Shakespeare and the making of America / Kevin J. Hayes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hayes, Kevin J., author.

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--Early modern, 1500-1700--Appreciation--United States--History--18th century.

English literature.

Art appreciation.

English literature--Appreciation.

Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.).

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Appreciation--United States.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Influence.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

United States.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

288 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Stroud : Amberley Publishing, 2020.

Summary:

In 'Shakespeare and the Making of America', Kevin J. Hayes tells a story that has never been told before. He traces the history of reading Shakespeare in British North America during the eighteenth century, a story that goes from Drury Lane Theatre in London to the backwoods of South Carolina to the back alleys of Boston to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The most prominent figures in the story are the Founding Fathers of the United States of America: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and George Washington. Hayes looks at how these men read, understood and applied the words of Shakespeare to suit a new nation. Shakespeare's plays were not just read for entertainment value; they were also appreciated for their insights into the human condition. When it came time to assert American rights to liberty and freedom in the face of British tyranny, the words of Shakespeare were always handy to make a point or seal an argument. American writers quoted Shakespeare to justify their actions during the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act crisis and the Revolutionary War. Echoes of Shakespeare can be heard in some of the most fundamental documents in American history: the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Mr William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies

2. Benjamin Franklin and the Governors

3. Franklin Redux

4. William Parks and the Virginia Gazette

5. Dr Alexander Hamilton and the Ancient and Honourable Tuesday Club of Annapolis, Maryland

6. The Colonial American Stage

7. John Mercer, Governor Dinwiddie and the Dinwiddianae

8. The Labyrinth of Mental Nature: Reading Shakespeare, Becoming John Adams

9. The 1760s

10. Jefferson and His Williamsburg Circle

11. The Blast of War

12. Band of Brothers

13. American Shakespeareans in Europe

14. How Shakespeare Ratified the Constitution.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

1445688069

9781445688060

OCLC:

1127925098

Publisher Number:

99986383346