Making Shakespeare: From the Renaissance to the Twenty first Century

Transcription

1 Making Shakespeare: From the Renaissance to the Twenty first Century Andy Murphy The oldest printed copy of a Shakespeare play that still survives is an edition of Titus Andronicus published in A striking feature of the text is that, while it identifies the theatre companies who performed the play; the aristocrats who served as patrons for the companies; the printer of the edition; the booksellers who sold it; and the location of the shop where the play could be purchased, nowhere in the text is Shakespeare mentioned. The author of the play is, in effect, Anonymous. In our own time, by contrast, Shakespeare probably has the highest level of recognition of any writer who has ever lived. There are theatre companies dedicated to performing his works; theatres have been constructed to match what is thought to be the likely structural layout of Shakespeare's own theatre (the Globe), so that we can see the plays performed in something approximating their original stage milieu; there is a library (in Washington DC) which aims to assemble as much Shakespeare related material in a single location as possible; a postgraduate institution (the Shakespeare Institute) has been set up, dedicated to the academic study of his work; hundreds of films of the plays have been released; and documents relating to his life have been placed on the UNESCO International Memory of the World register, giving them the same status as the Gutenberg Bible and the Bayeux Tapestry. The aim of this module is, in essence, to tell the story of how we get from Anonymous Shakespeare to Shakespeare the World's Most Famous Writer. We will examine the cultural and social contexts through which Shakespeare's reputation and popularity were forged, beginning with the publishing and textual context of his own period. Along the way, we will look at the impact of cheap printing on theatrical performance; cultures of collecting Shakespeare editions; the emergence of the Shakespeare tourist industry; the effect of the expansion of literacy in the nineteenth century in creating a wider readership for Shakespeare; the incorporation of Shakespeare into the academic study of literature when English emerged as a University subject in the latter stages of the nineteenth century; the impact of contemporary technologies on the way in which the Shakespeare text is disseminated and received in our own time. The module includes a number of sessions outside the classroom and students are also encouraged to explore historically significant materials held both at Trinity and elsewhere. Assessment is by module project, which will require original research to be undertaken using primary sources. The module will be taught in 2 hour seminar sessions. Session 2 will be split between a one hour session in Early Printed Books (held between 9:00 and 10:00) and one hour of normal, regular classroom time.

2 Weekly schedule Week 1 Topic Introduction: Literature, Printing and Publishing in Shakespeare's Time A general introduction to the module, plus an overview of the publishing trade in London in the early modern period. 2 Shakespeare Enters Print Split special session: Early Printed Books/Normal Classroom Quartos: good, bad and Pavier. The context, significance and impact of the First Folio. 3 Enter the Editor The emergence of the figure of the named editor from Rowe's edition in 1709 onwards. The development of recognisably 'modern' forms of editorial practice with Theobald. Consideration of Edmond Malone's edition. suggested independent student research: explore the Pope and Malone editions in Early Printed Books. 4 Shakespeare in the Library Special session: Marsh's Library Examination of Shakespeare 'treasures' from the Farmleigh collection. Discussion of the culture of collecting and readership with Jason McElligott. Examination of the 1681 Dublin Othello, the Ewing Works (1771) and Exshaw 'Malone' (1794) in preparation for week 5 session. 5 Striking Against the Monopolists Consideration of the copyright disputes and 'piracies' of the eighteenth century, including, specifically, the Robert Walker editions; Scottish and Irish editions; and the implications of the 1774 Donaldson v Beckett House of Lords Ruling. suggested independent student research: explore some volumes in the substantial collection of eighteenth century Irish editions of Shakespeare held at the National Library. 2

3 6 Cheap Texts and the Rise of Shakespeare Consideration of the implications of the wider availability of cheap editions, specifically in relation to Smock Alley and to David Garrick's career. Exploration of the emergence of a Shakespeare tourist industry during and in the wake of the Stratford centenary. suggested independent student research: read further on the history of Smock Alley and visit the theatre. 7 8 STUDY/REVIEW WEEK The Expansion of Shakespeare's Readership Working class readers in the nineteenth century a consideration of selected passages from the autobiographies of autodidacts. Consideration of the expansion of education across the century. Examination of part published and other cheap editions. The impact of the 1864 Tercentenary. STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT CONSULTATIONS THIS WEEK AND NEXT 9 Professionalising Shakespeare Studies Special Session: Manuscripts The Cambridge Shakespeare as the first 'academic' edition. Shakespeare and the emergence of English as a University discipline. Edward Dowden as the first 'modern' Shakespearean. Consideration of the Dowden archive. suggested independent student research: explore additional Dowden correspondence held at the National Library and/or the records of Dowden's reading preserved at Marsh's. 10 Modern Shakespeares 'Scientific' bibliography its achievements and failings. The impact of poststructuralism and other theoretical models on late twentieth century approaches to the text. 11 The Shakespeare Text in the Digital Age Guest participant: Mark Sweetnam A consideration of online editions and Shakespeare Apps and of sites such as Shakespeare Performance in Asia. The implications of the work of scholars such as Alan Galey will be explored. General discussion of what the future might hold for Shakespeare's position of pre 3

4 eminence in global culture. 12 Research Project Symposium Session dedicated to students presenting an overview of their research projects to the whole class, including mapping out the particular challenges they have been facing. Assessment: The Research Project Drawing on the materials and themes explored in this module devise a research project which will involve your making use of some of the resources listed below. The kinds of topics you might explore could include: the impact of publishing on the theatre; the impact of the theatre on publishing; the Irish contexts of the rise of Shakespeare's reputation; the impact of copyright and ownership issues on the dissemination of Shakespeare's text; the professionalisation of Shakespeare studies from the midnineteenth century onwards; the (Shakespearean) career of Edward Dowden; the social and political context of the rise of Shakespeare; Shakespeare's reading communities; the ethos and culture of collecting Shakespeare; the commercial context of Shakespeare publishing; Shakespeare's place in digital culture. These topics are by way of example only and should not be taken as proscriptive. Projects should be 5,000 to 6,000 words in length. I will schedule individual meetings with students in weeks 8 and 9. You should have mapped out your project in at least a preliminary fashion before coming to see me. I will also be available to meet with students to discuss the project during my regular office hours and at other times, by appointment. List of resources: The collection of pre 1800 editions of Shakespeare held in Early Printed Books and elsewhere. The collection, specifically, of Irish editions held at the National Library and at Early Printed Books. The Dowden Papers held at Manuscripts and at the National Library (note that, for the very adventurous, there are also Dowden papers at the British Library and at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh). Readership records held at Marsh's Library. Shakespeare and Shakespeare related materials held at Marsh's. Digital resources, including EEBO, ECCO and the various websites and resources listed in the module handbook. 4

5 Learning aims On successful completion of the module students should: 1. have a thorough grasp of the history of how Shakespeare's reputation and popularity grew from the early modern period to the present; 2. have a clear understanding of Ireland's particular roles within that narrative; 3. have a good grasp of the issues pertaining to Shakespeare's place in the world of digital textuality, and a general appreciation for some key issues in Digital Humanities; 4. have learned how to work with primary materials, including how to handle fragile and highly valuable materials; 5. be familiar with the working methods of specialist research facilities; 6. be able to plan and conduct original research and present the findings of that research in a coherent, compelling manner; 7. be able confidently and convincingly to make a presentation of their ideas to an audience of their peers. 5