Big-time Shakespeare
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Author Description
Shakespeare Has Made The Big Time. No Less Than The Beatles Or Liberace, Elvis Presley Or Mick Jagger, Shakespeare Is Big-time In The Idiomatic Sense Of Cultural Success And Widespread Notoriety. Not Only Has He Achieved Canonical Status, Shakespeare Is A Contemporary Celebrity. His Artistic Distinction And Aptitude For Controversy Constantly Keeps His Name In The Public Eye. Bristol Debates Shakespeare's Cultural Authority, And Clarifies The Semantics Of His Name In Our Culture. Big-time Shakespeare Suggests His Plays Represent The Pathos Of Our Civilisation With Extraordinary Force And Clarity. Shakespeare's Contradictory Understanding Of The Social And Cultural Past Is Also Examined With Close Analysis Of The Winter's Tale, Othello, And Hamlet.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the transformation of William Shakespeare from a historical playwright into a modern icon of global celebrity and cultural authority. Michael D. Bristol, a scholar of early modern literature, utilizes a sociological framework to examine how Shakespeare's name functions as a brand within contemporary society. He argues that the enduring relevance of the plays stems from their capacity to articulate the contradictions and pathos inherent in modern civilization.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the commodification of Shakespeare as a cultural celebrity comparable to modern pop icons.
- Examination of the semantic shifts in how Shakespeare's name is deployed in public discourse.
- Close textual readings of The Winter's Tale, Othello, and Hamlet to illustrate historical and social tensions.
- A critical assessment of the relationship between canonical status and institutional authority.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars frequently cite this text for its contribution to the sociology of literature and its interrogation of the Shakespeare industry. Experts highlight the author's ability to bridge the gap between traditional literary analysis and contemporary cultural studies.
Page Count:
272
Publication Date:
1996-01-01
Publisher:
Routledge
ISBN-10:
0203989295
ISBN-13:
9780203989296
Non-Fiction
Literary Criticism
