Synopses & Reviews
Published simultaneously with Roman Shakespeare: Warriors, Wounds and Women in the Feminist Readings of Shakespeare series, Engendering a Nation: A Feminist Account of Shakespeare's English Histories is the first full-length feminist study of Shakespeare's historical plays.
Authors Jean Howard and Phyllis Rackin bring both a feminist perspective to their analyses of each of Shakespeare's historical plays, and also include extensive references to the afterlife of these plays. They examine the place of gender in differing representations of nationhood in early modern England, and argue that the transition from monarchy to modern nationhood was dependent upon a shift in popular understandings of gender, and of male/female societal roles.
Synopsis
Engendering a Nation adopts a sophisticated feminist analysis to examine the place of gender in contesting representations of nationhood in early modern England. Plays featured include:
* King John
* Henry VI, Part I
* Henry VI, Part II
* Henry, Part III
* Richard III
* Richard II
* Henry V.
It will be a must for students and scholars interested in the cultural and social implications of Shakespeare today.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-237) and index.