Shakespeare and the American Nation

Kim C. Sturgess

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English

Cambridge University Press
31 May 2007

Literary studies: general; Shakespeare studies & criticism; Regional studies; Social & cultural history; Popular culture

Why do so many Americans celebrate Shakespeare, a long-dead English poet and playwright? By the nineteenth century newly independent America had chosen to reject the British monarchy and Parliament, class structure and traditions, yet their citizens still made William Shakespeare a naturalized American hero. Today the largest group of overseas visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Bankside's Shakespeare's Globe Theatre come from America. Why? Is there more to Shakespeare's American popularity than just a love of men in doublet and hose speaking soliloquies? This book tells the story of America's relationship with Shakespeare. The story of how and why Shakespeare became a hero within American popular culture. Sturgess provides evidence of a comprehensive nineteenth-century appropriation of Shakespeare to the cause of the American Nation and shows that, as America entered the twentieth century a new world power, for many Americans Shakespeare had become as American as George Washington.

By: Kim C. Sturgess
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 227mm, Width: 150mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 370g
ISBN: 9780521035767
ISBN 10: 0521035767
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 31 May 2007
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements; Prologue; Introduction; Part I. The Paradox: 1. Manifest consumption of Shakespeare; 2. America: a proudly anti-English 'idea'; Part II. The Appropriation: 3. Beginning the appropriation of Shakespeare and the 'First American Edition' of his works; 4. Jacksonian energy - Shakespearean imagery; 5. Context for appropriation in nineteenth-century America; 6. The American heroic and ownership of Shakespeare; 7. Shakespeare as a fulcrum for American literature; 8. The American Scholar and the authorship controversy; 9. Last scenes in the final act of appropriation; Epilogue; Appendix I; Appendix II; Bibliography; Index.

Kim C. Sturgess has studied in America and currently teaches Shakespeare and comparative literature courses at American universities in London.

Reviews for Shakespeare and the American Nation

'Kim C. Sturgess's book is a valuable account of one of the ingredients that permitted America to stand up as a unified nation. ... The demonstration carried out by Kim C. Sturgess is interesting and convincing.' Revve Francaise d'Etudes Americaines '... the felicitous blend of in-depth research and colourful anecdotes makes for a book that is highly entertaining as well as informative.' Cercles 'This is a readable and stimulating volume ...' Literature and History