Stoppardian Coconuts

Soft Within Though Hard Without

by Praveen Kumar Anshuman

2015246 pages

About the book

The book Stoppardian Coconuts: Soft Within Though Hard Without demonstrates the major thematic version of almost all his stage plays, some television and a few radio plays where Stoppard deals with issues arising—physical or metaphysical. All the chapters of the book are like coconuts that have grown on the tree of Stoppard’s Oeuvre. Very hard on the surface are they as Stoppard seems to invent things and tries to bring inferences for his inner voice to be understood. But on the other hand, these are the very coconuts which give an eternal taste from their intrinsic softie layer as he stands still in his exclusively inherent affirmation of certain realities that need no extrinsic corroboration. Thus, the book explores vicissitudes and confluences of Stoppard’s thoughts that have travelled a long journey of life and explored many greater truths and brought them on the fore front of social stage through his dramaturgical potency.

For backcover
“…an incisive, analytical and veritable account of the thematic matrices of the multicoloured Stoppardian play-world. A tempting read for all Stoppard lovers.”
– Prof. J. S. Jha , Dept. of English, Banaras Hindu University
“Anshuman’s Stoppardian Coconuts , as its title suggests, provides the “think description” worthy of Clifford Geertz’s historicism, so that the reader can fully appreciate the lucidly articulated insights that nourish and come to characterize its core… Needless to say, it is a must read for anyone interested in Stoppard.”
–Bryan Reynolds , Professor of Drama, California University