Women and Shakespeare in the eighteenth century / Fiona Ritchie, McGill University, Montréal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ritchie, Fiona, author.

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Influence.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Women and literature--History--18th century.

Women and literature.

History.

Physical Description:

x, 256 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Summary:

"Fiona Ritchie analyses the significant role played by women in the construction of Shakespeare's reputation which took place in the eighteenth century. The period's perception of Shakespeare as unlearned allowed many women to identify with him and in doing so they seized an opportunity to enter public life by writing about and performing his works. Actresses (such as Hannah Pritchard, Kitty Clive, Susannah Cibber, Dorothy Jordan and Sarah Siddons), female playgoers (including the Shakespeare Ladies Club) and women critics (like Charlotte Lennox, Elizabeth Montagu, Elizabeth Griffith and Elizabeth Inchbald), had a profound effect on Shakespeare's reception. Interdisciplinary in approach and employing a broad range of sources, this book's analysis of criticism, performance and audience response shows that in constructing Shakespeare's significance for themselves and for society, women were instrumental in the establishment of Shakespeare at the forefront of English literature, theatre, culture and society in the eighteenth century and beyond"-- Provided by publisher.

"Fiona Ritchie analyses the significant role played by women in the construction of Shakespeare's reputation which took place in the eighteenth century. The period's perception of Shakespeare as unlearned allowed many women to identify with him and in doing so they seized an opportunity to enter public life by writing about and performing his works"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Introduction: women and Shakespeare in the Restoration; 1. Actresses in the age of Garrick; 2. Female critics in the age of Johnson; 3. Theatrical women respond to Shakespeare; 4. Jordan and Siddons: beyond Thalia and Melpomene; 5. Women playgoers: historical repertory and sentimental response; Conclusion: part of an Englishwoman's constitution; Bibliography.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-243) and index.

ISBN:

9781107046306

1107046300

OCLC:

855957476

Online:

Cover image