Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare

Kenneth Burke

Description

This volume gathers and annotates all of the Shakespeare criticism, including previously unpublished notes and lectures, by the maverick American intellectual Kenneth Burke (1897–1993). Burke’s interpretations of Shakespeare have had an impressive influence on important lines of contemporary scholarship; playwrights and directors have been stirred by his dramaturgical investigations; and many readers outside academia have enjoyed his ingenious dissections of what makes a play function. Burke’s intellectual project continually engaged with Shakespeare’s works, and Burke’s writings on Shakespeare, in turn, have had an immense impact on generations of readers. Carefully edited and annotated, with helpful cross-references, Burke’s fascinating interpretations of Shakespeare remain challenging, provocative, and accessible. Read together, these pieces form an evolving argument about the nature of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Included are thirteen analyses of individual plays and poems, an introductory lecture explaining his approach to reading Shakespeare, and a substantial appendix of hundreds of Burke’s other references to Shakespeare. Scott L. Newstok also provides a historical introduction and an account of Burke’s legacy. Burke’s enduring familiarity with Shakespeare likely helped shape his own theory of dramatism, an ambitious elaboration of the teatrum mundi conceit. Burke is renowned for his landmark 1951 essay on Othello, which wrestles with concerns still relevant to scholars more than a half century later; his ingenious ventriloquism of Mark Antony’s address over Caesar’s body has likewise found a number of appreciative readers, as have (albeit less frequently) his many other essays on the playwright. Burke’s first and final pieces of literary criticism both examine Shakespearean plays, thereby bookending an impressive, career-long contribution to the field of Shakespeare studies. Among the many major Shakespearean critics who have gratefully acknowledged Burke’s influence are Paul Alpers, Harold Bloom, Stanley Cavell, René Girard, Stephen Greenblatt, and Patricia Parker.

Sujets

• Literary Criticism
• Drama

Informations

• Publié par: Parlor Press, LLC
• Date de parution: 13 décembre 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781643170039
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Parlor Press books by Kenneth Burke
Letters from Kenneth Burke to William H. Rueckert, 1959–1987
edited by William H. Rueckert (2003)
Essays Toward a Symbolic of Motives, 1950–1955 edited by William H. Rueckert (2007)
Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare
edited by Scott L. Newstok (2007)
Equipment for Living: The Literary Reviews of Kenneth Burke edited by Nathaniel Rivers and Ryan Weber (2007)


Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare
Edited by Scott L. Newstok
Parlor Press
Anderson, South Carolina
www.parlorpress.com


Parlor Press LLC, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906
© 2007 by Parlor Press
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
S A N: 2 5 4 - 8 8 7 9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burke, Kenneth, 1897-1993.
Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare / edited by Scott L. Newstok.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-1-60235-003-8 (acid-free paper) -- ISBN 978-1-60235-002-1 (pbk. : acid-free paper) -- ISBN 978-1-60235-004-5 (Adobe ebook)
1. Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Criticism and interpretation. I. Newstok, Scott L., 1973- II. Title.
PR2976.B79 2007
822.3’3--dc22
2006039417
Cover design by David Blakesley.
Cover illustration: “Kenneth Burke” by Taylor Jones. © 2006, by Parlor Press.
Printed on acid-free paper.
Parlor Press, LLC is an independent publisher of scholarly and trade titles in print and multimedia formats. This book is available in paper, cloth and Adobe eBook formats from Parlor Press on the World Wide Web at http://parlorpress.com or through online and brick-and mortar bookstores. For submission information or to find out about Parlor Press publications, write to Parlor Press, 8 1 6 Robinson St., West Lafayette, Indiana, 47906, or e-mail [e-mail].


Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments
1 Psychology and Form
2 Trial Translation (from Twelfth Night )
3 Antony in Behalf of the Play
4 Imagery
5 ‘Socio-anagogic’ Interpretation of Venus and Adonis
6 Othello : An Essay to Illustrate a Method
7 Timon of Athens and Misanthropic Gold
8 Shakespearean Persuasion: Antony and Cleopatra
9 Coriolanus —and the Delights of Faction
10 King Lear : Its Form and Psychosis
11 Notes on Troilus and Cressida
12 Why A Midsummer Night’s Dream ?
13 Notes on Macbeth
Appendix
Notes
Index of Works by Shakespeare
General Index for Print Edition
About the Author
About the Editor


Acknowledgments
A writer such as Burke who insists that a critic should “use all that is there to use” presents quite an editorial task, and I have much gratitude to share with those who contributed to the completion of this volume. It’s been a long time in the making—Burke himself first envisioned “pulling togidda” his materials on Shakespeare in 1972.
Let me begin to give thanks by recounting a sort of genealogy of this edition. Upon reflection, Burke’s been a companion in my intellectual life since high school, when Tim Blackburn was a kind of Burkean avatar for me, as Scott Samuelson would later be at Grinnell College. I believe that I first read Burke’s “Literature as Equipment for Living” at the recommendation of Jim Diedrick at the Newberry Library; shortly thereafter, Ellen Mease sagely suggested Burke’s Coriolanus essay in a tutorial on rhetoric. I don’t recall Burke having been assigned in graduate school; more often, mutual appreciation would be discovered in passing conversations with friends such as Ayanna Thompson, Catherine Toal, and Daniel Williams, or with professors such as Stanley Cavell, Marjorie Garber, John Guillory, Marc Shell, and Helen Vendler. It might have been Scott McLemee’s 2001 article on the resurgence of Burke studies that motivated me to contemplate this edition (the tantalizingly apocryphal Burke-Shakespeare volume was mentioned there), and Scott was very encouraging in subsequent exchanges. Dennis Kezar, Bill Engel, and Garrett Sullivan all offered useful feedback on the initial book proposal. As soon as he saw it, David Blakesley jumped on that proposal, thereby committing himself to years of extensive editorial guidance. David’s been crucial in helping me think through the scope of this project, smoothing the permissions process, and getting me in touch with key figures in the world of Burke. Most significantly, these figures include Michael and Anthony Burke of the Kenneth Burke Literary Trust, who quickly approved of the proposed volume, and have since continued to be generous with their time, as well as with access to their father’s manuscripts. Paul Alpers has shared ongoing critical encouragement across many stages of the volume’s progress. Gustavus Adolphus College awarded a number of grants that permitted me to work alongside my sharp students Britta Johnson, Will Sutor, Kate Neely, Erica Hedstrom, and Paul Carlson; together, they all did the fundamental work of transcribing, editing, and proofing these essays, along with helping me to contemplate the potentially multiple purposes and audiences of this volume. Kathie Martin at Gustavus was invaluable in obtaining numerous ILL items necessary for the annotations. I have benefited greatly from the Yale Special Collections Andrew W. Mellon Humanities Post-Doctoral Fellowship, and have Alice Prochaska to thank for this. The Yale University Library has helped pay for the various permissions associated with these gathered materials, and Michael Colavolpe, Debbie McGraw, and Tatyana Kagan efficiently processed my requests. At Yale, Harold Bloom, Leslie Brisman, and Geoffrey Hartman gave me late guidance in my reflections on Burke; the Beinecke Library first opened my eyes to what kind of a correspondent Burke was. My pilgrimage to the Penn State University Special Collections was made all the more pleasant by the staff there; Sandy Stelts and Jeannette Sabre were quite helpful about introducing me to their collection, and both continued to prove generous consultants from afar. Jack Selzer let me sit in on his PSU Burke seminar as well as bounce a number of thoughts off of him. My introductory essay received helpful feedback from Sarah Newstok, Scott Samuelson, Dennis Kezar, Matthew Greenfield, Paul Alpers, Edward Pechter, R. A. Foakes, Tim Blackburn, Kim Hastings, Kivmars Bowling, Andrew Davidson, and an anonymous reviewer for Parlor Press. The pre-publication of Burke’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream lecture in Shakespeare Quarterly came about through conversations with Michael Neill and Gail Kern Paster, as well as the approval of David Blakesley and Michael and Anthony Burke. The assiduous editorial staff at Shakespeare Quarterly —which included Barbara Mowat, Liz Pohland, Solvei Robertson, and, in particular, Mimi Godfrey—raised important questions about editing that lecture, which in turn helped me in my final polishing of this project. Stephen Crook guided me to some late discoveries at The Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
Whether for agreeing to permissions, responding to my minute inquiries, offering me general encouragement, or some combination thereof (and many of those already listed above fit this description as well), others whom I gratefully acknowledge include Alan Pierpoint; Alice Dailey; Alice Essenpreis; Andrew Dubois; Andrew Parker; Andrzej Warminski; Andy Brown; Angel Vu; Angela Bazydlo; Ann-Marie Gronhovd; Antony Tatlow; Arthur Kirsch; Barbara Hernnstein Smith; Barbara Lamar; Barry O’Connell; Ben Harth; Ben Yagoda; Benedict Giamo; Bette Gahres; Bob White; Brenda Macon; Brent Nelson; Brian Walsh; Bronwen Wickkiser; Bryan Reynolds; Carl Ploss; Carol Christiansen; Carol Cole; Carol Lawrence; Carol Mejia-Laperle; Casey Elledge; Cathryn Kenzel; Charles Musser; Charles Peek; Christina Elias; Christina Rago; Christine Smith; Christopher Ricks; Christy Desmet; Clarke Rountree; Claude Brew; Clifford Geertz; D. W. Krummel; Daniel Morgan; Darrell Jodock; David Frankel; David Laibman; David L. Lewis; Deborah Holdstein; Denis Donoghue; Denise Robertson; Dennis Palmore; Diane Newstrom; Don Burks; Douglas Bruster; Drew Loewe; Dudley Andrew; Edward Pixley; Elaine Cinelli; Elizabeth Knowles; Emma Smith; Emiliano Battista; Eric Eliason; Erika Dowell; Fiona Petheram; Florian Bucher; Sir Frank Kermode; Franco Moretti; Gabriel Egan; Gail Malmgreen; Garrett McCutchan; George Core; Gerhard Weinberg; Giovanna P. Del Negro; Göran Stockenström; Graham Davidson; Gregory Loy; Habiba Alcindor; Harold Toliver; Harris M. Berger; Harry Berger, Jr.; Heather Jackson; Helen Rozier; Henry S. Turner; Ingrid de Boor; Iris Snyder; Isaac Gewirtz; J. B. Beer; Jacque Roethler; James J. Barnes; James Chesebro; James Engell; James Naremore; James Olney; James Williams; Janet Sample; Jennifer Harris; Jenny Tollefson; Jim Harner; Jim Mays; Joan Waiser; Jonathan Goldberg; Jonathan Gil Harris; John Andrews; John Erickson; John Haffenden; John Lillis; John Mackay; John Newstrom; John Pickard; Joshua Kotin; Joyce Sutphen; Julia Prest; Julia Reinhard Lupton; Julian Markels; Julie Howland; Julie Whittaker; Kara Hobson; Kate Hamill; Katharine Liu; Katherine Ibbett; Katherine Rowe; Kathleen Canavan; Kathleen Kluegel; Kathleen Morgan; Kathlene Ferris; Kembrew McLeod; Kenneth Gross; Kevin Egan; Larry Manley; Laurence Coupe; Lawrence Rhu; Lee Poague; Linda Gerth; Linda Seckelson; Linda Stahnke; Lisa Savage; Loren Hansen; Louisa Shea; Lowell Gallagher; Luca