2 - Shakespeare’s Life, Times, and Stage

Summary

In the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of English Literary Renaissance, ‘The State of Renaissance Studies’ is the chosen topic. Together, the finely crafted essays throw considerable light upon the concerns of scholars working in the field today; at the same time, they suggest new critical directions for future generations. Almost all of the contributors acknowledge that ‘Renaissance Studies’ is now a necessarily pluralized and interdisciplinary domain of enquiry. Some (Jonathan Crewe, for example) begin by confronting the difficulties inherent in terms such as ‘English’, ‘Literary’ and ‘Renaissance’. Others (Stanley Fish, A. C. Hamilton, Lisa Jardine and Kathleen E. McLuskie) discuss the territory shared by ‘literature’ and ‘history’, and they are complemented by David Bevington, Katharine Eisaman Maus and Raymond B. Waddington, who explore the differences between critics of opposed ideological orientations. In her contribution, Lynda Boose applies these observations, arguing for a return to archival scholarship as part of the recovery of the woman’s voice. Two contributors (Annabel Patterson and Anne Lake Prescott) single out examples of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ literary and historical interpretative practice, while a third, Leah S. Marcus, maintains that the computer has had a profound impact on the study of a period dominated by the print revolution.

The English Literary Renaissance anniversary issue makes an important statement. It offers contrasting readings of a variety of scholarly activities, and identifies a number of needs and requirements, hopes and recommendations. In addition, it asks, sometimes coincidentally, several far-reaching questions. How possible is it to recover the past? What texts might be privileged? In what ways should literary canons be confined or extended? What is the relationship between contextual pressures and early modern literary representations? How best can the theatrical performance be critically appreciated? Does Shakespeare possess an inherent appeal, or is he of interest only in terms of multiple cultural appropriations? In the current list of titles in Renaissance and Shakespearian studies, these questions occupy a prominent place.