Overview

This book is the first edited collection to explore Shakespeare’s life as depicted on the modern stage and screen. Focusing on the years 1998-2023, it uniquely identifies a 25-year trend for depicting Shakespeare, his family and his social circle in theatre, film and television. Interrogating Shakespeare’s afterlife across stage and screen media, the volume explores continuities and changes in the form since the release of Shakespeare in Love, which it positions as the progenitor of recent Shakespearean biofictions in Anglo-American culture. It traces these developments through the 21st century, from pivotal moments such as the Shakespeare 400 celebrations in 2016, up to the quatercentenary of the publication of the First Folio, whose portrait helped make the author a globally recognisable icon. The collection takes account of recent Anglo-American socio-political, cultural and literary concerns including feminism, digital media and the biopic and superhero genres. The wide variety of works discussed range from All is True and Hamnet to Upstart Crow, Bill and even The Lego Movie. Offering insights from actors, dramatists and literary and performance scholars, it considers why artists are drawn to Shakespeare as a character and how theatre and screen media mediate his status as literary genius.

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9781350359208

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Reviews

In a post-Barthesian/Foucauldian world, the Author remains a figure of desire for many critics, writers, actors and other artists. The Shakespeares – including Anne, Hamnet and Susanna as well as William – are multifaceted fictional characters in their own right, embodying complex ideas about family, identity, art, business and more. Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen is an indispensable guide to the rich world of Shakespeare-adjacent fictions, bringing together academics and artists to explain – and trouble – the irresistible appeal of Shakespeare’s gappy biography and the diverse ways in which Shakespeare and his contemporaries are deployed to speak to today’s concerns. * Peter Kirwan, Mary Baldwin University, USA * This volume is a window to the creative, critical and cross-media possibilities of biofiction. It places scholarly work in productive conversation with insights from practitioners to illuminate Shakespeare's cultural afterlife. Meanwhile, attention to Shakespeare's social and professional circles broadens the reach of this important contribution to Shakespeare and adaptation studies, and allow it to enter a larger, timely discussion of the myth of the singular (male) creative genius. * Anna Blackwell, University of Nottingham, UK *

In a post-Barthesian/Foucauldian world, the Author remains a figure of desire for many critics, writers, actors and other artists. The Shakespeares – including Anne, Hamnet and Susanna as well as William – are multifaceted fictional characters in their own right, embodying complex ideas about family, identity, art, business and more. Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen is an indispensable guide to the rich world of Shakespeare-adjacent fictions, bringing together academics and artists to explain – and trouble – the irresistible appeal of Shakespeare’s gappy biography and the diverse ways in which Shakespeare and his contemporaries are deployed to speak to today’s concerns. * Peter Kirwan, Mary Baldwin University, USA *

Author Information

Edel Semple is Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies at University College Cork, Ireland. Ronan Hatfull is Lecturer and Senior Associate Tutor in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick, UK.

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