Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare? The authorship question has been much treated in works of fiction, film and television, provoking interest all over the world. Sceptics have proposed many candidates as the author of Shakespeare's works, including Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe and Edward De Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. But why and how did the authorship question arise and what does surviving evidence offer in answer to it? This authoritative, accessible and frequently entertaining book sets the debate in its historical context and provides an account of its main protagonists and their theories. Presenting the authorship of Shakespeare's works in relation to historiography, psychology and literary theory, twenty-three distinguished scholars reposition and develop the discussion. The book explores the issues in the light of biographical, textual and bibliographical evidence to bring fresh perspectives to an intriguing cultural phenomenon.
• A collection of essays by major authorities in the field discuss the authorship debate surrounding Shakespeare's work • Provides a wide range of discussions of all significant aspects of the topic in a readable and engaging style • Offers a comprehensive and grounded scholarly exploration of this hotly debated field
Contents
General introduction Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells; Part I. Sceptics: Introduction to Part One Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells; 1. The unreadable Delia Bacon Graham Holderness; 2. The case for Bacon Alan Stewart; 3. The case for Marlowe Charles Nicholl; 4. The life and theatrical interests of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford Alan H. Nelson; 5. The unusual suspects Matt Kubus; Part II. Shakespeare as Author: Introduction to Part Two Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells; 6. Theorizing Shakespeare's authorship Andrew Hadfield; 7. Allusions to Shakespeare to 1642 Stanley Wells; 8. Shakespeare as collaborator John Jowett; 9. Authorship and the evidence of stylometrics MacDonald P. Jackson; 10. What does textual evidence reveal about the author? James Mardock and Eric Rasmussen; 11. Shakespeare and Warwickshire David Kathman; 12. Shakespeare and school Carol Chillington Rutter; 13. Shakespeare tells lies Barbara Everett; Part III. A Cultural Phenomenon: Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare?: Introduction to Part Three Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells; 14. 'This palpable device': authorship and conspiracy in Shakespeare's life Kathleen E. McLuskie; 15. Amateurs and professionals: regendering Bacon Andrew Murphy; 16. Fictional treatments of Shakespeare's authorship Paul Franssen; 17. The declaration of reasonable doubt Stuart Hampton-Reeves; 18. 'There won't be puppets, will there?': 'Heroic' authorship and the cultural politics of Anonymous Douglas M. Lanier; 19. 'The Shakespeare establishment' and the Shakespeare authorship discussion Paul Edmondson; Afterword James Shapiro; A selected reading list Hardy M. Cook.
Reviews
'Until now no book has provided the comprehensive evidence necessary to satisfy those 'Reasonable Doubters'.' James Shapiro, Columbia University, and author of Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?
'The Shakespeare debate has never been hotter.' London Evening Standard
'This book helpfully pulls together irrefutable evidence that Shakespeare really was Shakespeare.' New Statesman
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