Description: In the nineteenth century, Shakespeare achieved the status of international pre-eminence that we recognize today. He and his major characters were depicted in statues, paintings and illustrations, and in Stratford-upon-Avon the house where he was born was purchased for the nation and the first Memorial Theatre was built. His words were read, quoted and declaimed in domestic drawing rooms and theatres all around the world, as well as in the works of the leading writers of the day, in intimate love letters and in the pages of radical newspapers. As these new essays show, his was a voice that resonated tellingly throughout the century's cultural, political and literary arenas. The unique reference guide also shows just how popular he was in a number of London theatres and how integral a part he played in the publishing industry of the day and in the burgeoning field of literary criticism.
Brief description: Gail Marshall is Professor of Victorian Literature and Director of the Victorian Studies Centre at the University of Leicester.
Review Quotes: '... the significance of the collection lies in the varied approaches it opens for a scholar new to the territory. ...Marshall's authors animate familiar narratives with lively details ... But the volume is at its best in resisting received wisdom about 'Victorian Values' ...' Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, Victorian Studies