Shakespeare, Feminism and Gender

KATE CHEDGZOY is Reader in English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick.

Collecting together essays which offer detailed accounts of particular plays, along with others that take a broader overview of the field, this casebook showcases the range of critical strategies used in feminist criticism of Shakespeare.Over the last quarter-century, feminist criticism of Shakespeare has greatly expanded and enriched the range of interpretations of the Shakespearean texts, their original historical location, and subsequent reinterpretation. Characteristically it weaves between past and present, driven by a commitment both to intervene in contemporary cultural politics and to recover a fuller sense of the sexual politics of the literary heritage. Collecting together essays which offer detailed accounts of particular plays with others that take a broader overview of the field, this Casebook showcases the range of critical strategies used by feminist criticism, and illustrates how vital attention to the politics of gender and sexuality is to a full understanding and appreciation of Shakespearean drama.