Shakespeare in the Eighteenth Century

"This volume of essays focuses on the critical interest in Shakespeare that has its roots in the 18th century, noting both performance traditions and literary influence." --Choice "Perhaps the greatest triumph of this deeply pleasing volume, however, is the demonstration that Shakespeare in the eighteenth century came to mean something collective, too. The man and his works became a way for England, and to lesser extent Britons and English-speaking peoples generally, to forge an identity that was national in the former cases, and linguistic and cultural in the latter." --Ian Kelly, huntington library quarterly | vol. 76, no. 2 "It is nonetheless the most comprehensive study available, including not only the scholarship mentioned above but also essays on eighteenth-century criticism and reviews of Shakespeare, Shakespearean forgeries, and Shakespeare in opera. Most impressive is that, besides occasional disagreements, this collection builds a remarkably consistent picture of Shakespeare's status and identity in the eighteenth century." -Nicholas Hudson, Comptes Rendus