Shakespeare and Economic Theory

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Over the last 20 years, the concept of 'economic' activity has come to seem inseparable from psychological, semiotic and ideological experiences. In fact, the notion of the 'economy' as a discrete area of life seems increasingly implausible. This returns us to the situation of Shakespeare's England, where the financial had yet to be differentiated from other forms of representation. This book shows how concepts and concerns that were until recently considered purely economic affected the entire range of sixteenth and seventeenth century life. Using the work of such critics as Jean-Christophe Agnew, Douglas Bruster, Hugh Grady and many others, Shakespeare and Economic Theory traces economic literary criticism to its cultural and historical roots, and discusses its main practitioners. Providing new readings of Timon of Athens, King Lear, The Winters Tale, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Julius Caesar, Macbeth and The Tempest, David Hawkes shows how it can reveal previously unappreciated qualities of Shakespeares work.

Reviews

In a text rich with illustrations drawn from both the plays and Sonnets, Hawkes shows not only how Shakespeare was fully aware of the economic circumstances in which his work was being received but also how this awareness informed his writing. ... [A] wide-ranging and readable account. * Times Literary Supplement *
The Arden Shakespeare has provided a benchmark for textual interpretation on the stage and academically for over a century. * Morning Star *
David Hawkess Shakespeare and Economic Theory is the most densely ambitious of the three, though its 88-page overview of economic theory (including classical economic terminology and Marxism, and summarizing the history of Marxist and anti-Marxist economic theory in Shakespeare studies) is itself a minor miracle of clarity and concision. -- Curtis Perry * Studies in English Literature *

Author Bio

David Hawkes is Professor in the Department of English at the Arizona State University, USA.