the incest and made leontes more 3d and even forgivable in the end. the tragic ending of pandosto's suicide serves some level of poetic justice but shakespeare's framing of the seasons allows for a much more satisfying ending of comedic reconciliation.
in greene's novel we get to know more about dorastus' nature (florizel) before he falls for fawnia (perdita) and his relationship with egistus (polixenes) - though i missed not having the disguised encounter at the feast. we get more of a build up to pandosto's jealousy at the beginning - which can seem very random and feverish in productions of winter's tale - the increased platonic closeness of bellaria and egistus being due to pandosto's own neglect.
for c16th prose this is surprisingly accessible and enjoyable (oxford edition assembled by stanley wells)

[Russio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The originating text of A winter's Tale. Economical and fun.

[Carlye Krul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright John, what did we say about making us read a book in two days? I don’t care how good it is, I don’t like the lost sleep.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is an interesting exploration of cultural taboo (and a major source for Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale) and the writing is so. damn. good. I have never enjoyed reading 16th century prose as much as I did here. I was blown away by some amazing line or metaphor every other page. Highly recommend giving this a read (it is short and easy to get through, whether or not you study literature of this period) to experience an impressive use of language (some of which makes it into Shakespeare!) accompanying a very predictable and representative 16th century plot.

(Just want to note that Goodreads has mistakenly attributed this edition of Pandosto to a modern author when it was, in fact, written in the 16th century and the Robert Greene in question is very much not a "Goodreads author")

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say that I enjoyed the story but I read Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale first and I prefer that version despite this being the original.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the source for Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale , and he didn't change too much except for the ending. Fun, but less deep and lingering than the play it inspired.

[allie english · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for university.

It was interesting to see where Shakespeare's inspiration came from for The Winter's Tale.

[Arielle Stern · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text that “inspired” Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale… but it’s the exact same story up until the end. Shakespeare stole it, but he did it better.