The Bernhardt Hamlet: Culture and Context

Front Cover
P. Lang, 1996 - Biography & Autobiography - 266 pages
Critics regarded Sarah Bernhardt's interpretation of Hamlet in 1899 as the revelation of Shakespeare's tragedy in France. The Bernhardt Hamlet is the first to investigate that production and to explain its context and its impact upon the cultural life of the time. Bernhardt's most significant innovation was her rejection of romantic sensibility in favor of the revenge tradition. In assuming a male role, she remained within the theatrical tradition of travesti that came to full fruition in the nineteenth century. Classically trained, the 54-year-old Bernhardt refashioned the Hamlet inheritance with insight, vigor, and originality.

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Contents

The Performed Text
45
IV
55
Literary Theatrical Cultural
67
Copyright

6 other sections not shown

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About the author (1996)

The Author: Gerda Taranow, Professor of English at Connecticut College is a theatre historian, specializing in both Shakespeare and the art of performance. She holds a doctorate from Yale University, where she was also a post-doctoral fellow. Author of Sarah Bernhardt: The Art Within the Legend, Dr. Taranow has received fellowships and grants from the NEH, the Mellon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.