Shakespeare and Marx (Oxford Shakespeare Topics) - Hardcover

Egan, Gabriel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199249938 ISBN 13: 9780199249930

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2004

Synopsis

Marxist cultural theory underlies much teaching and research in university departments of literature and has played a crucial role in the development of recent theoretical work. Feminism, New Historicism, cultural materialism, postcolonial theory, and queer theory all draw upon ideas about cultural production which can be traced to Marx, and significantly each also has a special relation with Renaissance literary studies. This book explores the past and continuing influence of Marx's ideas in work on Shakespeare. Marx's ideas about cultural production and its relation to economic production are clearly explained, together with the standard terminology and concepts such as base/superstructure, ideology, commodity fetishism, alienation, and reification. The influence of Marx's ideas on the theory and practice of Shakespeare criticism and performance is traced from the Victorian age to the present day. The continuing importance of these ideas is illustrated via new Marxist readings of King Lear, hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Timon of Athens, The Comedy of Errors, All's Well that Ends Well, and The Winter's Tale.

About this title

Review:

This book is well worth reading for Egan's innovative treatment of Lear and Hamlet (TLS)

...incisive and valuable readings of Shakespeare (TLS)

Synopsis:

As well as explaining all the major ideas of Marx in a form digestible by literary students, this work shows how these ideas have shaped Shakespeare criticism for over a century. It offers new readings of the plays to illustrate the continued relevance of Marx's approach to literary and dramatic art.

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0199249938
• ISBN 13: 9780199249930
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176