Beginning ShakespeareBeginning Shakespeare introduces students to the study of Shakespeare, and grounds their understanding of his work in theoretical discourses. After an introductory survey of the dominant approaches of the past, seven chapters examine the major current critical approaches to Shakespeare: psychoanalysis; New Historicism; Cultural Materialism; gender studies; queer theory; postcolonial criticism and performance criticism. A further chapter looks at the growing roles of biography, attribution and textual studies. Each chapter analyses the strengths and weaknesses of its particular perspective, allowing students to gain a clear critical purchase on the respective approaches, and to make informed choices between them. Each chapter ends with a list of suggested further reading and interactive exercises based on the key issues raised. |
Contents
Acknowledgements page | 1 |
Psychoanalysis | 36 |
New Historicism | 63 |
Copyright | |
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A. C. Bradley analysis Antonio approach argues audience Bradley Branagh's Caliban Catholic certainly chapter character colonialism colonialist comedy context Cordelia Coriolanus Coursen criticism of Shakespeare Cultural Materialism Cultural Materialist declares discourse discussed Dollimore E. M. W. Tillyard early modern edited effect Elizabethan English Escalus essay fact feminist criticism feminist readings film Freud Freudian gender Greenblatt Hamlet Henry Historicism Historicist human idea ideological instance interest interpretation Jungian King Lear Kott Lacan literature Loehlin London male Manchester McLuskie means Measure for Measure Midsummer Night's Dream offer Othello particular perhaps perspective play's Political Shakespeare possible postcolonial production Prospero psyche psychoanalysis psychoanalytic criticism queer theory question Renaissance Drama Richard Routledge scene seems sexual Shake Shakespeare in Psychoanalysis Shakespeare's plays Sinfield Skura speare speare's specific stage STOP and THINK subversion suggests Tempest Tennenhouse textual theatre theory things Tillyard tion tragedy University Press women