Download or read book Shakespeare and Presentist Theory written by Evelyn Gajowski and published by . This book was released on with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Why do Shakespeare's texts resonate so powerfully for us in the 21st century, 400 years after he wrote and produced them? Why is he more popular today than ever before? Why is that popularity now occurring in a global context, rather than a Western context? Surely, the comprehensiveness of Shakespeare's ethical vision is one of the reasons. His skill as a playwright elicits reader and audience empathy for his characters and the dramatic situations in which he situates them. Yet the political, economic, and social practices, discourses, and events of our present moment, and our inevitable 'situatedness' in them, constitute another, untheorized part of the story. Presentism views Shakespeare's texts as infinitely flexible, elastic entities. It empowers readers, directors, actors, and audience members alike as endlessly capable of opening up new meanings in Shakespeare's texts - meanings that are inflected both temporally, in different periods of time, and spatially, in different cultures around the globe. This new study defines, explains, and analyses the significance of presentism as a 21st century theoretical and critical approach to Shakespeare's texts"--

Download or read book Shakespeare and Posthumanist Theory written by Karen Raber and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-05 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shakespeare and Posthumanist Theory charts challenges in the field of Shakespeare studies to the assumption that the category "human†? is real, stable, or worthy of privileging in discussions of the playwright's work. Drawing on a variety of methodologies - cognitive theory, systems theory, animal studies, ecostudies, the new materialisms - the volume investigates the world of Shakespeare's plays and poems in order to represent more thoroughly its variety, its ethics of inclusion, and its resistance to human triumphalism and exceptionalism. Karen Raber, a leading scholar in the field, clearly and cogently guides the reader through complex theoretical terrain, providing fresh, exciting readings of plays including Othello, The Tempest, Titus Andronicus, Troilus and Cressida and Henry IV Part 1.

Download or read book Presentist Shakespeares written by Hugh Grady and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-11-30 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presentist Shakespeares is the first extended study of the principles and practice of 'presentism', a critical movement that takes account of the never-ending dialogue between past and present. In this bold and consistently thought-provoking collection of presentist readings, the contributors: argue that the ironies generated by our involvement in time are a fruitful, necessary and an unavoidable aspect of any text's being, and that presentism allows us to engage with them more fully and productively demonstrate how these ironies can function as agents of change, flowing unstoppably back into the events of the past, colouring how we perceive them and modifying our sense of what they signify show that a critic's inability to step beyond time and specifically the present does not, as has been argued elsewhere, 'contaminate' readings of Shakespeare's plays, but rather points to shades of implication suddenly available here and now within the wide range of plays examined suggest that presentism might not merely challenge or expand our sense of what Shakespeare's plays are able to tell us, but may in fact offer the only effective purchase on these texts that is available to us. Presentist criticism is an open-ended and on-going project, located at a particularly interesting and demanding juncture in modern Shakespeare studies. At this crucial point, then, Presentist Shakespeares is a compelling collection of readings by a distinguished team of authors, but it is also much more: it is a landmark, which reflects, develops and even rejoices in the intedeterminacy of the field. Contributors include: Catherine Belsey, Michael Bristol, Linda Charnes, John Drakakis, Ewan Fernie, Evelyn Gajowski, Hugh Grady, Terence Hawkes and Kiernan Ryan.

Download or read book Presentism Gender and Sexuality in Shakespeare written by Evelyn Gajowski and published by Palgrave MacMillan. This book was released on 2009 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays by an international group of prominent scholars explores, for the first time, the implications of presentism for issues of sexual orientation and gender in Shakespeare's texts. It offers crucial insights into our present professional, theoretical, political, and social moment, as well as readings of particular texts.

Download or read book Shakespeare in the Present written by Terence Hawkes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-09-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shakespeare in the Present is a stunning collection of essays by Terence Hawkes, which engage with, explain, and explore 'presentism'. Presentism is a critical manoeuvre which uses relevant aspects of the contemporary as a crucial trigger for its investigations. It deliberately begins with the material present and lets that set the interrogative agenda. This book suggests ways in which its principles may be applied to aspects of Shakespeare's plays. Hawkes concentrates on two main areas in which Presentism impacts on the study of Shakespeare. The first is the concept of 'devolution' in British politics. The second is presentism's commitment to a reversal of conceptual hierarchies such as primary/secondary and past/present, and the interaction between performance and reference. The result is to sophisticate and expand our notion of performing and to refocus interest on what the early modern theatre meant by the activity it termed 'playing'.

Download or read book Shakespeare and Queer Theory written by Melissa E. Sanchez and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shakespeare and Queer Theory is an indispensable guide on the ongoing critical debates about queer method both within and beyond Shakespeare and early modern studies. Clearly elucidating the central ideas of the theory, the field's historical emergence from feminist and gay and lesbian studies within the academy, and political activism related to the AIDS crisis beyond it, it also illuminates current debates about historicism and embodiment. Through a series of original readings of texts including Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and Venus and Adonis, as well as film adaptations of early modern drama including Derek Jarman's The Tempest and Edward II, Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, and Julie Taymor's Titus, it illustrates the value of queer theory to Shakespeare scholarship, and the value of Shakespearean texts to queer theory.

Download or read book Shakespeare and Cultural Materialist Theory written by Christopher Marlow and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-08-24 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cultural materialism is one of the most important and one of the most provocative theories to have emerged in the last thirty years. Combining close attention to Shakespearean texts and the conditions of their production with an explicit left-wing political affiliation, cultural materialism offers readers a radical avenue through which to engage with Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare and Cultural Materialist Theory charts the inception and development of this theory, setting out its central tenets and analysing the work of key thinkers such as Alan Sinfield, Jonathan Dollimore, Terence Hawkes and Catherine Belsey. Unlike most literary theories, cultural materialism attempts to use the study of Shakespeare to intervene in the politics of the present day, and its unsettling approach has not passed without objection, both within academia and without. This book considers the debates, scandals and controversies caused by cultural materialism, and by applying it to Shakespeare afresh, demonstrates that the theory is still very much alive and kicking.

Download or read book Shakespeare and the Urgency of Now written by C. DiPietro and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-07-19 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These essays address the intersections between Shakespeare, history and the present using a variety of new and established methodological approaches, from phenomenology and ecocriticism to the new economics and aesthetics.

Download or read book Retheorizing Shakespeare through Presentist Readings written by James O'Rourke and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-11-18 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a theoretical rationale for the emerging presentist movement in Shakespeare studies and goes on to show, in a series of close readings, that a presentist Shakespeare is not an anachronism. Relying on a Brechtian aesthetic of "naïve surrealism" as the performative model of the early modern, urban, public theater, James O’Rourke demonstrates how this Brechtian model is able to capture the full range of interplays that could take place between Shakespeare’s words, the nonillusionist performance devices of the early modern stage, and the live audiences that shared the physical space of the theatre with Shakespeare’s actors. O’Rourke argues that the limitations placed upon the critical energies of early modern drama by the influential new historicist paradigm of contained subversion is based on a poetics of the sublime, which misrepresents the performative aesthetic of the theater as a self-sufficient spectacle that compels reception in its own terms. Reimagining Shakespeare as our contemporary, O’Rourke shows how the immanent critical logic of Shakespeare’s works can enter into dialogue with our most sophisticated critiques of our cultural fictions.

Download or read book Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory written by Jyotsna G. Singh and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now available in paperback, Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory is an up-to-date guide to contemporary debates in postcolonial studies and how these shape our understanding of Shakespeare's politics and poetics. Taking a historical perspective, it covers early modern discourses of colonialism, 'race', gender and globalization, through to contemporary intercultural appropriations and global adaptations of Shakespeare. Showing how the dialogue between Shakespeare criticism and postcolonial studies has evolved, this book offers a critical vocabulary that connects contemporary and early modern cultural struggles. Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory also provides guides to further reading and online resources which make this an essential resource for students and scholars of Shakespeare.

Download or read book Fascinating Rhythms written by John Drakakis and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-30 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As one of the most adventurous literary and cultural critics of his generation, Terence Hawkes’ contributions to the study of Shakespeare and the development of literary and cultural theory have been immense. His work has been instrumental in effecting a radical shift in the study of Shakespeare and of literary studies. This collection of essays by some of his closest colleagues, friends, peers, and mentees begins with an introduction by John Drakakis, outlining the profound impact that Hawkes’ work had on various areas of literary studies. It also includes a poem by Christopher Norris, who worked with Hawkes for many years at the University of Cardiff, as well as work on translation, social class, the historicist and presentist exploration of Shakespearean texts, and teaching Shakespeare in prisons. The volume features essays by former students who have gone on to establish reputations in areas beyond the study of literature, and who have contributed ground-breaking volumes to the pioneering New Accents series. It concludes with Malcolm Evans’ innovative account of the migration of semiotics into the area of business. This book is a vibrant and informative read for anyone interested in Hawkes’ unique blend of literary and cultural theory, criticism, Shakespeare studies, and presentism.

Download or read book Shakespeare and the Truth Teller written by Hershinow David Hershinow and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2019-08-22 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the early modern reception of classical Cynicism and the rise of literary realismPromotes a new understanding of the intersection between literary character and ethical character, especially with respect to literature's role in facilitating belief in the revolutionary potential of individual critical agencyDeploys the reception history of Diogenes the Cynic as a methodological point of contact between historicist and presentist approaches to ShakespeareDraws new interdisciplinary connections between Shakespeare studies, literary theory, critical theory, and political philosophyIncludes novel readings of King Lear, Hamlet, and Timon of Athens as well as other early modern texts and a number of major works of modern philosophy and political theoryHighlighting the necessity of literary thinking to political philosophy, this book explores Shakespeare's responses to sixteenth-century debates over the revolutionary potential of Cynic critical activity - debates that persist in later centuries and inform major developments in Western intellectual history. Analysing cynic characterisations of Lear's Fool, Hamlet and Timon of Athens, Hershinow presents new ways of thinking about modernity's engagement with classical models and literature's engagement with politics.

Download or read book Shakespeare and Contemporary Theory written by Neema Parvini and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2012-09-06 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 30 years since the publication of Stephen Greenblatt's Renaissance Self-Fashioning overthrew traditional modes of Shakespeare criticism, New Historicism and Cultural Materialism have rapidly become the dominant modes for studying and writing about the Bard. This comprehensive guide introduces students to the key writers, texts and ideas of contemporary Shakespeare criticism and alternatives to new historicist and cultural materialist approaches suggested by a range of dissenters including evolutionary critics, historical formalists and advocates of 'the new aestheticism', and the more politically active presentists. Shakespeare and Contemporary Theory covers such topics as: - The key theoretical influences on new historicism including Michel Foucault and Louis Althusser. - The major critics, from Stephen Greenblatt to Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield. - Dissenting views from traditional critics and contemporary theorists. Chapter summaries and questions for discussion throughout encourage students to critically engage with contemporary Shakespeare theory for themselves. The book includes a 'Who's Who' of major critics, a timeline of key publications and a glossary of essential critical terms to give students and teachers easy access to essential information.

Download or read book The Arden Research Handbook of Contemporary Shakespeare Criticism written by Evelyn Gajowski and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-10-15 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Arden Research Handbook of Contemporary Shakespeare Criticism is a wide-ranging, authoritative guide to research on critical approaches to Shakespeare by an international team of leading scholars. It contains chapters on 20 specific critical practices, each grounded in analysis of a Shakespeare play. These practices range from foundational approaches including character studies, close reading and genre studies, through those that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s that challenged the preconceptions on which traditional liberal humanism is based, including feminism, cultural materialism and new historicism. Perspectives drawn from postcolonial, queer studies and critical race studies, besides more recent critical practices including presentism, ecofeminism and cognitive ethology all receive detailed treatment. In addition to its coverage of distinct critical approaches, the handbook contains various sections that provide non-specialists with practical help: an A–Z glossary of key terms and concepts, a chronology of major publications and events, an introduction to resources for study of the field and a substantial annotated bibliography.

Download or read book Shakespeare and the Political written by Rita Banerjee and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-05-30 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shakespeare and the Political: Elizabethan Politics and Asian Exigencies is a collection of essays which show how selected Shakespearean plays and later adaptations engage with the political situations of the Elizabethan period as well as contemporary Asian societies. The various interpretations of the original plays focus on the institutions of family and honour, patriarchy, kingship and dynasty, and the emergent ideologies of the nation and cosmopolitanism, adopting a variety of approaches like historicism, presentism, psychoanalysis, feminism and close reading. The volume also looks at Shakespearean adaptations in Asia – Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese and Indian. Using Douglas Lanier's concept of the 'rhizomatic' approach, it seeks to examine how Asian Shakespearean adaptations, films and stage performances, appropriate and reproduce originals often 'unfaithfully' in different social and temporal contexts to produce independent works of art.

Download or read book Shakespeare s History Plays written by Neema Parvini and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shakespeare's History Plays boldly moves criticism of Shakespeare's history plays beyond anti-humanist theoretical approaches. This important intervention in the critical and theoretical discourse of Shakespeare studies summarises, evaluates and ultimately calls time on the mode of criticism that has prevailed in Shakespeare studies over the past thirty years. It heralds a new, more dynamic way of reading Shakespeare as a supremely intelligent and creative political thinker, whose history plays address and illuminate the very questions with which cultural historicists have been so preoccupied since the 1980s. In providing bold and original readings of the first and second tetralogies (Henry VI, Richard III, Richard II and Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2), the book reignites old debates and re-energises recent bids to humanise Shakespeare and to restore agency to the individual in the critical readings of his plays

Download or read book Shakespeare and the Future of Theory written by François-Xavier Gleyzon and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-10-02 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shakespeare and the Future of Theory convenes internationally renowned Shakespeare scholars, and scholars of the Early Modern period, and presents, discusses, and evaluates the most recent research and information concerning the future of theory in relation to Shakespeare’s corpus. Original in its aim and scope, the book argues for the critical importance of thinking Shakespeare now, and provides extensive reflections and profound insights into the dialogues between Shakespeare and Theory. Contributions explore Shakespeare through the lens of design theory, queer theory, psychoanalysis, Derrida and Foucault, amongst others, and offer an innovative interdisciplinary analysis of Shakespeare’s work. This book was originally published as two special issues of English Studies.