Shakespeare Studies Today: Romanticism Lost

242 Pages·2011·2.811 MB·English

by  Edward Pechter (auth.)

Praise for Shhakkespeare Studdies Todday: Romanticism Lost
“Shakespeare Studies Today is a rigorous critique of the ‘Shakespeare Industry’s’ still-
current sociological focus and a call for an aesthetics-based alternative. Consideringg
the quantity of debunking necessarily involved in his project, Pechter is consistently
and remarkably gracious. More remarkable still is Pechter’s reader-friendly, jargon-
free prose. I am surprised at how much I enjoyed reading his book.”
—Stephen Booth, Professor Emeritus,
University of California, Berkeley
“Shakespeare criticism isn’t much fun anymore. It isn’t a lot of fun to read, and it
doesn’t seem like it’s all that much fun to write.Shakespeare Studies Today is Pechter’s
explanation for how this has come to pass. Pechter is not afraid to mix it up with
people he disagrees with, but he is also a writer with admirable forbearance, a great
sense of humour and a deep enthusiasm for Shakespeare. He wants to put Shakespeare
back into the center of Shakespeare criticism and to restore a sense of appreciation forr
Shakespeare’s greatness as a writer.”
—Michael Bristol, Greenshields Professor Emeritus,
McGill University
“Pechter’s bold critique of current Shakespeare studies argues for a reappraisal of nine-
teenth-century readings of the plays. Pechter pulls no punches about current interpre-
tive practice, and his controversial arguments uncover dazzling insights that no one
interested in Shakespeare can afford to ignore.”
—Dympna C. Callaghan, William Safire Professor off
Modern Letters, Syracuse University
Also by Edward Pechter
Dryden’s Classical Theory of Literature.
What Was Shakespeare? Renaissance Plays and Changing Critical Practice.
Editor, Textual and Theatrical Shakespeare: Questions of Evidence.
“Othello” and Interpretive Traditions.
Editor, “Othello”: A Norton Critical Edition.
Shakespeare Studies Today
Romanticism Lost
Edward Pechter
SHAKESPEARESTUDIESTODAY
Copyright © Edward Pechter, 2011.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2011 978-0-230-11419-7
All rights reserved.
First published in 2011 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-29581-4 ISBN 978-0-230-11936-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230119369
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pechter, Edward, 1941–
Shakespeare studies today : romanticism lost / Edward Pechter.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616—Criticism and interpretation—
History—20th century. 2. Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616—Criticism
and interpretation—History—19th century. I. Title.
PR2970.P42 2011
822.3(cid:2)3—dc22 2010043217
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: June 2011
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For E. A. J. Honigmann;
and for Ben and Beth and Dave and Ceilidh

C O N T E N T S
Preface ix
Introduction 1
Part One Discipline and Desire
Introduction: Discipline and Desire 15
1 Return of the Aesthetic? 21
2 Negative Desire: Materialism and Its Discontents 53
Part Two What’s Wrong with Literature?
Introduction: What's Wrong with Literature? 87
3 New Theatricalism and the Repudiation of Literary Interest 91
4 New Textualism and the Crisis in Editing 117
Part Three Romanticism Lost
Introduction: Romanticism Lost 143
5 Romantic Antitheatricalism and Formalist Values 151
6 Romantic Authorship and Professional Values 177
Conclusion 201
Notes 207
Works Cited 215
IInnddeexx 223311

P R E F A C E
This book is about how Shakespeareans go about their business at the
present time. It argues that we can perform more effectively and with
more conviction by relaxing some of the materialist principles guidingg
current work, and by reconnecting with the traditions of Romantic
commentary, beginning with Hazlitt and Coleridge and continuing up
to A. C. Bradley, from which our own critical practice has developed.
Since the Introduction spells out this argument in detail, I limit
myself here to thanking at least some of the many people and institu-
tions who have facilitated my work. A grant from the Social Science
and Humanities Research Council of Canada helped with much of the
research and writing. During the spring and fall of 2008, I was given
the opportunity to try out some of my ideas in a number of academic
settings, where the response made me realize that I was writing a very
different book from the one I thought I was writing. For setting up
these presentations and for filling up the seats with people poised to askk
smart and usefully embarrassing questions, I am grateful to Tom Cain,
Patrick J. Finn, Marcie Frank, Elizabeth Hanson, Lynne Magnusson,
Kathleen McLuskie, Gordon McMullan, and Paul Yachnin.
Parts of this book are based on prior publication. For editorial gen-
erosity and advice, my thanks go to Graham Bradshaw (Shakespearean
International Yearbook 3, Ashgate); Christy Desmet and Robert Sawyerr
(Harold Bloom’s Shakespeare, Palgrave); Peter Holland (Shakespeare Survey
59, Cambridge University Press); Alan Sinfield and Peter Nicholls
(Textual Practice, 11 and 17, Taylor and Francis); and Paul Yachnin and
Patsy Badir (Shakespeare and the Cultures of Performance, Ashgate).
I benefited from the encouragement and advice of friends and col-
leagues at the University of Victoria, including Gordon Fulton, Gary
Kuchar, Richard van Oort, and Terry Sherwood of the English
Department, and Sara Beam and Matthew Koch of the History