Spiritual Shakespeares is the first book to explore the scope for reading Shakespeare spiritually in the light of contemporary theory and current world events. Ewan Fernie has brought together an exciting cast of critics in order to respond to the 'religious turn' in recent literary theory and to the spiritualized politics of terrorism and the 'War on Terror'.

Exploring a genuinely new perspective within Shakespeare Studies, the volume suggests that experiencing the spiritual intensities of the plays could lead us back to dramatic intensity as such. It tests spirituality from a political perspective, as well as subjecting politics to an unusual spiritual critique. Amongst its controversial and provocative arguments is the idea that a consideration of spirituality might point the way forward for materialist criticism.

Reaching across and beyond literary studies to offer challenging and powerful contributions from leading scholars, this book offers unique readings of some very familiar plays.

About the Author

Ewan Fernie is Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is author of Shame in Shakespeare, leading editor of Reconceiving the Renaissance, and founding editor (with Simon Palfrey) of a new series of very short books called Shakespeare Now! In 2004, he was selected by Gary Taylor and the Hudson-Strode Program as one of 'the six most brilliant scholars of Renaissance Drama in the world under 40'.

Reviews

"This volume offers advanced students a helpful survey of contemporary thinking about spiritual otherness in Shakespeare, while experienced readres will find in it provocative avenues for debate." -- Christopher Baker, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Renaissance Quarterly

"Spiritual Shakespeare is an incredible collection that displays lively theoretical openings, refreshing religious heterodoxy, and jaw-dropping conceptual leaps of faith. It offers literary or religious scholars, at either the graduate or the professorial levels, a spirited display of critical interpretive ingenuity and an unwavering respect for Shakespeare's spiritual relevance for our present world." -- V. Blue Lemay, Indiana University, Religion and the Arts

'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in secular materialism, theology, or contemporary theory. That at least is what the present collection sets out so suggestively to show.' - John D. Caputo (from the foreword)

'Readers will find here an engagement with both Shakespeare and spirituality which is intelligent, original, and challengingly optimistic, one which surely succeeds in its wish to "reinvigorate and strengthen politically progressive materialist criticism".' - Jonathan Dollimore (from the afterword)

'Fernie has done a very good job in bringing together a provocative and intelligent set of essays. Spiritual Shakespeares offers a fresh and edgy perspective on the critically hot topic of religion ... [it] deserves attention not only from scholars and critics interested in Shakespeare and theory or in Shakespeare and religion, but also from professional readers looking for new approaches to Shakespeare's works.' - Graham Hammill, University of Notre Dame

Book Information
ISBN 9780415319676
Author Ewan Fernie
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 490g