Not Shakespeare Bardolatry and Burlesque in the Nineteenth Century [Paperback]

This is a study of nineteenth-century Shakespeare burlesques.Burlesque has been a powerful and enduring weapon in the critique of legitimate Shakespearean culture by a seemingly illegitimate popular culture. This was true most of all in the nineteenth century. Richard Schoch, in the first study of nineteenth-century Shakespeare burlesques, explores the paradox that plays which are manifestly not Shakespeare purport to be the most genuinely Shakespearean of all. The book brings together archival research, rare photographs and illustrations, close readings of burlesque scripts, and an awareness of theatrical, literary, and cultural contexts.Burlesque has been a powerful and enduring weapon in the critique of legitimate Shakespearean culture by a seemingly illegitimate popular culture. This was true most of all in the nineteenth century. Richard Schoch, in the first study of nineteenth-century Shakespeare burlesques, explores the paradox that plays which are manifestly not Shakespeare purport to be the most genuinely Shakespearean of all. The book brings together archival research, rare photographs and illustrations, close readings of burlesque scripts, and an awareness of theatrical, literary, and cultural contexts.Burlesque has been a powerful and enduring weapon in the critique of legitimate Shakespearean culture by a seemingly illegitimate popular culture, particularly in the nineteenth century. This first study of nineteenth-century Shakespeare burlesques explores the paradox that plays obviously not Shakespearean appear to be the most genuinely Shakespearean of all. The book brings together archival research, rare photographs and illustrations, studies of burlesque scripts, and an awareness of theatrical, literary, and cultural contexts.List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; Note on texts; Introduction: 'New Readings for Unconventional Tragedians'; 1. 'Vile beyond endurance' : the language of burlesque; 2. Shakespeare's surrogates; 3. Shakespeare in Bohemia; 4. l³7